KBRN, Yogyakarta: Sorghum can be an alternative food to address the threat of world food shortages due to climate change. This crop can be grown in various climates.

“Sorghum is more resistant to climate change, and is even more nutritious than rice,” explained Boy Rifai, Sorgum Sejahtera Foundation's (SSF) main advisor, when speaking at an event at the national radio station's RRI Yogyakarta office over the weekend.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that food shortages will be a serious threat that causes hunger in many countries by 2050. The climate crisis causes unpredictable weather that can ruin the harvest of food crops.

Sorghum can be grown in various environmental conditions, including on critical land. Therefore, sorghum, which is easy to grow, can be an alternative food for the community.

Indonesian people currently rely heavily on rice for their staple food, forcing the state to import rice to fulfill domestic needs.

“Sorghum can be a solution to reduce dependence on imported rice,” Boy said.

Sorghum seeds must be boiled until soft and served like rice. As a staple food, sorghum can be eaten with vegetables, fresh vegetables, and other side dishes.

If sorghum is grown en masse, people do not need to worry when the price of rice rise.

Introduced by the Dutch, sorghums have a long history in the archipelago. Boy said that when attacking Batavia, Sultan Agung of Mataram Kingdom and his soldiers also used sorghum as staple food.

Boy also said that SSF, which has been actively campaigning for sorghum as an alternative food, continues to disseminate knowledge about sorghum as an alternative food source besides rice. People’s dependence on rice can lead to high prices when market stocks are not fulfilled. ***