Bill on the Indigenous Peoples, which is currently included in the 2025 Priority National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) is expected to be a legal instrument that will not only recognize and protect the rights of indigenous peoples, but also strengthen community-based food sovereignty. 

Once the bill is ratified, Indigenous peoples are expected to obtain guarantees for knowledge and practices in managing food resources independently.

Coordinator of the Coalition to Guard the Indigenous Peoples Bill, Veni Siregar, emphasized that recognition of Indigenous Peoples' rights is an important step in building a fair and sustainable national food system.

"The Indigenous Peoples Bill is the path to sovereignty and independence. Indigenous peoples have knowledge in managing natural resources that has been tested for centuries," Veni said in a statement on Friday, February 21, 2025.

She cited that the Indigenous Peoples food system is based on a balance between human needs and environmental sustainability, which contributes to national food security without damaging the ecosystem.

“By maintaining and strengthening their food systems, we not only conserve biodiversity, but also ensure that future generations have access to food,” she said.

Practices

In various regions, indigenous peoples have developed food systems based on local wisdom that have proven to be able to support the lives of their communities. In Papua, for example, indigenous peoples in the lowlands manage “sago hamlets” as the main food source based on customary laws of the clan or tribe. Meanwhile, in the highlands, tubers are a staple food that is passed down from generation to generation.

In West Java, the Kasepuhan Indigenous Peoples have built a rice barn system or ‘leuit’ to maintain long-term food security.

“Leuit can store the harvest for years, not only to meet the food needs of our families, but also to maintain food security in our customary territory,” Sucia Lisdamara, an indigenous woman of Kasepuhan Bayah, said.

Meanwhile, in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), the Boti Indigenous Community has succeeded in maintaining their food security amid the Covid-19 pandemic. They manage communal gardens through mutual cooperation and ensure that their harvests are allocated to community members in need.

"South Central Timor Regency is an area with high stunting cases in NTT, but no cases were found in the Boti Indigenous Community," Bebie, a representative of the Boti Indigenous Community, said.

On coastal areas and small islands, indigenous communities implement fisheries resource management practices based on local wisdom. Some of these include the Panglima Laot system in Aceh; Mane'e in the Talaud Islands, North Sulawesi; and Sasi Ikan Lompa on Haruku Island, Maluku.

A study in the Paser community around the mangroves of Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan, shows that the sustainability of the mangrove ecosystem is closely related to the food security of coastal indigenous communities.

"If the mangroves disappear, the Paser Indigenous Community will lose their main food source," Bagas, an environmental activist, said.

Bill ratification

Recognition of indigenous peoples' rights in managing food resources is considered urgent to be realized in the form of binding legal policies. In addition to protecting indigenous rights, this regulation is also expected to strengthen the national food system based on practices that have proven sustainability.

"This is a moment of reflection to see how national food policies can be more inclusive and side with indigenous peoples," Veni concluded.