Buyung Hadi

Food Security | Indonesia

2019 New Voices Fellow

buyung hadi

Buyung, an Indonesian entomologist, is currently serving as the country representative for the International Rice Research Institute in Cambodia, a position he says gives him a ringside seat for observing how scientific innovation can play a role in national food security policy. “I believe in science-based advocacy,” Buyung says, adding that the challenges include how to make complex technical issues clear to political leaders. Buyung says the information needs to get through. “Rice agriculture has been identified as one of the global contributors of greenhouse gas emission and agrichemical pollutants. Technologies to minimize rice environmental footprints are available, but their adoption leaves much to be desired.” In an ironic feedback loop, the livelihood of rice farmers is increasingly vulnerable due to the changing climate.