Every country wants to lower their stunting rate. It is a way of achieving the second sustainable development goal of creating a world free of hunger by 2030. It is also a way to achieve food security. 

The Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) shows that Indonesia’s stunting prevalence had dropped from 24.4 percent (2021) to 21.6 percent the following year. Indonesia wants to further reduce the stunting prevalence to 14 percent by 2024. Of course, we will not be able to achieve this without collaborating with all sorts of stakeholders. But have we done our best in stunting intervention to achieve the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision? 

Lowering the stunting rate should start with building a healthy home ecosystem, clean water to the intake of nutritious food that is high in protein and sustainable. As a maritime and agricultural country, Indonesia should have easy access to nutritious and high-protein food such as fish. While there are regions with great potential for pisciculture, their stunting rate remains high despite fish being the best source of protein. Fish not only contains sustainable protein but also natural compounds, namely PUFA, EPA and DHA. This makes it a more effective solution for stunting.

But we need to make sure that fish consumption, be it those cultivated in freshwater or caught in the sea, must be evenly distributed in every region. It has to reach the families in the remote and marginal areas. That is why we need to promote the use of fish farming technology. Not many people are aware that fish, both freshwater and sea catch, is a great protein source and contains amino acids that do not get damaged when cooked. 

Although it varies for each type of fish, it contains fat and unsaturated fatty acids that can be digested and are useful for body tissue. This is not only beneficial for a child’s growth, but it can also lower blood cholesterol. Fish in general also has better absorption capacity compared to other meats such as goat, beef, and chicken. This is because the fibers in fish meat are shorter than those in other meats, so they are easier to digest. Fish is also rich in vitamins, be it vitamin A, D, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin. Fish also contains many minerals included in milk such as calcium and phosphorus.

Indonesia’s fish consumption is low. That is likely because of people not being aware of the nutrition and benefits of eating fish protein for health and intelligence. Another factor is the low supply of fish, especially in remote areas due to the lackluster fish distribution. Fish farming technologies are also still not evenly distributed, thus leading to the lower quality or quantity of fish in the regions.

Upstream and Downstream Collaboration
The challenges to sustainable nutrition and food security are caused by multiple factors, be it economic, social, political, and environmental aspects. We can identify these problems using supply and demand analysis. And everyone must realize the importance of this.

We need to enhance collaboration between communities, government, and businesses, by involving aquaculture technology companies such as eFishery which took home an award at the 2023 ASEAN Business Awards in the Food Security category. This can boost the quality and quantity of the cultivated fish in terms of size and type. Technology use can also shorten harvest time, making it easier for farmers to sell what they have cultivated. 

It is also important to make sure that fish food is sold at affordable prices to support the fish farmers. Traditional cultivators today often end up getting into debt when they want to upscale their production. This problem has resulted in high selling prices, causing them unable to pay their debts and thus eventually lose their cultivation pond assets. This calls for the need for an unsecured loan program for cultivators, which they can convert into purchasing points for fishery production facilities. eFishery has a similar program with its closed-loop lending, and this can be helpful for cultivators in the upstream and downstream.

Food Security and Generational Sustainability
Good nutrition and food security mark an important milestone in a country’s development. Because it is the children who will contribute to the nation in the future. The problem of food insecurity is closely related to the sustainability of generations and the strength of a country. Food security and nutrition are one unit. Nutrition is a key element in improving the quality of life of the population.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin once said that adequate nutrition is key for a person to grow optimally. This will lead to the formation of quality human capital -- an integral part of a country’s development. And this is not something that only deals with the next five or ten years.

Has Indonesia really resolved food insecurity holistically, which could have an impact on dozens of future generations? The government should focus on improving fisheries cultivation, helping the cultivating community by collaborating with aquaculture technology practitioners, to jointly solve problems and formulate solutions from production to absorption.

This will, of course, help realize Indonesia’s dream of becoming the world’s fourth-largest economy by its centennial in 2045. But again, whether we can achieve this goal really depends on the quality of the nutrition in families, pregnant women, and especially children.

Whoever gets picked as Indonesia’s leader, strengthening fish cultivation efforts from upstream to downstream for the aquaculture ecosystem is incredibly important. Because it can boost fish protein absorption, reduce stunting rates, and improve the quality of life of Indonesian people.

__

Luciana Dita Chandra Murni is a digital economy practitioner. The opinions expressed in this article are her own.