Each region has its characteristics, including local food. Talking about local food is not only ready-to-consume products, but also the variety of materials, how to process, cultivate, and the business actors. As a follow-up to exploring food self-sufficiency and local food process, Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta provided learning spaces for students in Biodiversity: Local Food Initiative training in Yogyakarta and Gunungkidul to learn food potencies, raw materials, processed food, and creativity in processing them (August 26-28, 2022).

In the opening session of the training, Rev. Bambang Sumbodo, Stube HEMAT Board, revealed that humans are blessed with natural resources to be developed and preserved, including existing local food materials that must be utilized and processed according to needs. Every individual involved in the local food process will interact with the economy, education, marketing, and digital technology which are interconnected in the development of local food and their creativity.

Regarding food problems in Indonesia, Ariani Narwastujati, S.Pd., S.S., M.Pd., Executive Director of Stube HEMAT reminded that population growth threatens food security, from the Food Security Index, Indonesia continues to decline from year to year, and in 2021 Indonesia is in a position 69 of 113 countries. Food security means the condition of fulfilling food for the country to individuals, the availability of sufficient, safe, nutritious, quality, diverse, affordable, equitable food, not contrary to the religion, beliefs, and culture of the community for a healthy, active and productive life in a sustainable manner. A challenge for the younger generation to build food security in the future.

Complementing the training process, Visca Veronica (teacher at SMK BOPKRI 2 Yogyakarta) accompanied participants to study sorghum as an alternative to local food with high vitamin and nutrient content. Most of the participants admitted that they had just heard of sorghum, even though sorghum can be processed into rice, flour, brownies, cookies, and other products that are beneficial to health. Currently, sorghum continues to be developed in several regions in Indonesia.

In the exposure session to Gunungkidul, participants observed Aloe Vera with Alan Efendhi, an entrepreneur and cultivator of Aloe Vera in Nglipar, Gunungkidul. He chose such a plant that could grow in dry areas but it had high economic value as the products of drinks and food. Furthermore, at Playen, Gunungkidul, the participants were facilitated by Suti Rahayu, the pioneer of UKM Putri 21, who processes cassava into mocaf and a variety of superior products, such as noodles, cookies, flour, and analog rice. Here the participants discovered the new term 'analog rice', which is processed from cassava, corn, and sweet potato flour to be like rice. It is a healthy food ingredient because it has low sugar. There are even a variety of flours made of bananas, breadfruit, banana peels, green beans, and soybeans. This is an inspiration for students to develop regional potencies. In the Nglangeran Ancient Volcano area, participants divided themselves into three groups according to their interests. Group one studied cocoa cultivation from seeds to cocoa pod fermentation, group two processed chocolate into dodol and instant cocoa powder, and group three studied Ettawa goat farming and processed goat milk into powder and candy.

The training inspires participants to explore the potency of their region and how to process it into useful products, as admitted by Patrick, a student from West Papua who studied at STPMD APMD, "This is an extraordinary experience because I learned local food that is not yet available in my hometown, and this also motivates me to promote local food in Papua into food known by the people.”

It’s good for young people to be sensitive of regional potency, and to map and to process local food potency to establish food sustainability and food security! ***