PETALING JAYA: Malaysia must take concrete steps to ensure its food security now, given that the country may experience an extreme drought next year, say experts.
According to a report by the National Water Research Institute of Malaysia (Nahrim) four years ago, an extreme drought is predicted to affect Peninsular Malaysia for 10 years, starting next year. If you think it is hot now, conditions are likely to worsen next year, and 10 years of drought will prove to be too long to endure if effective strategies are not put in place soon, the experts warned.
In July, the Malaysian Padi Farmers Brotherhood Organisation (Pesawah) stated that farmers in Kedah may stop padi planting due to extreme weather and low water supply, raising concerns about Malaysia’s ability to ensure food security.
An important step Malaysians can take, the experts said, is to equip themselves with crop planting skills so they can at least ensure enough food for their families.
Economist Prof Emeritus Dr Barjoyai Bardai said it is time Malaysians consider self-sufficiency by engaging in small-scale agriculture where they live.
Barjoyai also highlighted the potential of reintroducing long- neglected crops such as ulam, which includes kacang botol, ulam raja, pucuk paku and pucuk ubi, all of which are highly nutritious, on a commercial scale.
However, he stressed that the government must take an active role by educating the public and providing various technologies to enhance crop productivity.
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“In the past, we lived in kampung, so we had ample space to grow ulam. Nowadays, space is a challenge. However, there are solutions, and government support is crucial.
“For instance, aquaponics allows us to raise fish and vegetables simultaneously by cultivating crops together with raising fish in tanks, thus providing two sources of food.
“For those with limited space, vertical aquaponics is an alternative,” he said.
To maintain an adequate supply of chicken and eggs, Barjoyai suggested that Malaysia adopt a system similar to South Korea, where the government creates an ecosystem in which villagers are given a specific number of chickens to rear.
After about 45 days, it collects the chickens and eggs from the villagers, compensating them for their labour.
Nurfitri Amir Muhammad, chief coordinator of the Malaysian Food Security and Sovereignty Forum, urged Malaysians to relearn the lost skill of crop planting which has faded over the decades as the country became industrialised.
“Decades ago, planting crops was a basic life skill, just as dri-ving is today,” he said.
The over-reliance on imported food has not only driven up prices but also left the population vulnerable to supply disruptions, he added.
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Nurfitri noted that many Malaysians are no longer familiar with even the simplest agricultural practices, adding that the public does not need large plots of land to begin cultivating crops.
He said even those living in apartments can plant easily- grown crops such as ulam.
This, he said, will be the first step towards reintroducing agriculture into everyday life.
Although there are government initiatives and NGO-led programmes that provide the public with knowledge and access to the latest agricultural technologies, Nurfitri suggested that more concerted efforts are needed to raise awareness.
He said a nationwide campaign will be a good start.
“Actually, the government has many programmes on agriculture and we can greatly benefit from them if only we make the effort to find out and learn.
“Farmers are aware of these programmes, but it is the public who doesn’t know, which is why a nationwide campaign is important to create awareness,” he said.
He cited the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism expo (MAHA 2024) as an example of such platforms, where individuals can learn more about sustainable farming.
“We are just a few months away from this potential crisis in 2025. Are we prepared for it?” he said, warning that without readiness, the country could face severe food shortages.
From 1997 to 1998, Malaysia experienced an extreme drought.
The highest temperature of 40.1°C was recorded at the Chuping Meteorological Station in Perlis on April 9, 1998.
The drought led to a severe water crisis, particularly in the Klang Valley, where the government had to implement scheduled water rationing, severely affecting daily life and disrupting businesses.
MAHA 2024 begins at MAEPS Serdang tomorrow.
