The study assessed the food security status of poor households and contribution of cassava in their diets. Sixty-four cassava growers were selected from a Southeast Sulawesi cassava growing village using simple random sampling method. The United States Adult Food Security Survey Module was adopted in assessing the food security status of selected households. Data were analyzed qualitatively and using descriptive statistics. Results showed that a great majority (81.3%) of households were food secure. Average consumption of cassava based foods of 4.1 days a week compared to only 2.9 days for rice clearly confirmed that cassava was a dominant source of food and thus had contributed positively to the high food security status of households in the area. In view of its suitability with the farming and local food system as well as its importance in strengthening food security, efforts should be exerted to promote production, processing, marketing and consumption of cassava as staple food. 202affirmative. The questionnaire items were modified to a 30-day reference period rather than 12 month reference period (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2018).

No abstract

Home gardens are an essential component of the local food system and family farming worldwide. In Indonesia, a home food gardening program was initiated in the early 2010s to optimally utilize home yards for improving the adequacy of food consumption and nutrition intake of households. In the present challenging situation of Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a growing interest in home gardens to help mitigate food insecurity caused by food supply chain disruptions and the emergence of physical and economic barriers that limit access to food. This paper is a review of pertinent literature to find out the characteristics of home gardens and home gardening program in Indonesia and then examine their contribution to each pillar of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability. The experiences of home gardens worldwide are reviewed to understand the global context of home gardens and food security. Literature reviews found a positive impact of home gardening program on food availability, access, and utilization. However, improving food stability through a home food gardening program is still a challenging task. This finding implies that the positive contribution of the home food gardening program to household food security is largely limited to the program period. Nevertheless, the program is still an important strategy to address food insecurity and nutrition deficiency of low-income households. Future research should assess factors affecting the sustainability of the program to derive viable models applicable in diverse circumstances. There is a need for research to assess the value and importance of home gardens as a coping strategy to reduce vulnerability and food insecurity in the present global Covid-19 pandemic.

The study aimed to analyze the factors affecting food consumption expenditure among cassava growing households in Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The study was carried out in Lapodi village, Pasarwajo subdistrict, Buton district, from April to July 2018. The primary data were collected from 32 respondents selected using a random sampling method. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the multiple regression method. The study results showed that households spent a very high percentage of food expenditure (89.84 percent) compared to nonfood expenditure (10.16 percent). The food expenditure was dominated by starchy staple foods, fish, and eggs while spending on vegetables, fruits, and milk was low. Most cassava growing households had low levels of well-being, and their food consumption lacked dietary diversity and quality. The household income, education level of heads of household, fish price, family size, and cassava yield had positive and significant influences on the food consumption expenditure. The government should adopt policies and programs to increase household income and provide nutrition education for households to incorporate balanced and diversified diets for a more healthy and active life.

This study aimed to determine the priority of agricultural commodities in the province of Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia using combination of AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) and Borda Count (BC). In this way, pairwise comparison among alternative commodities was done using AHP, and the AHP ranking was then analyzed with BC. Six districts out of 12 districts in the province were selected as study location. Data and information were obtained through questionnaire survey and interviews with 30 decision makers (DMs) from district-level government institutions. Selected DMs came from (i) food crops division, (ii) estate crops division, (iii) livestock division, (iv) fisheries division, and (v) development planning agency. Study results show that districts have different priority commodities depending on their agroecological characteristics and socio-economic conditions. At the province level, the first priority commodity is sea weed, and the other top nine priority commodities in order of ranking are rice, cocoa, beef cattle, maize, cashew nut, skipjack tuna, coconut, cassava, and citrus. The method has been proven robust, simple, flexible, and adequate to achieve the study objectives. This information about priority commodities can be used by the provincial government to renew its focus on developing agriculture sector.