The challenge of quality food availability and fulfillment of adequate nutrition continues to be a major concern in Indonesia. Against this background, the Sustainable Self-Reliance Local Food System in Mentawai Kupang and Sabu Raijua project was established to address these challenges through a three-year empowerment and advocacy strategy. The project succeeded in producing ten local food commodities with better quality as a result of field schools conducted in 26 OMBs (Basis Community Organizations) in 25 villages.

However, to ensure the project can run effectively and have a sustainable impact, a stronger understanding and synergy among stakeholders is needed. Therefore, on July 1-2, 2024, a workshop on "Independent and Sustainable Local Food Systems in Mentawai Kupang and Sabu Raijua" was held at SHEEP Jogja Office.

This workshop was held with the main objective to strengthen synergy among stakeholders and provide in-depth understanding of the program conceptual framework, technical implementation, as well as project administration and finance. With the same understanding, it is expected that all staff and related parties can run this project more effectively, and be able to face the challenges in the field.

The workshop involved commissions, bureaus and all project staff at YSI and they were invited to discuss and dialogue about their respective contributions in supporting the project objectives. From the two-day workshop, several important points were made that will form the basis for future project implementation, including:

• A better understanding of the conceptual framework of the program, so that workshop participants can clearly see how their contributions can influence the success of the project.
• The development of a contextualized action plan, including a schedule of activities and budget planning during the project period.
• A strengthened management structure relationship between YSI and the project, ensuring better and more effective coordination at every stage of implementation.

This workshop is an important first step in realizing a more independent and sustainable local food system in Mentawai, Kupang, and Sabu Raijua. With stronger synergy, it is hoped that this project can have a significant impact on improving food self-sufficiency in Indonesia.