Urbanization, Distancing and Food Waste in Bogor, Indonesia
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URBAN AND REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEMS Wasted Infrastructures: Urbanization, Distancing and Food Waste in Bogor, Indonesia TAMARRA SOMA Applying the conceptual frameworks of ‘food distancing’ (Clapp, 2012) and ‘waste distancing’ (Clapp, 2002), this paper investigates the issues of food consumption and food waste inin urbanurban Indonesia.Indonesia. TheThe paperpaper arguesargues thatthat thethe ‘distancing” ‘distancing’ of food production via long-distance modern supply chains is connected to the growing issue of food waste in rapidly urbanizing areas. Another impact of distancing in Bogor, Indonesia is the environmental impact of modern food packaging in comparison to traditional food packaging. The paper concludes by emphasizing that rapid urbanization enables distancing and produces an unjust system whereby the impact of food waste and its associated packaging is distanced from those who are privileged and brought nearer to those who are marginalized. On the 21 February 2005, 143 people from fession to understand how urban develop- two villages predominantly inhabited by ment priorities can lead to increased inequali- waste pickers and their families were killed ties. The lives of the informal waste pickers after being buried by a garbage avalanche (many of whom were youths) killed across at the Leuwigajah open dump in Indonesia Indonesia (Humaeni and Widjaya, 2010), (Lavigne et al., 2014). The fatal garbage tsunami the environmental degradation caused by was the result of an explosion caused by an immense amount of non-biodegradable trapped methane gas (resulting from de- food packaging waste, and the stench of composing organic/food waste). Methane is a rotting organic waste represents the ‘col- greenhouse gas estimated to have a warming lateral damage’ of modern industrial food pro- potential twenty- ve times more than carbon duction and consumption. The city seems dioxide (Gooch et al., 2010). The explosion to be ‘nothing more than a space for con- shook the core of the garbage mountains and sumption in which we apparently express destroyed the villages located 1 kilometre ourselves as citizens of a consumer society’ away from the tip of the mountain. Waste- (Miles, 2010, p. 1). related issues in Indonesia have been further Drawing on a qualitative study of twenty- exacerbated by the fact that there is a lack of one upper (n = 7), middle (n = 7) and lower (n regional planning considerations to deal with = 7) income households in the City of Bogor, the increasing solid waste (Silver, 2008). The as well as twelve key informant interviews issue of food waste especially is becoming a with government officials, traditional food growing concern. vendors, supermarket managers, and a waste As planners are increasingly engaged in collector, this paper investigates the role of addressing food systems issues (Soma and urbanization as a distancing process in food Wakefield, 2011), it is important for the pro- consumption and food waste in Indonesia. BUILT396 ENVIRONMENT VOL 43 NO 3 BUILTENVIRONMENTVOL43NO4313 WASTED INFRASTRUCTURES: URBANIZATION, DISTANCING AND FOOD WASTE IN BOGOR, INDONESIA The paper,WASTED which INFRASTRUCTURES: includes a URBANIZATION, synthesis of DISTANCING recommendations AND FOOD WASTE toIN BOGOR,improve INDONESIA the manage- existing literature and new findings from ment of food waste in the City of Bogor, theThe fieldwork,paper, which seeks includesto answer a thesynthesis following of Indonesia.recommendations to improve the manage- questions.existing literature First, how and does new urbanization findings impact from ment of food waste in the City of Bogor, foodthe fieldwork, consumption seeks andto answer food thewaste following infra- Indonesia. Case Study: The City of Bogor structurequestions. First,for people how does of urbanizationdifferent incomes? impact Second,food consumption how are residents and foodof various waste incomes infra- Bogor, the case study, is a medium-sized city Case Study: The City of Bogor managingstructure forfood people waste andof different associated incomes? packag- with a population of 1,030,720 people (Statistics ing?Second, The how paper are examines residents theseof various questions incomes by BogorBogor, City,the case 2014). study, As shownis a medium-sized in gure 1, citythe exploringmanaging foodtwo relatedwaste and infrastructures associated packag- (food citywith isa populationlocated on of the 1,030,720 island people of Java, (Statistics in the provisioninging? The paper and examines food waste these infrastructure) questions by provinceBogor City, of 2014).West AsJava; shown it is in60 gurekilometres 1, the throughexploring the two conceptual related infrastructures framework