In June 2016, The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released Global Food Security Index (GFSI). The index showed the positions of countries in the world based on food policies implemented in 113 countries. Indonesia is ranked 71st after being 76th in 2014 and 2015.
There are three main aspects for GFSI calculation, affordability, availability, quality and safety. For the affordability category, Indonesia’s score has improved from 46.8 to 50.3. The availability score has improved from 51.2 to 54.1 while the quality and safety has improved 41.9 to 42. This improving score made Indonesian food policies included as “biggest changes” according to EIU.
Even though the food policies have been implemented by the government, it does not mean that Indonesia is free from food insecurity risk. In 2015, there is 15 percent of 398 regencies in Indonesia vulnerable to food insecurity according to World Food Programme.
A food nutrition expert of Faculty of Public Health (FKM) Universitas Airlangga, Dr. Ir. Annis Catur Adi, M.Si., believed that food security issues in Indonesia can still be managed. One way to do it is by utilizing wild plants and animals as food sources.
“According to FAO (Food Agricultural Organization), wild foods are also important source of vitamin, mineral and other nutrients, which can complete dietary intake of food insecure group, such as children and elderlies,” stated Annis.
Food Agricultural Organization’s opinion is supported by Annis as wild foods can be easily found in surrounding environment. His statement was based on research he had conducted in 2014. Annis collected the data in Bangkalan, Sampang, and Pamekasan.
In the sub-districts of Blega, Bangkalan, Annis found at least 37 wild plants, including 16 species of vegetables, 14 species of fruit and 7 species of tubers.
Some of the vegetables are winged bean, Indian camphorweed, sweet leaf, forest spinach, okra leaves and seed, and stinkvine. Some of the fruit are, bush passion fruit, mundu, coconut, soursop, jicama and sanek while for the tubers are yam, elephant yam, taro, sweet potato, jarud, lesser yam, and larbe.
The locals should not be worried about wild foods availability. Some are not available anytime, but some others are always available. Some species are available only in drought season or rainy season but the wild plants growing seasons complete each other for the whole year. So, the locals can get what they need anytime.
For example, in vegetable group, forest spinach, the winter melon, stinkvine and rakarah do not grow in drought season but winged bean, leadtree, Indian camphorweed, sweet leaf and moringa are available for the whole year.
For the fruit group, star apple, cheese fruit, soursop and jicama do not grow in rainy season. But the locals can consume sugar apple, ambarella, bush passion fruit and banana in rainy season.
“We have made wild foods seasonal calendar. Hopefully the community will have alternatives and they will utilize wild foods so they won’t worry about the lack of food source as all this time they are dependent to distributed food source,” explained Annis.
“We want to make the people aware that there are still a lot of food sources around them which can be consume without having to buy,” said the author of “Underutilized Food Plants in Food Insecure Area of Bangkalan District and the Potential Role of Local Religious Leader for Promoting the Consumption”.
Food source from wild plants contain nutrients we cannot underestimate. The leaves, buds, fruit, roots of those wild plants contain nutrients or bioactive compounds very useful for health. The community can utilize wild tuberous plants as complementary food which provides macro substances, especially their potentials as the source of energy and carbohydrate.
Annis admitted that wild food nutrition has not been well documented. Therefore, through research he conducted for two years, he conducted information exploration involving the local inhabitants, related agency and farming groups.
After the nutritional data collected, his unit sorted which wild foods deserve to be introduced to the wider society. He then developed food products made of those wild food plants and adjusted them to the public taste. For example, flavored noodles and cookies made of moringa leaves. It was aimed to make people interested to utilize wild food source in daily life.
In 2015, Annis and his students conducted a survey to some schools to test the food he developed. The elementary school students liked the flavor of their noodles and snacks which are made of moringa leaves.
“We chose plants which show great potentials in nutrients, bioactive compounds and easy to be processed and mass-cultured. From the tuber plants, there are elephant foot yam and country potato. From the leaves, there is moringa. The country potatoes and the usual potatoes are quite different as the country potatoes have more bioactive compounds,” Annis added.
At the moment, Annis and his team are making efforts realize his dream, to make wild food plants as the main food source, especially in food insecure areas. To achieve that goal, he is preparing scientific proofs to be disseminated to local government. It is aimed to accelerate nutritional improvement in food insecure areas such as Madura.
