Regional Food Reserves in West Java, Indonesia: An Assessment of Availability and Management Performance

The government has established food reserves to support national food security; however, their volume varies widely across regions, and many districts still lack such reserves. The objectives of this study were to analyze the determination of volume and the problems in determining it, management performance, and propose strategies to strengthen food reserves in local governments. This study was conducted in West Java Province in 2022, using primary and secondary data from the study area. Primary data were collected through FGDs with farmer groups and stakeholders from central and regional agencies, and secondary data consisted of food reserve statistics and secondary literature. Quantitative analysis using mathematical equations in accordance with food reserve calculation regulations was used to calculate the potential food reserve production and ideal reserve volume, while qualitative descriptive analysis obtained from the field was used to clarify the results of the analysis. The main findings of this study are as follows. (1) The determination of local government food reserves is regulated by regional policy, with the volume increasing from 23% in 2018 to 187% in 2022 of the ideal volume in West Java; (2) the potential for rice-based food reserves can be expanded in line with regional production capacity, although there are still obstacles, including limited budgets and a lack of commitment from local governments in determining optimal reserve volumes; (3) strengthening regional food reserves must be complemented by the development of community-based reserves; and (4) improving management performance requires supporting regional government policies to ensure sustainable food reserves, adequate warehousing infrastructure, efficient distribution facilities, and effective distribution mechanisms through collaboration with logistics institutions. This study suggests policy recommendations to implement a multi-year cooperation contract with the Logistics Affairs Agency covering procurement, storage, and distribution to expand reserve volumes and improve management effectiveness.