TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan called for urban farming and asked residents to use vacant lands in their houses or buildings to grow crops.

“For Jakartans, do not leave empty land without using it for plants, either land, buildings, or rooftops,” Deputy Governor for Tourism and Culture, Dadang Solihin, read Anies’ remarks on Monday, Nov. 30.

Anies reportedly could not attend the simultaneous harvest or Panen Serentak event held by the city’s Food, Marine, and Agriculture Security Agency (KPKP) today.

The agricultural sector had a positive contribution to Jakarta’s economic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic given the high need for food for households, hotels, and restaurants’ consumptions.

Thus, Anies saw a large economic opportunity in the agricultural sector which could boost people’s income and welfare, as well as regional income. Other than lands in residential areas, he opined that people could also use vacant space in apartments, mosques, schools, and offices for planting.

“No matter how small the land is, if it (urban farming) is carried out massively and thoroughly in Jakarta, it will be highly helpful to maintain food security and environmental sustainability of the city,” he said.

Anies Baswedan further appreciated the event which was attended by 1,135 farmers assisted by the KPKP in 227 locations across the capital. The event, he added, proved that residents could still be productive in producing food during the pandemic albeit with limited plots of land.

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LANI DIANA WIJAYA