Lumbung Sosial: Challenges and Opportunities of Indonesia’s Social Barn Program

Disaster response is a critical aspect in safeguarding community resilience in the face of increasing risks. As a part of the emergency response strategy, regions in Indonesia are implementing the Lumbung Sosial program as a logistical center to accelerate aid distribution, especially in disaster-prone areas. However, the implementation of the program is still facing challenges, from lack of logistical management and limited operational funds to lack of training for coordinators.

In this light, a report by UNICEF and the Indonesian National Development Planning Agency sheds light on the challenges and opportunities of Indonesia’s Lumbung Sosial program. What can we learn from it?

Lumbung Sosial as an Emergency Response Strategy

Indonesia is among the most disaster-prone countries facing increasing risks due to climate change and environmental degradation. Recurring disasters like floods, landslides, droughts, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes not only threaten lives but also disrupt the economy, society, and environment. In response, the Lumbung Sosial program has been implemented in regions across the country as an emergency response strategy in line with the Adaptive Social Protection (ASP) policy, aiming to strengthen community resilience.

Lumbung Sosial, directly translated to Social Barn, is a facility to store and supply disaster preparedness items. It acts as a backup stock to help people survive during emergencies. The lumbung, or barn, adapts the traditional concept of communal storage and is now transformed into a logistical hub in disaster-prone areas. It stores essential items like food, tents, generators, and emergency equipment to accelerate aid distribution when disaster hits.

The organizational capacity and management of Lumbung Sosial vary. For example, Cimenteng Village’s Lumbung Sosial has supported the responses of six disasters including five landslides and one fire. Meanwhile, in the East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, having a Lumbung Sosial near disaster-prone areas helped accelerate aid distribution when Mount Lewotobi erupted.

From Operational to Human Resource Challenges

The joint report by UNICEF and Indonesia’s National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) reveals that the Lumbung Sosial program holds significant potential to strengthen community resilience. However, its implementation in several regions continues to face various challenges. These include weak logistics management, limited funding, lack of technical training, and low levels of community participation.

Local governments and Lumbung Sosial managers are required to follow the technical guidelines by independently identifying disaster risks and determining the logistics needed. However, these guidelines have yet to fully accommodate the needs of vulnerable groups, such as children, elderly, women, and persons with disabilities. The types of supplies available also remain limited, mostly covering basic needs such as food, tents, and generators.

Moreover, many regions are still unable to manage their Lumbung Sosial independently. Some managers have yet to take proactive steps to request restocking or explore alternative funding options, such as village budgets, community-led initiatives, or partnerships with third parties.

Optimizing the Lumbung Sosial Program

The report outlines several recommendations to meet the gap in the implementation and management of the program. The recommendations also aim to improve Lumbung Sosial’s effectiveness in technicality, institution, and community participation.

• Integrate the Lumbung Sosial program with recurring social protection programs, educate communities about the program, and further develop the program implementation guide.
• Provide continuous sustainable technical training for managers to improve their capacity and enable them to advocate in disaster-prone areas.
• Ensure sustainable funding by opening alternative funding opportunities through multi-stakeholder collaboration.
• Optimize stock management to ensure items are available and timely with proper conditions.
• Expand Lumbung Sosial’s accessibility to better cover disaster-prone areas effectively.

Moreover, the report emphasizes collaboration among governments, community, and other stakeholders to ensure an effective and optimized Lumbung Sosial. Lastly, monitoring and regular evaluation are needed to identify gaps and challenges and continuously improve the program’s implementation.

Translator: Dinda Meta Rahmania

The original version of this article is published in Indonesian at Green Network Asia – Indonesia.