2 - Food Policy in Grobogan District, a Comparison between the Dutch Colonial Period and the New Order

During the Dutch Colonization, the Grobogan area was part of the Semarang Residency. At the end of the nineteenth century, this area was known as a pocket of poverty and hunger. Natural factors and wrong policies are the triggers. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Dutch East Indies government implemented ethical colonial politics, one of which was to increase the prosperity of the people. The New Order government also carried out the same pattern. This article attempts to create a comparative policy analysis in food provision during the Ethos Colonial Politics and the New Order era. Historical data in policy archives, statistical data, former irrigation buildings, and oral history interviews were used to compare the two periods. The research results show that policies were carried out during the Ethical Politics era to increase food availability by building irrigation facilities, agricultural credit, and agricultural extension. The results show that there has been an increase in rice production and a reduction in poverty levels. During the New Order era, the same plan was implemented through more widespread agricultural development in the form of maintaining Dutch heritage irrigation buildings, building new weirs and irrigation networks, especially from Kedung Ombo, providing superior seeds with fertilizer assistance, agricultural extension, building Village Unit Cooperatives, and construction of road infrastructure. During the New Order era, Grobogan's economic face changed from an area with food shortages to a major rice production area in Central Java Province.

Keywords: Ethical Politics, New Order, food production

Co-Author 1
Wasino, Universitas Negeri Semarang

Co-Author 2
Sri Sudarsih, Diponegoro University