In recent weeks, the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, a nationwide school feeding initiative that provides free meals to school-aged children, has come under intense public scrutiny, with widespread criticism over substandard food quality, growing indications of fraud and food poisoning cases. The Indonesian government appears to be working overtime to contain public anger, including through ill-judged messaging such as Badan Gizi Nasional’s promise of 5 million Indonesian Rupiah for viral “positive content” about the MBG program, later brushed off as a joke, but widely seen as a blunder that fueled further backlash.

What is striking is that amid all this chaos, the Presidential Regulation governing the program was only issued on November 17th, almost an entire year after MBG had already been implemented. Yet despite these glaring issues, the government has repeatedly framed MBG as a “magic bullet” to tackle malnutrition, strengthen food security and boost the local economy. But there is one crucial element at risk of being overlooked, one that could determine whether this “magic bullet” truly hits its target: the role of young women in Indonesia’s agrifood system. The voices of women farmers need to be amplified, especially in light of the momentum created by the launch of the International Day of Women Farmers 2026, highlighted in the report of the World Food Forum.

Overlooked and underserved, women in agriculture

The role of women in the agri-food system is inextricably linked to the issues of nutrition and food security. Women contribute between 60–80% of total food production in developing countries, not only through planting and cultivation but also through ensuring that families and communities have access to sufficient food. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in 2023, women comprised approximately half of the agricultural labor force in Southeast Asia. Yet despite this contribution, their roles are often marginalized, trapped in irregular, informal, part-time, low-skilled and labor-intensive work. 

For young people, the picture is even more pressing. Eighty-five percent of the world’s youth live in low- and lower-middle-income countries where agrifood systems are central to livelihoods. The inclusion of youth, especially young women, has the potential to generate a trillion-dollar impact on the global economy. According to Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS), in 2025, agriculture employed 28.5% of the national workforce, more than any other sector, including trade and manufacturing. Yet much of this workforce remains informal, with 87.3% of agricultural workers classified as informal labor in 2024. However, the true figure may be much larger when informal, unpaid or unrecorded contributions are considered.

The presence of women in the agrifood system (AFS) naturally raises expectations that they will benefit from the MBG program, especially given the program’s stated commitment to involving local farmers, small shops, and actors within the local economic ecosystem. These partnerships are effectively controlled by large vendors, sidelining smallholders, especially women farmers. Indonesia has 14.8 million women farmers, most of whom work as casual laborers or unpaid family workers in rice cultivation, livestock, and vegetable farming. It is therefore unsurprising that this group sees little to no gain from the MBG program.

Why does Indonesia need gender-sensitive policies?

Women in the AFS across generations face distinct and persistent challenges that require tailored approaches and policies. Young women face structural and cultural barriers in entering and sustaining livelihoods in agriculture. Access to land and credit remains heavily skewed in favor of men, while inheritance practices often disadvantage daughters. Social norms expect women to prioritize unpaid domestic and care responsibilities, reducing the time and energy available for agricultural entrepreneurship. When they do enter the agri-food system, they often find themselves in the lowest-paid segments, such as subsistence farming, food processing or informal market sales.

If the status quo continues without meaningful change, the consequences will intensify. Despite agriculture’s significant contribution to the national workforce, few young people are entering the sector. In 2023, the number of farmers declined from 31.7 million in 2013 to 29.34 million. Startlingly, only 3% of agricultural graduates choose to become farmers. Yet there is no reliable national data that specifically captures young women in the agri-food system, rendering them invisible in both statistics and policy debates. 

Strengthening feedback loops and designing effective interventions

To ensure that the MBG program becomes both effective and fiscally responsible, its targeting must be refined. Rather than applying a universal model, MBG should prioritize school-aged children in 3T areas (parts of Indonesia that lag behind other regions in terms of geographical, social, economic and cultural development, including underdeveloped, frontier and outermost regions), with persistently high stunting rates and communities experiencing extreme poverty. With more precise targeting, the overall budget could be significantly reduced, allowing resources to be reallocated toward strengthening agricultural systems, particularly those involving women.

In Indonesia, funding for agriculture remains inadequate and gender-blind, as evidenced by studies showing that women, especially young women farmers, have far less access to land (only about 17% hold secure land rights), capital, training and state support than men, reflecting a systemic neglect of their needs despite their growing participation in the sector.

The 300 billion Indonesian Rupiah incentive scheme for young farmers cultivating large plots fails to address the structural barriers faced by young women, many of whom lack access to land, credit and formal ownership required to qualify. Without gender-responsive design, such initiatives risk deepening existing inequalities rather than alleviating them. 

Moreover, agricultural programs remain narrowly focused on production, overlooking the diverse roles women play across the entire agri-food system, from processing and trade to nutrition and household food security. When viewed alongside the MBG budget, the imbalance becomes even more pronounced. In 2025, the government allocated 71 trillion Indonesian Rupiah for MBG, more than 3.5 times the Ministry of Agriculture’s effective budget.

By 2026, the disparity widens dramatically, with 335 trillion Indonesian Rupiah designated for MBG, around 15 times the 22.36 trillion Indonesian Rupiah allocated for agriculture. This disproportionate emphasis on consumption-oriented programs over structural agricultural investment risks undermining long-term food-system resilience and continues to marginalize women’s contributions within it.

The Indonesian government needs a set of strategies to strengthen the inclusion of young women in agri-food systems so they can own and invest in productive assets. Expanding youth-responsive social protection (especially for young women), particularly in addressing challenges such as unpaid care responsibilities, health risks and income insecurity. Finally, implementing targeted nutrition policies can strengthen the link between young women’s agricultural contributions and the overall well-being of their communities.

[Tara Yarwais edited this piece.]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.

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