Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions and Indonesia Ministry of National Development Planning sign MOU on blue foods, blue economy

Presiding over the Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (BAPPENAS), Minister Suharso Monoarfa and his delegation visited the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions (COS) on April 27th to initiate a partnership focused on bringing blue foods into blue economy planning.

As the world's largest archipelagic country, Indonesia depends on ocean and inland waters to support livelihoods and its economy. For instance, the fisheries sector alone provides employment for seven million people and contributes approximately $27 billion to the country’s economy. The Blue Food Assessment, co-led by COS, highlights the significance of fisheries and aquaculture, often referred to as blue foods, in achieving social, economic, nutritional, and environmental goals. Through this collaboration, COS research will help BAPPENAS bring blue foods into Indonesia’s national development strategy that will guide development for the next two decades and support the government in embedding blue foods in its blue economy framework.

During the visit, BAPPENAS Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti and Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Dean Arun Majumdar formalized the partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding, witnessed by the Minister. The COS team and other researchers in the Doerr School will continue discussions with BAPPENAS and partners in Indonesia to exchange knowledge, pursue joint research, and make sure that economic development and environmental sustainability are both considered when planning for the future, particularly within the blue food sector.