of (food dis- southcity is oflocated Indonesia’s on the islandcapital of city Java, Jakarta. in the tancingprovisioning (Princen, and 2002;food Clappwaste 2012,infrastructure) 2002). Theprovince Bogor of districtWest Java; is partit is of60 thekilometres Jakarta throughThe process the conceptual of distancing framework enables the of repro- dis- Greatersouth of Area Indonesia’s megacity andcapital is impacted city Jakarta. by a ductiontancing (Princen,of unjust 2002; practices Clapp with 2012, respect 2002). to ‘spillover’The Bogor sprawl district e ectis duepart toof its the close Jakarta prox- foodThe consumption process of distancing and the enables impact the of repro- food imityGreater and Area relative megacity a ordability and is impactedin comparison by a wasteduction on ofmarginalized unjust practices population. with Distancingrespect to to‘spillover’ the capital sprawl city (Andriamasari,e ect due to its 2015).close prox- asfood defined consumption by Princen and is ‘…the the impact separation of food of imity and relative a ordability in comparison primarywaste on marginalizedresource-extraction population. decisions Distancing from Insertto the capitalFigure 1city (Andriamasari, 2015). finalas defined consumption by Princen decisions’ is ‘… the (2002, separation p. 157). of Accordingprimary resource-extraction to Princen, the greater decisions the fromdis- InsertAccording Figure to1 the 2013 agricultural census, tancingfinal consumption on any several decisions’ dimensions, (2002, ‘the p. greater 157). the agriculture sector in Bogor decreased by theAccording likelihood to Princen,that ecological the greater feedback the willdis- 19.89According per cent fromto the 2003 2013 to agricultural2013 (Andriamasari, census, betancing severed on anyand several a resource dimensions, overused’ ‘the (2002, greater p. 2015)the agriculture with 47,953 sector hectares in Bogor of land decreased converted by 157).the likelihood By investigating that ecological the ways infeedback which rapid will into19.89 urban per cent development from 2003 to(Fajarini, 2013 (Andriamasari, 2014). Facing urbanizationbe severed and impacts a resource the overused’ food system (2002, inp. land2015) scarcitywith 47,953 and expandinghectares of urbanland converted develop- Indonesia,157). By investigating the paper argues the ways that in urbanization which rapid ment,into urban the residentsdevelopment of Bogor (Fajarini, are 2014).increasingly Facing causesurbanization a distancing impacts process the foodthat resultssystem in in a reliantland scarcity on uneven and expanding and deficient urban waste develop- col- moreIndonesia, complex the paper long-distance argues that foodurbanization supply lection.ment, the Despite residents the of staggering Bogor are increasinglyincrease in chaincauses and a distancing presents significantprocess that challenges results in to a wastereliant generation,on uneven wasteand deficient collection waste reaches col- themore sustainable complex managementlong-distance of food food supplywaste. onlylection. 67 perDespite cent ofthe the staggering city and is increasenot access- in Notchain only and ispresents distancing significant connected challenges to space, to iblewaste to generation,all Bogor residents waste collection (Municipality reaches of itthe also sustainable affects patterns management of consumption of food waste. and Bogor,only 67 2011).per cent According of the city to and the is city’snot access- most wasteNot only by reducingis distancing access connected to the information to space, recentible to dataalldata Bogor (2007),(2007), residents the Bogor’s Bogor’s (Municipality solidsolid waste of neededit also affects to make patterns informed of consumption choices. This and is consistsBogor, 2011). of 69 Accordingper cent food to the waste, city’s 13 most per duewaste to bythe reducing ‘gap in knowledge access to the we information have about centrecent plastic, data and(2007), other the waste Bogor’s including solid metal,waste theneeded social, to ecological,make informed and economic choices. relation- This is paperconsists etc of (personal69 per cent communication food waste, 13 with per shipsdue to associated the ‘gap inwith knowledge the foods we haveeat’ (Clapp, about Headcent plastic, of Waste and and other Sanitation, waste including 2014). Galuga, metal, 2012,the social, p. 2). ecological, Within theand conceptualeconomic relation- frame- Bogor’spaper etc only (personal landfill, iscommunication an open dump withthat workships associatedof distancing, with two the themesfoods we emerge eat’ (Clapp, from isHead uncontrolled of Waste and and Sanitation, has no environmental 2014). Galuga, this2012, study: p. 2). spatial Within distancing the conceptual via urbanization frame- managementBogor’s only landfill,to handle is leachatean open ordump