Indonesia's Food Security Needs a Physics Approach to Combat Waste

Indonesia's food security is increasingly a complex system problem, moving beyond traditional concerns of cultivation and quality to encompass climate and environmental impacts. As of 2026, the nation grapples with a stark contrast between its agricultural potential and systemic inefficiencies.

Last year, Indonesia achieved a record 34.71 million tons of rice production, yielding a surplus of 3.52 million tons thanks to intensive farming programs. However, this success came at a cost to farmers. National Food Agency (Bapanas) data reveals that 20-30% of the harvest is lost post-production due to inadequate management of temperature, humidity, and logistics. This represents a significant waste of energy and material resources from a physics perspective.

Compounding these issues, extreme soil moisture and solar radiation changes in early 2026 have reduced productivity on non-irrigated land by up to 15%. The article argues that neglecting physical variables in agriculture leads to these failures. For instance, the loss of 20-30% of post-harvest food is attributed to a failure to control heat transfer and humidity during storage. Crops like horticulture and grains spoil faster as ambient temperatures rise, increasing cellular respiration rates.

Without affordable renewable energy-powered cooling technologies, production surpluses risk becoming entropy, or system disorder. Furthermore, conventional farming methods still dominate, with soil measurements often relying on estimations rather than precise scientific data. The efficiency of nutrient absorption by plant roots, however, is directly dependent on soil air capillarity and surface tension, concepts rooted in fluid mechanics. The author, a prospective educator and scientist, advocates for a physics-based approach to address these challenges.