IDENTIFICATION OF CORN COMMODITY TO MAINTAIN SUSTAINABILITY OF FOOD SECURITY: STUDY OF CORN COMMODITIES IN JEMBER REGENCY

Abstract

Food security is one of the important concepts of sustainable development which is currently one of the global development vision and mission. Food problems become a consequence for the country (Erwandari, 2017). One sector that is the cornerstone for maintaining food security is the agricultural sector which is the primary sector providing food needs for the Indonesian people who also supports the performance of economic growth. Therefore it is necessary to identify local food commodities with the aim of being able to address and simulate the best strategy to find out local food commodities and maintain their sustainability. Jember is one of the regencies that has an advantage in the agricultural sector, especially for corn. Corn is the second largest commodity after rice in Jember Regency. The purpose of this study is to identify the best strategy for the sustainability of corn commodity food security in Jember with a case study in Arjasa District. The research method used is descriptive analysis using trend analysis, qualitative analysis using Forum Group Discussion (FGD) and AHP method. Based on the results of the analysis it was found that the yield of corn commodity in Arjasa 4,000 tons contributed an average of 9.8% to the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of Jember which amounted to 43,000 tons in the last 8 years. In connection with the harvested area of corn commodity each year is quite volatile where this condition is caused by internal factors related to the production process of corn such as planting areas and external factors related to fluctuating corn prices so there is a concern of loss when planting corn. Maize productivity in Arjasa sub-district in the last 8 years on average reached 7.58% higher compared to other districts in Jember. Based on these results collaboration between various parties including farmers, middlemen, government and other parties is needed to strengthen institutions for the creation of food security amid market uncertainty.