Evaluation of post-food estate policy in achieving national food security and the welfare of local communities

Abstract

Background: The Food Estate Program in Central Kalimantan is a national strategic project aimed at strengthening food security through agricultural land expansion and intensification. However, its success remains questionable given peatland ecological sensitivity, local socio-economic dynamics, and limited attention to nutrition outcomes. Methods: This study applied a descriptive qualitative–quantitative policy evaluation using document analysis and secondary data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), government reports, the Ministry of Agriculture, FAO, and peer-reviewed studies. Program targets and realizations for 2020–2021 were compared with national rice statistics and assessed using the FAO four-pillar food security framework, Social–Ecological Systems (SES), and the Policy Evaluation Framework, with source and conceptual triangulation. Findings: The Food Estate program’s contribution to national food security remains limited. Planting reached 98.1% (2020) and 96.2% (2021) of targets, while reported productivity reached 3.75–4.22 t/ha. However, the 2020 harvest of approximately 114.6 thousand tonnes represented only 0.21% of national rice production, and productivity remained below the national average of approximately 5.1 t/ha. Key constraints included suboptimal water management, limited crop adaptability, and ineffective policy coordination. Peatlands faced risks of subsidence, drought, and fire. Household incomes in adjoining villages (USD 137.7–172.2 monthly) were below the 2020 regency minimum wage (USD 202.9). Farmers’ welfare remained constrained by limited access to land, technology, and markets, while the absence of nutrition indicators left the utilization pillar largely unaddressed. Conclusion: The program requires peatland-sensitive land-use planning, stronger cross-sectoral institutions, greater community participation, and performance indicators covering nutrition and sustainability. Novelty/Originality of this article: This study integrates program performance, peatland social–ecological risks, and policy governance in a post-implementation evaluation, linking these findings to nutrition and food-supply-chain implications for more sustainable food estate policy.