The Voice of Indigenous Women: Aspirations to Improve Food Security among Kaluppini Indigenous People in South Sulawesi

Abstraksi

Introduction: Food insecurity is a serious public health issue that related to undernutrition faced by indigenous peoples. Studies found there is a strong link between food security, gender and better nutrition among children and women. Conceptualizing of food insecurity by indigenous people is poor, particularly in Indonesia. By analyzing the indigenous women experiences and suggestions on food security will contribute to improving indigenous people’s livelihood. Methods: This study used a qualitative approach by conducting in-depth interviews and focus group discussions among indigenous women to explore their challenges of food security and their aspiration to solve the problems. Results: Kaluppini indigenous people experienced food insecurity and difficult access to food in their area. This study expressed some suggestions from indigenous women to improve their food security situation, namely, (1) the government should regulate the food’s price to make it affordable by Kaluppini people (2) monitoring the agriculture product price in the market, and (3) improving physical infrastructure such as roads, and (4) increasing women’s capacity in agriculture by establishing female farmer groups. Conclusion: The voices of indigenous women are based on their experiences. They need to be heard and accommodated to succeed the government goals for reducing the development gap, especially among the marginal community.