Indonesian Staple Food Adaptations For Sustainability in Continuously Changing Climates

Abstract

Climate change is a leading factor endangering sustainable food production, and numerous efforts have been enacted to prevent potential future food shortages. Most discussions and research have focused on how to sustain production through the development of new plant varieties that can adapt to changing environments. Drought- and heat-tolerant plants have been introduced to mitigate declining food production. Similarly, plant cultivation technologies have been developed to improve altered environments to be suitable for plant production. These efforts have focused on maintaining the food habits of populations in certain regions and countries. However, food availability may also be secured by changing the food habits of affected populations towards food resources that are relatively uninterrupted by climate change. In Indonesia, most of the population relies on rice as their main staple food; however, the production of rice is dependent on suitable climatic conditions, including rainfall, temperature and water. Resources such as the cassava and sago are not considered a main staple food, and their production is not significantly influenced by climate. This paper discusses the possibility of changing the staple foods of Indonesian populations to more reliable sources in areas affected by climate change.

Keywords: adaptation, cassava, climate change, food sustainability, sago, staple food