The campaign to protect and cultivate local food as a potential region in Mentawai has always been and continues to be carried out, but this struggle still encounters obstacles and is not fully optimal. Until now, the issue of local food has not been a priority agenda of the Mentawai Islands government, which is followed up by seeking the cooperation of many sectors; amid the fact that rice is unable to fulfil the daily food needs of the community.
The 23rd year of Mentawai Islands Regency is considered unable to provide food stocks independently, even though food control programmes such as paddy field printing and other agricultural programmes initiated by the Mentawai government through the Mentawai Food Security and Agriculture Office have not been able to supply the basic needs of the people in Mentawai. The inability of the Mentawai government to provide food reserves independently is evidenced by the fact that the Mentawai government prefers to collaborate with Tanah Datar Regency in the field of agriculture and Perum Bulog West Sumatra Regional Office in order to stabilise food at one price and anticipate inflation.
This condition encourages YSI together with participants and beneficiaries in the Mentawai region, totalling 19 representatives of villages and OMB to coordinate, synchronise data and design advocacy strategies so that local food issues can be accommodated, one of which is in district-level policies or regulations through the musrenbang forum. The coordination discussed draft data that needs to be responded to and completed as well as the division of roles of focal points (FP) in each village and OMB. These FPs will later coordinate a lot and make formulations related to District-level Local Food Independence Regulations (Role: Village Government), Licensing of Local Food Products (Role: OMB) Agricultural Infrastructure (Role: Village Government) PPL (Agricultural Extension Worker) Assistance (Role: OMB) Local Food Trade Information Network (Role: Village Government) and access to MSME Capital (Role: OMB) which can later be included for proposals brought to the district musrenbang. The synchronised data was complemented by the collection of materials and literature according to the agreed roles.
Ikbal Herdiyansyah as the project manager of Sipora at the end of the activity said "This activity is expected to be able to provide awareness to the village government and the assisted community regarding the importance of local food protection issues in Mentawai to be accommodated in district level policies or regulations and the synergy of local food protection programmes from the government both from the district level to the village level and the community itself" he concluded.