Depok, May 20, 2026 — Foodbank of Indonesia (FOI) and the Center for Research on Society and Culture, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia (PPKB FIB UI), commemorated National Awakening Day 2026 today by organizing the Indonesian Food Forum (Rembug Pangan Indonesia – RPI) titled “The Collapse of Our Granary: Restoring the Food Granary and Indonesia’s Culture of Mutual Cooperation” at the Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia. The forum was attended by experts from various disciplines.
The event, which is a collaboration between the Foodbank of Indonesia and PPKB FIB UI, is intended as a national reflection space for Indonesia’s increasingly complex food issues. These challenges span not only production and distribution but also the fading culture of togetherness, mutual cooperation (gotong royong), and food solidarity within society. The forum highlights concerns over Indonesia’s food granaries, which have not only collapsed physically but also socially and culturally. In the past, the food granary (lumbung pangan) was a symbol of community resilience, a place where people looked out for one another. Traditions of collective farming, cooking together, sharing harvests, and ensuring that neighbors did not suffer from hunger or food insecurity are national strengths passed down through generations.
According to the founder of FOI, M. Hendro Utomo, modernization and contemporary lifestyle shifts are gradually eroding these values. Family kitchens have lost their role as spaces of togetherness, and the tradition of sharing food is beginning to fade. Meanwhile, food waste continues to rise amid a large population that still struggles to access decent, nutritious food.
“Through this forum, academics, social activists, communities, the younger generation, and various stakeholders are invited to rebuild the awareness that food is not merely an economic commodity, but an essential part of cultural identity, local wisdom, and the civilization of the Indonesian nation,” Hendro explained.
The Head of PPKB FIB UI, Dr. Ahmad Fahrurodji, S.S., M.A., stated that food issues are closely linked to public perspectives and mindsets that need to be realigned, emphasizing that food cannot be separated from culture.
“In this regard, the traditions passed down by our ancestors seem to be neglected. The patterns of interaction with nature through farming have sustained them for centuries. Indonesia’s rich intangible cultural heritage, if thoroughly studied, can become a source of strength for our food security. Therefore, we hope this forum can revive the spirit of exploring the traditional values and local wisdom we already possess to support the Indonesian nation in achieving food sovereignty,” said Dr. Fahrurodji.
In this Indonesian Food Forum, several key ideas and recommendations were presented to spark a synergistic collective movement. The key to the food granary as a symbol of food security is built upon the spirit of social solidarity and community togetherness, which must be revitalized. Raising this awareness can begin in the family kitchen as a space for education, knowledge, and togetherness, which needs to be revived by involving the younger generation in the culinary culture of the Archipelago (pangan Nusantara). This food culture is inseparable from Indonesia’s highly diverse local food wealth, making it crucial to maintain and strengthen food diversification through the empowerment of traditional markets and local food MSMEs, as well as promoting Indonesian food as a national cultural identity.
The Chairman of Pergizi Pangan and Professor at IPB University, Prof. Dr. Ir. Ahmad Sulaeman, M.S., stated that to implement the food granary concept, we can learn from communities that have successfully navigated food crises by effectively utilizing the food sources available around them. Therefore, local food and its diversity must be reintroduced into the daily lives of the public, especially the younger generation.
“It is not that children dislike local food; rather, we need to introduce it to them first. This is where the significance of cultural studies lies—how we can introduce and deliver the flavors of the Archipelago to the next generation,” Prof. Ahmad explained.
Community-based social movements also serve as an expression of solidarity among community members. In addressing continuous food waste, Foodbank of Indonesia has pioneered food redistribution movements through collaboration with hotels, restaurants, retail sectors, and communities to open food access for people in need. This effort needs to be strengthened and accompanied by public education and innovations in processing surplus food.
In the long-term perspective, national food security will be sustainably maintained if it is supported by community empowerment. This can be optimized through the development of urban farming, family gardens, farmers’ cooperatives, and community-based cross-sector collaborations. Consequently, food must be positioned as a core element of national identity and cultural heritage. The role of academics is crucial in initiating the documentation of local food knowledge, fostering collaboration between universities, academic institutions, and cultural communities, as well as building a national movement to love Indonesian food.
The chairperson of the Indonesian Food Forum organizing committee, Wida Septarina, expressed that this year’s National Awakening Day commemoration serves as a vital momentum to revive the nation’s collective awareness regarding the importance of a cooperative food culture as the foundation of Indonesia’s social resilience.
“The most critical granary is not the one stored in warehouses, but the one alive in the hearts of the people: a sense of care, a culture of sharing, and the spirit of looking out for one another so that no one goes hungry,” Wida expressed.
Through this initiative, Foodbank of Indonesia, together with PPKB Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia, hopes to inspire a cross-generational collective movement to restore Indonesia’s food granary as the cultural home for the nation’s gotong royong spirit.