Strengthening Food Security Through Local Wisdom

In Thailand, the Pga K'Nyau indigenous community in Chiang Mai Province offers a compelling example of how ancestral knowledge can drive food sovereignty. A 2025 study by Chiang Mai University and Payap Universitydocuments seven pillars of local wisdom that sustain the community's food system: crop rotation, seed preservation, forest conservation, food sharing, traditional cooking, herbal applications, and local food processing.

These practices not only ensure year-round food availability but also reinforce cultural identity and ecological stewardship. The community's efforts—such as planting vetiver grass, raising livestock, and processing native plants—have proven effective in enhancing food security while preserving biodiversity. This Thai model shows how participatory, locally rooted approaches can regenerate both ecosystems and livelihoods

Nature as the Anchor of Dayak Desa Tribal Cultural Heritage

In the midst of this global vulnerability, Indonesia has the opportunity to preserve local practices that have proven to be adaptive to natural changes. One of these practices originates from West Kalimantan, an area renowned for its rich tropical rainforests and biodiversity, which holds enormous potential for creating a regenerative food ecosystem. In this region, generational knowledge of farming, harvesting forest products, and processing natural food ingredients has become a guiding principle for local communities.

The Sintang Regency government also supports the community effort through the Strategic Plan (RENSTRA) of the Sintang Regency Agriculture and Plantation Office for 2021-2026, which has allocated a spatial area of 2,163,500 hectares for sustainable agriculture, roughly equivalent to 3.7 times the size of Bali.

However, without support, there is still a risk that the generational knowledge will be lost. Therefore, Lingkar Temu Kabupaten Lestari (LTKL), an organization that promotes regencies across Indonesia, together with two youth centers in Sintang and Sanggau, West Kalimantan, launched the ExploNation program. The program invites content creators to delve deeper into the region's natural and cultural richness, highlighting the connection between local culture and conservation efforts. This effort will ensure that more people understand the importance of safeguarding the local wisdom of West Kalimantan.

One of the content creators involved in this ExploNation program is La Ode, a Top 10 contestant from MasterChef Indonesia Season 8, who explored Sintang's unique cuisine, which is influenced by the acculturation of three tribes in West Kalimantan: Dayak, Malay, and Chinese. In this exploration, La Ode went directly into the Rimba Gupung, or community-managed forests, and traveled along the Kapuas River, discussing with local food activists in Sintang.

"The trekking trip to Rimba Gupung was a thrilling experience, discovering the Akar Bajakah (Bajakah Root), which can be drunk directly and is believed to have health benefits. We also harvested red fern shoots to be cooked for dinner with residents at Rumah Betang Ensaid Panjang. This made me realize how important it is to maintain the sustainability of the forest ecosystem, so that the inherited knowledge about roots, leaves, and fruits can continue to be utilized and the regeneration of culture remains unbroken," said La Ode.

In addition to exploring the local Rimba Gupung, he also had the opportunity to stay at Rumah Betang Ensaid Panjang, a communal dwelling for around 33 Dayak Desa families. There, he learned about local food management in Ensaid Panjang Village, especially on how to process food ingredients and store the natural ingredients taken from Rimba Gupung and the nearby river.

La Ode said, "The unforgettable experience was processing ikan pekasam (fermented fish) and mashed sweet potato leaves with the women of Ensaid Panjang Village. I learned that the effort to protect and restore nature is not only important for the environment but also contributes significantly to nurturing the culture passed down through generations. From that process, I realized that local food—sourced from the surrounding nature and processed with traditional wisdom—holds a much deeper value. It's not just food, but also a part of our cultural identity."

Building Capacity to Drive the Local Economy

As part of the ExploNation agenda, La Ode also shared his knowledge by conducting a "Food Content Taking and Storytelling" workshop for 14 young people from Sintang, Sanggau, and Kapuas Hulu Regencies. This training served as a learning platform for them to hone their storytelling skills and develop communication materials based on local culture. The hope is that these young participants can contribute as local narrators who support various community initiatives in West Kalimantan within a restorative economic framework.

Kurniawan, Head of the Sintang Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA), stated, "We highly appreciate the enthusiasm of the young people in this activity as a tangible effort to promote the natural and cultural richness of Sintang. This initiative is a crucial step in raising awareness of the local cultural heritage and its relevance in protecting and restoring the environment for the well-being of the entire community."

The role of Sintang's local food has proven to contribute significantly to the creative economy and tourism sectors, which are the main pillars of the regional economy. This was evident in the 2025 Sintang Creative Economy and Culinary Exhibition, which involved 199 business actors and recorded total transactions of more than Rp2 billion in one week.

La Ode added, "Restoring the environment means restoring our own cultural roots. I believe the future of Sintang's food lies in our courage to see nature not as an object of exploitation, but as a source of life that must be cared for."

In the spirit of the ExploNation program, La Ode also involved residents in documenting various Sintang and West Kalimantan food recipes. This step not only preserves Sintang's culinary heritage but also serves as an essential strategy in strengthening food security, by ensuring it remains a cultural anchor amid the process of modernization. By encouraging the community to re-appreciate and develop local food ingredients, this initiative also creates innovative economic opportunities that involve farmers and businesses. This entire ecosystem contributes to the creation of a more self-sufficient, diverse, and sustainable food system.

The ExploNation program is expected to trigger a broader movement for environmental restoration, emphasizing the importance of a restorative economy as a development model that restores nature while also preserving culture. Through this approach, local food becomes not only an essential part of regional identity but also a sustainable economic pillar that ensures natural resources remain productive and protected, while strengthening the local community's identity and well-being.

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