FROM AGROECOLOGY TO DEMOCRATIC RESILIENCE: COMMUNITY-BASED FOOD SECURITY AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION IN WEST SUMATRA
Abstract
The West Sumatra has a high index of food security and because of its dependence on modern farming systems that are chemical based, farmers are susceptible to environmental degradation and market forces worldwide. Through the Critical International Relations (CIR) approach of Robert W. Cox, this paper analyzes how community-based agroecological practices can be the solution to a transition between climate change adaptation and democratic resilience in West Sumatra. The current study is dedicated to the case of Cheap Staple Rice Fields (Sawah Pokok Murah - SPM) an agroecological farming system, a grassroots movement that helps to break free of the company inputs and promotes the self-reliance of farmers. The results demonstrate that SPM does not only lead to climate adaptation and food availability, but also transforms the community-based innovations into the inclusive local governance, in which local governments adopt the grassroots initiatives into their policy-making. This research paper addresses a gap in the literature by demonstrating that food security is not merely associated with the production of adequate food, but also with promoting ecological justice and enhancing the community capacity towards participatory decision-making. Theoretically, the study suggests that agroecology can serve as a deliberative democratic mechanism, allowing local communities to build democratic resilience through daily food governance practices.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Anderson, C. R., Bruil, J., Chappell, M. J., Kiss, C., & Pimbert, M. P. (2021). Agroecology now! Transformations towards more just and sustainable food systems. Palgrave Macmillan.
ANTARA. (2025, April 25). Pemprov Sumbar luncurkan gerakan sawah pokok murah di Agam. ANTARA News. https://www.antaranews.com/berita/4795417/pemprov-sumbar-luncurkan-gerakan-sawah-pokok-murah-di-agam
Aryal, J. P., Sapkota, T. B., Khurana, R. (2020). Climate change and agriculture in South Asia: Adaptation options in smallholder production systems. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 22, 5045–5075. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-019-00414-4
Bainus, A., & Yulianti, D. (2018). Food security or food sovereignty? Questioning the paradigm of Indonesian military involvement in agriculture. Central European Journal of International and Security Studies, 12(4), 309–324. https://cejiss.org/food-security-or-food-sovereignty-questioning-the-paradigm-of-indonesian-military-involvement-in-agriculture
Clapp, J. (2014). World hunger and the global economy: Strong linkages, weak action. Journal of International Affairs, 67(2), 1–17. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24461732
Cox, R. W. (1981). Social forces, states and world orders: Beyond international relations theory. Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 10(2), 126–155. https://doi.org/10.1177/03058298810100020501
Cox, R. W. (1983). Gramsci, hegemony and international relations: An essay in method. Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 12(2), 162–175. https://doi.org/10.1177/03058298830120020701
Cox, R. W. (1992). Multilateralism and world order. Review of International Studies, 18(2), 161–180. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20097291
Croissant, A., & Lott, L. (2024). Democratic resilience in the twenty-first century (Working Paper No. 149). Varieties of Democracy Institute University of Gothenburg. https://www.v-dem.net/media/publications/WP_149.pdf
Dinas Pertanian Agam. (2025). Sawah Pokok Murah, Pemkab Agam kunjungi Dangau Inspirasi. https://distan.agamkab.go.id/berita/sawah-pokok-murah-pemkab-agam-kunjungi-dangau-inspirasi
DPRD Sumbar. (2025). Pelajari strategi meningkatkan produksi pangan, Komisi II DPRD Jambi studi tiru ke DPRD Sumbar. https://dprd.sumbarprov.go.id/home/berita/1/2493
Dryzek, J. S., Bächtiger, A., Chambers, S., Cohen, J., Druckman, J. N., Felicetti, A., Fishkin, J. S., Farrell, D. M., Fung, A., Gutmann, A., Landemore, H., Mansbridge, J., Marien, S., Neblo, M. A., Niemeyer, S., Setälä, M., Slothuus, R., Suiter, J., Thompson, D., & Warren, M. E. (2019). The crisis of democracy and the science of deliberation. Science, 363(6432), 1144–1146. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaw2694
Edelman, M., Weis, T., Baviskar, A., Borras, S. M., Jr., Holt-Giménez, E., Kandiyoti, D., & Wolford, W. (2014). Introduction: Critical perspectives on food sovereignty. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 41(6), 911–931. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2014.963568
FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization. (2021). The state of food and agriculture 2021: Making agrifood systems more resilient to shocks and stresses. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb4476en
FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization. (2022). FAO strategy on climate change 2022–2031. https://openknowledge.fao.org/bitstreams/f6270800-eec7-498f-9887-6d937c4f575a/download
Gordillo, G., & Jeronimo, O. M. (2013). Food security and sovereignty. FAO. https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/61f3f359-669c-40ff-88c6-b39b48135f3a/content
Handayani, D.W. (2024). Ruang publik pengarusutamaan gender dalam kebijakan adaptasi perubahan iklim di Indonesia. Jurnal Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan dan Politik, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.61476/72ttv330
Hardenta, A.D., & Rahmawan, A.B. (2022). Manifestasi partisipasi publik dalam doktrin kepercayaan publik bagi pemenuhan komitmen perubahan iklim Indonesia. Jurnal Hukum Lingkungan Indonesia, 9(1), 157–186. https://doi.org/10.38011/jhli.v9i1.493
Hendra, M. N. (2023). Dampak El Nino di Sumbar, 166 hektare sawah terdampak. https://sumatra.bisnis.com/read/20231011/533/1703298/dampak-el-nino-di-sumbar-166-hektare-sawah-terdampak
IFES - International Foundation for Electoral Systems. (2023). Paths to democratic resilience in an era of backsliding: A roadmap for the democracy support community. https://www.ifes.org/pub/paths-democratic-resilience-era-backsliding/understanding-and-designing-resilience-interventions
IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Climate change 2022: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009325844
IPES-Food. (2021). A unifying framework for food systems transformation. International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems. https://www.ipes-food.org/_img/upload/files/sfsENhq.pdf
Ihsan, T., & Derosya, V. (2024). Adaptasi pertanian dalam menghadapi perubahan iklim: Peluang dan tantangan. Jurnal Serambi Engineering, 9(4). https://jse.serambimekkah.id/index.php/jse/article/view/511/398
La Via Campesina. (2021). Food sovereignty: A manifesto for the future of our planet. https://viacampesina.org/en/2021/10/food-sovereignty-a-manifesto-for-the-future-of-our-planet-la-via-campesina/
Masturi, H., Hasanawi, A., & Hasanawi, A. (2021). Sinergi dalam pertanian Indonesia untuk mitigasi dan adaptasi perubahan iklim. Jurnal Inovasi Penelitian, 1(10). https://doi.org/10.47492/jip.v1i10.424
McMichael, P. (2016). Food regime for thought (Colloquium Paper No. 56). International Institute of Social Studies. https://www.eur.nl/sites/corporate/files/56-ICAS_CP_McMichael.pdf
Merkel, W. (2025). What is democratic resilience? Democratization, 33(3), 472–493. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2025.2590677
Newig, J., Jager, N. W., Kochskämper, E., & Challies, E. (2019). Learning in participatory environmental governance – its antecedents and effects. Findings from a case survey meta-analysis. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 21(3), 213–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2019.1623663
Ortiz-Bobea, A., Ault, T. R., Carrillo, C. M. (2021). Anthropogenic climate change has slowed global agricultural productivity growth. Nature Climate Change, 11, 306–312. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01000-1
Osmet, H. & Busniah, M. (2024). Sawah Pokok Murah: Murah bagi petani tidak merusak lingkungan. Yayasan Dangau Inspirasi.
Romero Antonio, M. E., Faye, A., Betancur-Corredor, B. (2025). Productivity effects of agroecological practices in Africa: Insights from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Food Security, 17, 207–229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-024-01504-6
Rozci, F. (2023). Dampak perubahan iklim terhadap sektor pertanian padi. Jurnal Ilmiah Sosio Agribis, 23(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.30742/jisa23220233476
Schlosberg, D. (2007). Defining environmental justice: Theories, movements, and nature. Oxford Academic. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199286294.001.0001
Vikas, & Ranjan, R. (2024). Agroecological approaches to sustainable development. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8, Article 1405409. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1405409
Yin, R. K. (2016). Qualitative research from start to finish (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24198/jwp.v11i2.63853
Copyright (c) 2026 Dina Yulianti, Virtuous Setyaka, Arry Bainus, Deasy Silvya Sari, Akim Akim
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
JWP (Jurnal Wacana Politik) Indexed By:
Published By:
Departement of Political Science
Campus of Faculty of Social and Political Science
Universitas Padjajaran, Building D, 2nd floor
Jl. Raya Sumedang Km.21, Jatinangor, Sumedang
Creation is distributed below Lisensi Creative Commons Atribusi 4.0 Internasional.