Urban farming activity in Bandung City contains an idea of women empowerment. That is because urban farming has done a lot by housewife. The Bandung City Government attempts to implement gender mainstreaming program in the development through urban farming. Therefore, an urban farming program in Bandung City designed by local government nowadays has four women’s farmer group. One of the women’s farmer group is Sa’uyunan Sarijadi. This research uses a case study from Sa’uyunan Sarijadi Women’s Farmer Group in Bandung, Indonesia. This study discusses the implementation urban farming as women empowerment in Sa’uyunan Sarijadi Women’s Farmer Group. The results showed that all of the members are involved in various production activities such as seeding, maintenance, hydroponic management for making herbal medicinal products derived from medicinal plants from the garden they plant. The sa’uyunan sarijadi women’s farmer group develop the creativity of housewives in carrying out agricultural production activities and making processed products from food crops. The motivation of women to be active in the management of urban farming because of the awareness to present organic and hygienic food consumption. Besides, the benefit of urban farming has provided economic benefits, social networks, and knowledge about providing healthy food.
Urban farming has been transformed into urban agricultural activities oriented towards optimizing economic benefits through export market involvement. However, the expansion of the market has consequences for farmers. The involvement of urban farmers in export trade causes market pressures that affect agricultural production practices. This research used qualitative research methods. There were 27 informants in this study. Researchers collected data to determine market pressures faced by export-scale urban farmers in Bandung Metropolitan. Data collection techniques used in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation. The results showed that the market had put pressure on export-scale urban farmers in Bandung Metropolitan to meet international food standards. The mechanism was constructed to encourage farmers to adopt more environmentally friendly agricultural practices. However, international food standards are mandatory for export requirements. It meant that urban farmers still interpreted implementing international food standards as an administrative formality, not as a scheme of critical reasoning about environmental problems due to intensive agricultural practices. Therefore, market pressure by international food standards implementation is paradoxical and ineffective because farmers interpreted it as meeting export requirements rather than as awareness of farmers' environmental responsibilities to deliver healthy and environmentally friendly products.
The proliferation of commercialization in the development of urban agriculture (UA) within the Great Bandung region has precipitated the dislocation of numerous small-scale farmers, consequently engendering a reduction in the accessibility of locally cultivated sustenance. The resultant effect of this phenomenon is the exacerbation of food insecurity among low-income inhabitants who lack the financial wherewithal to procure the relatively expensive imported food items. Furthermore, the dearth of availability of unprocessed, high-quality sustenance has resulted in suboptimal dietary intake among a considerable proportion of the populace. A survey was conducted utilizing questionnaires to gather data from 137 units of respondents consisting of both subsistence and commercial urban farmers. The comparative analysis of the earnings of urban farmers was conducted vis-à-vis the minimum wages projected for the year 2023 in West Java and Bandung City. The utilization of the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) is a prevalent method for evaluating food insecurity through the analysis of self-reported food-related behaviors and experiences, both pre- and post-UA operations. A 24 h Food Recall Instrument examined nutrition adequacy in urban farmer households, which was analyzed using chi-square with descriptive presentation. Urban agriculture could help solve commercialization, food insecurity, and nutrition issues in the Great Bandung Region. Commercial urban farmers (51.09%) earned 280.46% of West Java provincial minimum wages or 136.82% of Bandung City minimum wages in 2023. The subsistence farmers’ cohort (48.91%) earned 14.64% of West Java provincial minimum earnings or 7.14% of Bandung City minimum wages in 2023. In general, the prevalence of ties to food insecurity was predominantly observed subsequent to UA practices. The study revealed a prevalence of vitamin A surplus among urban farmers, while a preponderance of inadequacy in other nutritional aspects was also observed.
These days, urban agriculture is more than a hobby. It has expanded into a local commercial business, even to an export scale. However, urban farmers who have commercialized their products must adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, which has impacted many aspects of global life. This research used a mixed-method approach. We collected quantitative data from 107 respondents on the household commercialization index, income level, and education level of export-scale-urban farmers in the Bandung metropolitan area, West Java, Indonesia. We also used qualitative data to determine how farmers were adapting to difficult situations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This information was gathered through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation. The results showed that the urban farmers continued to prioritize commercial agriculture during the COVID-19 pandemic. The urban farmers must adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic in various ways, beginning with market access, agricultural management, and strengthening financial resources. There are some conditions where adaptation methods adopted by farmers are not environmentally friendly because the farmers are increasingly dependent on synthetic inputs and use cold storage on open land. Thus, the farmers' adaptation steps to maintain export-scale commercial farming activities in the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic also affect intensive agricultural practices that are not environmentally friendly.
Urban agriculture is crucial in improving food security through the diversity of food produced by urban farmers. However, there have not been many studies that discuss the food security of urban farmers of three types simultaneously, i.e., subsistence, semi-commercial, and commercial. Therefore, this study has the benefit of looking at the food security condition of urban farmer households. This research was conducted in the North Bandung area, West Java, Indonesia. A sequential mixed method was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data to determine the condition of food security in each urban farmer household. A total of 321 households were used as respondents for this study, consisting of 107 subsistence agriculture households, 107 semi-commercial agriculture households, and 107 commercial agriculture households. Our study found that the average calorie adequacy of farmer households in all urban agriculture types (subsistence, semi-commercial, and commercial) was 84.53%. Meanwhile, the proportion of household food expenditure in all urban agriculture averaged 64.78%. In relation to food security, 53.89% of respondents were included in the food-vulnerable category and only 25.86% of the urban farmer households were included in the food-secure category. The highest food security rate was found in commercial urban agriculture households, which reached 28.04%. In general, these data reflect low household food security across all types of urban agriculture. This reality can be caused by various factors, including limited resources, dependence on food purchases, and interference from external parties.