Sustainable Rice Food Security in Indonesia: Systemic Challenges, Policy Trade-offs and Adaptation Strategies
Tajidan Tajidan *
University of Mataram, Indonesia.
Aida Muspiah
University of Mataram, Indonesia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Rice remains central to food availability, household purchasing power, farm livelihoods and political stability in Indonesia, yet sustained food security cannot be inferred from national production or self-sufficiency alone. This critical narrative review evaluates the resilience and sustainability of Indonesia's rice system by integrating agronomic, climatic, environmental, market and policy evidence. Literature published from 2000 to 10 June 2026 was prioritised, with earlier seminal work included where necessary, and evidence was selected through searches of accessible scholarly indexes, bibliographic services and authoritative institutional sources. The synthesis indicates that Indonesia's rice system combines substantial adaptive capacity with persistent structural exposure. Production can recover strongly after adverse seasons, but climate variability, delayed rainy seasons, heat, drought, flooding, salinity, unequal water control, land conversion, yield and technical-efficiency gaps, seed-system and extension constraints, labour transitions, input dependence, post-harvest losses and market volatility continue to threaten the stability and distribution of rice supply. Policy responses also involve trade-offs: high producer prices may strengthen farm incentives but reduce affordability for net rice buyers; import restrictions may support self-sufficiency objectives but weaken flexibility during domestic shortfalls; and expansion into tidal or other marginal lands can increase cultivated area while transferring costs to fragile ecosystems and requiring unusually high management capacity. The strongest adaptation pathway is therefore a portfolio rather than a single production target. Priority components include protection of productive paddy land, reliable irrigation and drainage, stress-tolerant and improved seed, locally calibrated nutrient and water management, climate-informed planting decisions, appropriate mechanisation, post-harvest upgrading, layered insurance and public-stock instruments, and flexible trade arrangements. Sustainable rice food security should ultimately be assessed by stable and affordable access, viable farm incomes, shock recovery, resource efficiency and environmental burden, rather than by national self-sufficiency ratios in isolation.
Keywords: Rice resilience, food access, climate adaptation, sustainable intensification, price stabilisation, post-harvest loss, Indonesia