Student Debate Competition in South Papua Province: Addressing the Food Estate Dilemma

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The Pulitzer Center is supporting an upcoming Student Debate Competition in Indonesia, organized by the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Musamus Merauke (UNMUS), in collaboration with the Sophia Indonesia Community across South Papua Province. 

This event aims to foster critical thinking and awareness on multiple issues arising from the food estate projects in South Papua, drawing from the Pulitzer Center-supported project Hungry People at Merauke Food Estate, landmark reporting by Ahmad Arif, Saiful Rijal Yunus, and Agus Susanto. It depicts the destructive changes faced by local and Indigenous communities dealing with the impacts of the food estate's failure in the region.

Arif will join the student debate as part of the judging panel, together with a local NGO, EcoNusa, and an academician from Universitas Musamus.

This student debate is part of the Food Estate in South Papua: For Whom, Threats, and Solutions, an education project led by Muhammad Novan Prasetya, of Universitas Musamus. 

The food estate was initially intended to serve as a national reserve for food and agriculture, focusing primarily on cassava and palm oil. However, the project has faced significant opposition from Indigenous groups who argue that it marginalizes their voices, threatens conservation areas, and endangers the habitats of local communities. 

A substantial portion of land—about a quarter of Tanah Merauke, or 1.2 million hectares—was slated for conversion as part of this project, raising serious concerns over its environmental and social impact. Arif’s report revealed another critical impact on the health of local communities: the significant decline in traditional forest-sourced food due to changes in forest crops. As a result, children and mothers in the area are reportedly suffering from severe malnutrition driven by increasing food insecurity.

The debate competition, titled “The Food Estate Dilemma in South Papua,” will challenge young minds to engage with one of the region's most pressing environmental issues. 
The competition offers the youth of South Papua a chance to raise their voices and advocate for ecological justice in their home region. Over 50 college students from various universities in South Papua will participate in the event, which will take place October 16-17, 2024, at the UNMUS campus in Merauke.

The event is the first step for the UNMUS Impact Seed Funding project, led by Novan and supported by the Pulitzer Center, which addresses the food estate dilemma in South Papua. Future steps will include a multi-stakeholder dialogue based on lessons learned from the debate, the production of a documentary film in South Papua, research documentation, and curriculum development for public policy courses at UNMUS.