UNAIR NEWS – The third day of the 13th International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) featured a compelling discussion on food security at Majapahit Hall in the ASEEC Tower on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. 13th ICAS is an international conference hosted by Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) through Airlangga Institute for Indian Ocean Crossroad (AIIOC) in partnership with the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS).
Three notable speakers joined the discussion: Emil Elestianto Dardak, Vice Governor of East Java for the 2019-2024 term; Thomas Reuter from The University of Melbourne, Australia; and Onny Hendro Adhiaksono from Kagama Indonesia.
The discussion, titled “East Java and the Efforts of Improving Food Security in the Region: Prospects, Challenges, and Its Future,” provided a multifaceted look at food security. Dardak shared insights from a policymaker’s perspective, Reuter offered an academic angle, and Adhiaksono provided views from the food industry.
Food security challenges
Adhiaksono pointed out the existing gap between academia and industry practitioners as a significant challenge in food security. “We in the business sector tend to focus solely on our work and sometimes neglect the innovations or programs created by academics,” he said.
To bridge this gap, Adhiaksono suggested fostering better connections between academics and industry practitioners. He believes that academic ideas have the potential to address future challenges effectively.
“There needs to be a strong link between practitioners and academics. The ideas generated by academics should address current food security challenges and benefit both parties,” he explained.
Adhiaksono also emphasized that academic ideas should be widely communicated to food industry practitioners. “These ideas need to be broadly disseminated and practical enough to be implemented in the field,” he added.
Promising start for food security
Adhiaksono described the discussion as a promising start for the global advancement of food security, noting that it addressed food issues from various interesting angles.
He expected more similar events in the future. “I hope we have more events like this, inviting speakers from diverse professions. I also hope that the discussion outcomes can be directly applied in the field,” he stated.
13th ICAS continues with numerous engaging discussions, workshops, and festivals. More information about the events can be found at https://icas13.eventscribe.net/ and on AIIOC Instagram account, @aiioc.unair.
Author: Icha Nur Imami Puspita
Editor: Edwin Fatahuddin
