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URBAN AND PERIURBAN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS:


ARE THEY DEPENDABLE ALTERNATIVES FOR SUPPORTING
FOOD SECURITY PROGRAM?
Witono Adiyoga

Research Institute for Vegetables, Jalan Tangkuban Perahu 517 Lembang,


Bandung - 40391, West Java, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

Anticipating the future vegetable demand pressure which is expected to be especially high in and around urban
areas, greater attention has been increasingly put to the improvements of urban and peri-urban production
systems. In this context, a study was initiated to characterize urban and peri-urban vegetable production in
Bandung City, West Java, Indonesia. Opportunities and constraints in growing vegetables in those two production
systems are highlighted. A concerted effort to promote large potentialities and advantages of the urban and peri-
urban production systems that can lead to a strong commitment of further developing sustainable vegetable
production systems is undoubtedly needed.

INTRODUCTION

The economic crisis in Indonesia has greatly increased the vulnerability of large
sections of the population to food insecurity. Food prices have risen sharply, whilst purchasing
power has fallen due to rising unemployment and falling real wages. This crisis mainly
affected food security in urban areas, through job losses and the consequent decline in
household incomes and access to food. However, with increasing migration, the problem is
spreading to rural areas. As most migrants are landless and have few savings or assets, their
susceptibility to food shortages is becoming more pronounced. Despite the rise in rural
poverty, the nutritional situation of the unemployed urban poor still gives most cause for
concern. In these areas, in spite of the prospects of modest recovery this year, large
segments of the population remain severely exposed to food insecurity, as their ability to cope
has been heavily eroded. Some studies indicate alarming food related problems emerging in
urban areas, where the incidence of micro-nutrient deficiencies, particularly among mothers
and young children (under five year olds) has risen sharply and the prevalence of wasting has
increased. The consequences of micro-nutrient deficiency may be severe -- generations of
school children unable to learn can grow up to be a nation's burden instead of its strength.
The capacity for fruitful work is diminished, precisely where and when it is most needed.
Hence, micro-nutrient deficiency may lock society in a cycle of misery and underachievement.
Vegetables are the major source of most micro-nutrients and the only practical and
sustainable way to ensure their supply. Vegetables can provide widely accessible sources of
essentials vitamins and minerals, as well as supplementary protein and calories. Some
vegetables, such as roots and tubers and leafy greens, are capable of producing protein and
calories at rates (per hectare, per day) comparable to those of the most efficient staple cereal
crops. Vegetables promote intake of essential nutrients from other foods by making them
more palatable. Vegetables provide dietary fiber to improve digestion and health, and they are
essential for properly balanced diets. Thus, vegetables are a critical, irreplaceable dietary
component that can break the deficiency cycle and produce healthy population. The
importance of vegetables to health is becoming better known. In their definition of food
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security, the FAO and WHO advocate the need for balanced and safe diets -- calories alone
are not enough, vegetables are the critical ingredient to build healthy and productive societies.
The definition of food security is not only emphasizing on food availability, but also on food
accessibility. It also explicitly incorporates the need for a healthy diet, complete with necessary
vitamins and proteins, rather than simply sufficient calories. This implies that: (a) food supplies
must be available year-round; (b) households must have both physical and economic access
to a sufficient quantity, quality and variety of foods; and (c) primary household providers and
care-givers must have the time, knowledge and motivation to ensure that the nutritional needs
of all household members are met.
In Indonesia, with a total vegetable production of 7.9 million t in 1996 (on an area of
928,000 ha), vegetable availability is approximately 38 kg/year per person. This per capita
availability is clearly insufficient to meet the FAO’s nutritional recommendation of 200 g of
vegetables per capita per day (65 kg/year). Indonesia is expected to face vegetable demands
which increasingly exceed supplies (Jansen, 1992). This deficit is likely to become more
serious due to a virtually stagnant supply and the estimated total population growth that
remains at an average of 1.9% per annum until the year of 2000. Hence, if there are no
changes in the supply growth patterns, per capita availability of vegetables in Indonesia may
continue to decrease.
As estimated by the World Bank, vegetable consumption in Indonesia will increase by
an average of 3.9% per year during the period of 1995-2010 (Pasandaran & Hadi, 1994). In
general, it is obvious that vegetable production must be increased to remedy present
inadequate availability and to keep pace with the income and population growth. It should be
noted though that the future demand pressure is expected to be especially high in and around
urban areas. This expectation is actually supported by some facts, such as (a) urban
communities will expand as rural population seeks higher incomes in the towns and cities -
World Bank’s projection indicates that in 2005, urban population will increase approximately
37%., (b) high dependence of people in urban areas on market supplies for their food
consumption, (c) people in urban areas usually have higher incomes and faster income growth
than rural areas. Urban population growth in Indonesia is projected approximately 7.4% per
annum, while in rural areas is expected to decrease further at (-) 1.6% per annum. Therefore,
per capita vegetable consumption expenditure for urban population is expected four times
higher than that of the rural population (van Lieshout, 1992).
Bandung (capital city of West Java Province) is considered as the second largest city
(after Jakarta) in Indonesia. This city depends to a large extent on small-scale vegetable
producers located in and around the city (up to 5-20 km from the city center). Urban vegetable
cultivation is not new in Bandung, rather it has been considered as a food production strategy
to supplement food supply. Dwellers in this area, especially small-scale commercial farmers,
grow different types of vegetables to meet the increasing demand. Urban vegetable
production system is gaining more attention, since it supplies fresh perishable vegetables,
generates jobs, allows economical use of even small pieces of land, can adjust quickly to
market needs, and can recycle urban waste. Notwithstanding these advantages, there is a
growing concern on the sustainability of Bandung urban vegetable production system, since its
link to the urban planning is not well-developed yet.

