The economic challenges that Southeast Asia will face in the future will be increasingly difficult because of factors such as global economic fragmentation, geopolitical changes, and climate crisis. For the latter, Southeast Asia countries would need to figure out a new economic approach that does not entirely rely on the extractive industry. Some economic approaches currently receiving global attention include the restorative economy, namely efforts to restore nature to drive the surrounding economy. 

As a result of extractive economic activity, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has indicated that 87 percent of the total global wetlands have been lost since the Industrial Revolution 1.0 in the 18th century, resulting in a reduction in the natural habitat of flora and fauna, clean water sources, and water absorption sources to prevent flooding. So far, there are 3.2 billion people in rural areas globally who have experienced land degradation, causing environmental damage that burdens the global economy up to USD 9.4 trillion. 

Despite its infancy, the restorative economy is growing in Southeast Asian countries in various forms. Some focus on land use, others promote tradition and sustainable tourism, and others emphasize community empowerment and create opportunities for upcycling programs. Singapore, known as one of the greenest cities in the world, is a prime example. Its green cover currently exceeds 40 percent, with over 7,800 hectares of green spaces, including nature reserves, parks, gardens, and integrated greenery throughout the urban landscape. Singapore has introduced the 2030 Green Plan to further strengthen its sustainability efforts, setting ambitious targets for the next decade. 

This plan aligns with the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Paris Agreement, positioning Singapore to achieve its long-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Key targets include planting 1 million more trees, quadrupling solar energy capacity by 2025, and reducing landfill waste by 30 percent by 2030. 

Youth as the agent of restorative economy 

A similar effort of restorative economic activity can be seen in the Siak Regency, Indonesia, through Skelas, a creative platform driven by Siak’s youth that has succeeded in creating food innovations that not only benefit environmental sustainability but also have a positive impact on the local economy. One is the innovation of gluten-free premix flour that uses modified cassava flour (mocaf) and rice bran as raw materials. 

Skelas has supported Santi Lestari, a 41-year-old mother, who is behind the creation of this gluten-free premix flour. Santi said that the motivation behind making this premix flour was her concern about the difficulty of finding gluten-free food ingredients and the desire to utilize the potential of local food ingredients. 

“Initially, my third child was diagnosed by a doctor as having ADHD, so it was recommended to reduce wheat consumption so that the nervous disorder would not continue. “Because there weren’t many choices, I tried to make my basic ingredients for Kemojo cake because it’s my child’s favorite food,” she said. Starting from concern for her child’s health, Santi began researching and developing her product under 

Dapur Mempura in 2019 during the pandemic. Then, Santi joined the Siak Sustainable Business Incubation (KUBISA) program from the Siak Sustainable Creative Center (SKELAS) to develop her product for 6 months. The program is aimed to support sustainable business actors in Siak in achieving business prosperity while maintaining environmental sustainability. 

The process of making this gluten-free premix flour goes through several stages, starting from designing the recipe, finding the right composition of raw materials, processing the texture, and testing the taste of the resulting product. In this case, Santi and her team work intensively with PT Alam Siak Lestari, which oversees the Siak Innovation Lab, to ensure that the products produced are safe and under applicable standards. 

The advantages of this gluten-free premix flour lie not only in its natural raw materials but also in its ease of use. In addition to being easy and fast, this premix flour is very practical so that anyone can use it themselves. Therefore, this product has the potential to be distributed not only in the Siak region but also to the entire Riau region. 

From field to table 

Uniquely, this premix flour is not just a food product. Behind each package is a story about the restorative economy that is being built. By using mocaf flour and rice bran as the main ingredients, this product provides added value for local farmers. 

Bran itself is a by-product of rice processing; usually, this bran is only used as animal feed and is not used by farmers further. However, since the development of bolu kemojo, Mrs. Santi has always bought the bran, thus providing additional income for farmers. Apart from providing economic benefits, using local bran will have a better impact on nature because of the reduction of waste during the rice processing. For the mocaf flour itself, previously Mrs. Santi did buy it from outside parties, but the Siak Innovation Lab program itself has succeeded in encouraging the production of local Mocaf flour. 

This certainly helps farmers and surrounding communities increasingly facing challenges from the climate crisis and land degradation, which reduce their ability to get the right results from agricultural cultivation. Ahmad, one of the farmers, said that the increasing land degradation in his area makes it difficult for him to get the harvest according to market needs. 

“Sometimes it’s difficult, especially during the dry season, because the crops fail to harvest. Land is also limited, while the need to supply is increasing, and we must adjust prices to continue producing and surviving,” said Ahmad. 

The potential of Indonesia’s healthy food industry to restore the surrounding economy 

Innovations in local food ingredients, such as premix flour from Dapur Mempura, encourage other local businesses to add economic value. Santi shared her transformation from a housewife into an MSME manager who employs several kitchens in Siak. This received a positive response from the local government. 

“We see the positive impact of various innovations in local food ingredients on the development of the local economy. Innovations such as this natural ingredient premix flour meet nutritional needs but also respect village agricultural land, creating a sustainable ecosystem that synergizes with each other,” said Cerli Febri, from Skelas.

Cerli also hopes that this product can be a trigger for the growth of a sustainable economy in Siak, that goes beyond a food ecosystem and hopefully generates collaboration across Southeast Asia. For instance, Singapore’s food industry could partner with Siak’s farmers and food producers to source gluten-free ingredients while also exchanging their own organic or packaged products. Additionally, Singaporean food companies could assist Siak in scaling up the production and marketing of locally produced goods, helping to expand their reach in international markets. 

About SKELAS 

The Siak Sustainable Creative Center (Skelas) is a place and a forum for creative young people to pour out ideas to explore the potential of Siak Regency while maintaining the sustainability aspect. Currently, Skelas has mentored 26 businesses from various sectors, such as three from fashion, 22 culinary businesses, and one education service, and continues to support the vision of green Siak in achieving the target of 1000 MSMEs/year and increasing creative economic efforts, which are the Regional Development Performance Indicators plan of the Siak Regency Government.