Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country, with a population of 237 million. It ranks 108th of 169 countries in the 2010 Human Development Index. Following remarkable socio-economic and political progress since the return to democracy in 1998, Indonesia is now a lower-middle-income country, a G20 member, the largest economy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and one of Asia’s most decentralised democracies.
Despite notable progress, development has not been inclusive or even. Food insecurity and under-nutrition are persistent challenges, particularly in eastern provinces, where stunting and wasting rates are alarmingly high. Regional disparities in terms of human development and resources are exacerbated by low technical and administrative capacity at the provincial and local level.
Indonesia is highly vulnerable to natural disasters – earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. Climate change is a major threat for the future in that droughts, floods and mudslides are expected to worsen and exacerbate chronic food insecurity, and emergency responses will repeatedly draw on national financial resources.
According to the Ministry of Health’s 2010 Basic Health Research (Riskesdas), the national rate of underweight (mixed chronic and acute malnutrition) was 18%. More than 36% are stunted and about 13% acutely malnourished or wasted. According to the 2009 WFP/Government of Indonesia
Food Security and Vulnerability Atlas (FSVA), launched by the President in May 2010, 87 million Indonesian are food-insecure, of which 25 million are severely food-insecure.
Recent hikes in food and fuel prices are hitting the poorest hard. However, the Government has launched a number of initiatives – including cash transfers and an expansion of the rice-for-the-poor programme - to assist the most vulnerable.
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