Food Resilience in Action: Southeast Asia’s Blueprint for a Sustainable Tomorrow

SINGAPORE, September 19, 2025 – Food in Southeast Asia has always been more than sustenance — it is memory, identity, and culture tied deeply to the land and water. From the rice paddies and rivers that nourish generations to the tropical forests yielding spices and roots, local ecosystems have long sustained communities and culinary traditions. Yet, climate change, resource exploitation, and rapid urbanisation now threaten this delicate balance, placing food security at the heart of the region’s sustainability agenda.

Singapore’s Urban Model of Food Security

Singapore has emerged as a regional pioneer in food resilience through its “30 by 30 vision”, which aims to locally produce 30% of the nation’s nutritional needs by 2030. This ambitious goal blends urban ingenuity with state-backed policy and innovation.

The government has invested heavily in advanced farming systems, research on sustainable urban agriculture, and industry-academia partnerships. Diploma courses and internships in aquaculture and agritech are equipping a new generation of specialists. Consumers, too, are part of the solution, guided by the SG Fresh Produce logo to identify and support homegrown food products.

Singapore’s strategy demonstrates how cities facing land scarcity can rethink food production, offering lessons for neighbouring nations navigating similar challenges.

Preserving Indigenous Practices in West Kalimantan

In Indonesia’s West Kalimantan, the resilience story is rooted not in high-tech farms but in ancestral wisdom. Here, centuries-old knowledge of farming, harvesting, and food preparation has shaped a regenerative food ecosystem tied closely to the tropical rainforest.

The Sintang Regency has committed 2.1 million hectares of land for sustainable agriculture through its 2021–2026 Strategic Plan, signalling political will to safeguard these practices. Yet, community knowledge risks fading without sustained support.

To bridge this gap, the Lingkar Temu Kabupaten Lestari (LTKL) and local youth centres launched the ExploNation program, enlisting storytellers and content creators to highlight the link between culture, cuisine, and conservation. Among them is La Ode, a MasterChef Indonesia finalist, who journeyed into community-managed forests (Rimba Gupung) and along the Kapuas River to document food practices shaped by Dayak, Malay, and Chinese influences.

“The trekking trip to Rimba Gupung was a thrilling experience, discovering the Bajakah root and cooking with forest ferns,” La Ode said. “I realised that sustaining the forest is about more than protecting nature — it’s about ensuring our culture and wisdom are passed down unbroken.”

Food, Culture, and Community Identity

Staying at the Rumah Betang Ensaid Panjang, a communal longhouse for 33 Dayak Desa families, La Ode learned how communities process and store forest and river-sourced food. Preparing ikan pekasam (fermented fish) and sweet potato leaves with the women of the village deepened his understanding of how environmental stewardship is inseparable from cultural continuity.

“Local food is not just nourishment; it is cultural identity,” he reflected. “Protecting forests ensures not only biodiversity but also our shared traditions.”

This philosophy echoes across community gardens and urban farming programs throughout Southeast Asia, where residents are reclaiming agency over their food sources while strengthening local economies.

Building Youth Capacity for a Restorative Economy

Beyond exploration, the ExploNation initiative equips young people in Sintang, Sanggau, and Kapuas Hulu with storytelling and content creation skills. These workshops position youth as narrators of cultural and ecological resilience, fostering pride in local identity while amplifying the value of sustainable practices.

Kurniawan, Head of the Sintang Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA), called it a “crucial step in raising awareness of cultural heritage and its role in environmental protection.”

That cultural-economic nexus was visible at the 2025 Sintang Creative Economy and Culinary Exhibition, where 199 businesses recorded Rp2 billion in transactions within a week—clear evidence that food heritage can be an engine for both sustainability and prosperity.

Building a Restorative Development Model

The ExploNation program reflects a broader shift towards a restorative economy—one that restores nature while sustaining culture and livelihoods. By documenting recipes, reviving traditional cooking, and encouraging local ingredient use, communities in West Kalimantan are strengthening food security and unlocking new economic opportunities for farmers, businesses, and youth.

As La Ode put it: “Restoring the environment means restoring our cultural roots. The future of Sintang’s food lies in treating nature not as an object of exploitation but as a source of life.”

For Southeast Asia, the challenge is clear: balancing modern food demands with ecological preservation and cultural resilience. Whether through Singapore’s urban food policies or West Kalimantan’s indigenous practices, the path to resilience lies in blending innovation with tradition — local knowledge creating global impact.