Flourishing with food security: why mental health matters for Indonesia’s food policy

We have read the original article, 'Revisiting Food Security Policy: Indonesia's Readiness for Crisis.'It emphasizes the importance of in-depth evaluation and adjustment of Indonesian food security policies, focusing on fertilizer and seed subsidy reform, food diversification, agricultural technology innovation, local community empowerment, and inter-sector collaboration. 1 However, one crucial aspect needs to be added to this analysis: psychological well-being.Using the flourishing approach, we seek to add insight into the importance of integrating psychological well-being into Indonesia's food security policy.Food security is not only about food availability and access to food but is also closely related to the mental health of individuals and communities.Research shows that food security interventions that include mental health aspects can significantly reduce stress and anxiety levels among farmers. 2Thus, integrating psychological well-being in food security policies improves food availability and people's overall quality of life. 3herefore, policies that integrate psychological well-being can increase the effectiveness of food security programmes.Mental health training for farmers could include stress management and relaxation techniques while counselling on the importance of psychological well-being could be conducted through community workshops. 4Countries, such as Bhutan and New Zealand, have successfully integrated psychological well-being into their public policies.In Bhutan, the concept of Gross National Happiness is the basis for all public policies, including food security. 5On the other hand, New Zealand has implemented a 'Well-being Budget' that focuses on mental health as an integral part of their national policy. 6ase Study from Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has implemented a mental health training programme for farmers.The programme includes sessions on stress management, relaxation techniques and mental health counselling. 7The results show that farmers who participated in the programme experienced a significant reduction in stress levels and an increase in productivity.This example shows that integrating mental health into food security policies can have positive and meaningful results.