URBAN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEM

• In general, urban production system is characterized by: (a) non-commercially-oriented


vegetable growers, and (b) commercially-oriented vegetable growers.
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• Non-commercial vegetable growers are those who basically cultivate vegetables to


improve family diet and intensify food production at the home level. Tomato, hot pepper,
pai-tsai, and lettuce are some of the common vegetables cultivated in urban gardening.
Some of the methods used in urban gardening are: (a) pot gardening, (b) box gardening,
(c) plastic bag gardening, and (d) front-yard and backyard gardening.
• Urban gardening is usually managed conventionally with a relatively simple technology.
Some gardeners are not even used to grow vegetables using inorganic fertilizers and
pesticides. Even though home gardening has been advocated in Indonesia for many
decades, field observations indicate that there is still a wide gap between home gardening
advocacy and actual practice by households. This gap is mainly attributed to lack of
garden space and time, especially among urban dwellers.
• Commercial vegetable growers are those who basically cultivate vegetables for the market
as a source of income. Tomato, hot pepper, yard-long bean, kidney bean, eggplant,
cucumber, kangkong, spinach, and lettuce are some of the common vegetables cultivated
commercially in the urban areas. Farms are small (< 0.2 ha) and only one-tenths of which
are de facto owned. The other 80% of the cultivated land is either rented or sharecropped.
• Multiple-cropping is the most common system used in growing vegetables. Vegetables are
usually cultivated as one component in a rice-based cropping system. Some major
cropping patterns in urban areas are:

J F M A M J J A S O N D

fish rice tomatoes, cucumber, kidney bean fish

kangkong rice fish

• Even though growing vegetables is more profitable than cultivating other crops, farmers
are still consistently following the existing dominant cropping pattern, since vegetables are
considered as high-cost and high-risk crops. Further observation indicates that the lack of
appropriate technology, especially the availability of quality seed, contributes significantly
to the slow development of urban vegetable production system.
• Land shortages because of the demand for land by other urban systems and uncertainties
caused by the present tenure arrangements are clearly two important factors that should
be carefully considered in deciding the feasibility of further developing the urban
production system to increase vegetable supply.

