City-to-City Learning: 2024 Indonesia Partners Meeting with Field Insights and Knowledge Exchange

Written by: Nane Hummel and Ratna Kusumaningrum
Edited by : Citra Savitri

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In December 2024, the annual partners meeting of the Good Food for Cities Program Indonesia took place in Depok, part of the Jakarta-Bogor-Depok-Tangerang-Puncak-Cianjur (Jabodetabekpunjur) metropolitan area. Over three days, representatives from four participating cities—Bandung, Depok, Surakarta, and Denpasar—gathered alongside city government officials and local CSOs to review the past year’s progress, exchange experiences, and discuss plans for the future.

The meeting began with a field visit, providing participants with a firsthand look at the program’s impact in Depok. They engaged directly with key stakeholders, including farmers, implementing CSOs, and local government officials. The project in Depok currently supports six farmers’ groups, two of which were visited during the event.

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During the visit, participants learned about the development of these urban farming groups. Farmers shared their experiences, highlighting both their achievements and the challenges they faced in transforming unused land into productive vegetable gardens. They also emphasized the opportunity to learn from experts and gain access to fresh, homegrown vegetables. In 2024, the farmers’ groups produced an average of over 200 kg of various vegetables.

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Participants also toured the farms, interacted with farmers and key stakeholders, and observed ongoing innovations. Farmers in Depok receive support from Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) and the local CSO Perkumpulan Indonesia Berseru (PIB). Representatives from these institutions introduced key innovations, including the Automatic Weather Station (AWS), which helps farmers monitor temperature, weather, and humidity while providing daily forecasts to improve farm planning.

Data from the AWS highlights the impact of urban farming on reducing the Diurnal Temperature Range (DTR) in the area. In 2023, the average DTR decreased by 0.16 ± 0.07°C. Vegetated surfaces play a crucial role in temperature regulation by storing heat and releasing it more gradually, resulting in higher minimum temperatures and lower maximum temperatures.

Discussions also emphasized the importance of expanding urban farms, not only to increase access to nutritious and affordable food but also for their role in mitigating climate change by reducing urban temperatures.

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City-to-City Learning and Program Innovations

A major focus of the meeting was the presentation of food system transformation programs and innovations from each city. Participants shared their progress, exchanged ideas, and discussed challenges they faced in their respective areas. The discussions underscored the impact of city-to-city learning, where lessons from one city influenced and strengthened programs in others. For example, in the Good Food at School program, participants from Bandung and Denpasar shared how they incorporated insights from Surakarta’s implementation to improve their own initiatives.

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The meeting also facilitated discussions with representatives from national government bodies, such as the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas), the National Food Agency (Bapanas), the National Nutrition Agency, and IPB University. These discussions focused on school food environments and government priorities that align with Rikolto’s Good Food at School program.

Building a Shared Vision for Food-Smart Cities

To further strengthen collaboration, participants engaged in interactive discussions envisioning the development of food-smart cities. These sessions reinforced a shared commitment to sustainable urban food systems and highlighted the strong motivation of all stakeholders involved.

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A key topic was the development of a unified framework of indicators to monitor food-smart city progress across Indonesia. While a common set of indicators ensures consistency, the discussion emphasized the need for city-specific metrics tailored to local conditions. Defining these indicators collectively is expected to facilitate the expansion of food-smart cities, ensuring progress is effectively tracked and evaluated.

The meeting reaffirmed the importance of collaboration in transforming urban food systems. As cities continue to learn from one another, the collective exchange of knowledge and experiences will play a crucial role in shaping future strategies. Moving forward, the focus remains on strengthening partnerships, aligning efforts with government priorities, and scaling up successful initiatives to build resilient and sustainable food systems across Indonesia.

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