PERI-URBAN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEM

• Peri-urban areas under study are basically highland areas. Land holding for about 70%
farmers ranges between 0.05 - 0.50 ha. The tenure status in peri-urban areas is owned
(30%), rented (60%), and sharecropped (10%). The number of farmers who cultivates
his/her own land in peri-urban areas is higher than that in urban areas.
• A wide variety of vegetables are grown in peri-urban areas, such as tomato, hot pepper,
shallots, snap bean, kidney bean, yard-long bean, bunching onion, cabbage, chinese
cabbage, and cauliflower. Different cropping systems, namely, sequential, relay, row
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intercropping and mixed cropping are practiced in producing those vegetables. Some
major cropping patterns in peri-urban areas are:

J F M A M J J A S O N D

fallow corn hot pepper

hot pepper & tomatoes fallow hot pepper & shallot


shallot

kemangi/peas/ yardlong bean/kidney carrot/tomato/yardlong cauliflower/tomato bunc.


eggplant bean/paria bean/corn onion

• Returns to vegetable growing exceed those for food crops (rice, corn and soybean), but
risks and capital investments are also considerably higher. Revenue-cost ratios for some
vegetables varied from 1.25 to 2.35 per ha (yard-long bean=1.92, shallot=1.25, carrot=
2.35, cauliflower=1.84, hot pepper=1.79). These economic efficiency indicators, however,
should be interpreted carefully, since they are very sensitive to changes in output price.
Major input costs are related to seed, pesticides and fertilizers.
• A relatively sharp increase in input prices, especially fertilizers and pesticides, does not
affect the amount used by farmers. The risk of having a crop failure is perceived to be
higher than the lost of spending additional input costs.
• For the last three years, most farmers observe that there is an increase in demand for
vegetables. However, this increasing demand is perceived to be insufficient to offset the
income risk, mainly caused by output price fluctuation.
• Observation and further analysis do not suggest the occurrence of excessive fertilizer use.
However, the use of fertilizers is still considered inefficient as indicated by relatively wide
productivity differences among farms.
• Intensive observations confirm the excessive use of pesticides at the farmer’s level. This
is indicated by high frequency of spraying, high dosage and the use of mixed pesticides.
Residue analysis also detects pesticide residue on kangkong, hot pepper, cauliflower and
tomato that has passed the tolerance threshold.
• Both in urban and peri-urban areas, the three major production constraints emphasized by
farmers are capital/fund availability, output price fluctuation and land availability.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

• Despite the existing constraints and challenges, there should be a concerted effort to
promote large potentialities and advantages of the urban and peri-urban production
systems in enhancing vegetable supply. This effort can improve knowledge of producers,
researchers and policy makers that may lead to a strong commitment, both at the policy
and operational levels, to further develop sustainable vegetable production systems.
• Current changes from centrally planned system to a decentralized system provide more
rooms for formulating policies and strategies in integrating urban and peri-urban
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horticulture into the regional/urban planning process and regional/urban resources


management. Regionally based development program would be more appropriate to
accommodate special characteristics of urban and peri-urban production systems.
• Research program should be developed in tune with the natural, political and
socioeconomic environments that affect researchers, research clients, producers, and
consumers. Improved technologies must not only be able to push back the margins of
crop cultivation, but they also have to make useful sense to the people for which they are
intended. For instance, the goal for improving urban and peri-urban production systems is
to increase vegetable supply and enhance the well-being of all parties involved, not just
enhanced performance of crop and technologies.

References

Jansen, H. G. P. 1992. Supply and demand of AVRDC mandate crops in Asia: Implications of
past trends for future development. Working Paper no. 4 (revised version). AVRDC,
Taiwan.
Ninez, V. 1984. Household gardens: Theoretical considerations as an old survival strategy.
Food System Research Series, no. 1, International Potato Center, Lima
Pasandaran, E. & Hadi, P.U. 1994. Prospek komoditi hortikultura di Indonesia dalam kerangka
pembangunan ekonomi. Makalah pada Penyusunan Prioritas dan Desain Penelitian
Hortikultura, Solok, 17-19 November 1994.
Sanyal, B. 1985. Urban agriculture: Who cultivates and why? A case study of Lusaka, Zambia.
A paper published in the Household Food Production. Comparative Perspectives, CIP.
van Lieshout, O. 1992. Consumption of fresh vegetables in Indonesia. Internal Communication
No. 48. Project ATA-395/LEHRI.

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