PESPA: Youth for Sustainable Food Systems in Bandung

Empowering Communities Through Food Sovereignty

PESPA (PEmuda untuk Sistem PAngan di Kota Bandung / Youth for Food Systems in Bandung City) is a consortium project that mobilizes young people, vulnerable women, and persons with disabilities to build sustainable, equitable food systems in Bandung, Indonesia. Launched under a consortium agreement signed in November 2023, with activities running from 2024 to July 2025, PESPA represents a collaboration between civil society organizations, research institutions, and grassroots movements committed to food justice.

Our Purpose

Vision

To create a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food system in Bandung where all community members—especially marginalized groups—have the knowledge, skills, and power to shape food policies and practices.

Mission

PESPA advances food sovereignty through three interconnected strategies:

1. Capacity Building: Equipping 50+ participants with knowledge about sustainable food systems, climate resilience, and rights-based advocacy
2. Media Empowerment: Training journalists and communicators to amplify food justice narratives
3. Community Organizing: Facilitating grassroots campaigns that unite urban poor youth, economically vulnerable women, and persons with disabilities

The PESPA Consortium

Lead Consortium & Donor

Article33 Foundation

Role: Lead Consortium Member

Article33 serves as the lead organization coordinating all PESPA activities, ensuring program coherence, and managing consortium partnerships.

Yayasan Humanis dan Inovasi Sosial

Role: Funder (Urban Futures programme manager; donor: Fondation Botnar)

Yayasan Humanis dan Inovasi Sosial provides financial support through the Urban Futures program, enabling all PESPA activities. Their funding makes possible the training programs, community campaigns, and capacity building initiatives.

Training & Implementation Partners

Center for Regulation, Policy and Governance (CRPG)

Role: Training Provider

PESPA's training programs included:

• Food System Diplomacy School (FOODS), designed and delivered by CRPG - 5 days: 50 participants on days 1-3, 30 in the negotiation simulation on days 4-5
• Food Journalism Training, organised by CRPG with AJI Bandung - 3 days (17-19 December 2024) for 20 journalists
• MEL & Communications Training - Urban Futures capacity building for consortium partners (March 2024), with sessions delivered by Humanis

CRPG's expertise in policy research, legal frameworks, and multi-stakeholder facilitation shaped these transformative programs that equipped participants with food sovereignty knowledge, advocacy skills, and institutional capacity.

Supporting Partners

Sinergantara leads the consortium's youth dialogue series and facilitates the multi-stakeholder forum on Bandung's food system.

IATL ITB (Ikatan Alumni Teknik Lingkungan ITB, the alumni association of ITB environmental engineering) trains facilitators and mentors youth groups on food waste reduction and runs community pilot projects in Bandung.

Our Programs

1. Food System Diplomacy Training (FOODS)

February 19-23, 2025 | 50 Participants

A transformative 5-day intensive training that shifts young people's mindsets about food systems. Participants explore:

• Food system fundamentals and interconnections with climate, health, and justice
• Gender and intersectionality in food access
• Urban food sovereignty and Bandung's challenges
• Diplomacy methods for multi-stakeholder negotiation
• Social business models for food enterprises

Target Participants:

• Students, young professionals and young activists interested in Bandung's food system
• 6 participants with disabilities (4 in the five-day group, 2 in the three-day group)

Learn More About FOODS Training →

2. Food Journalism Training

WRI Model | 3-Day Program

Professional training for journalists and communicators covering:

• Understanding food systems and sustainable food system transformation
• Intersectionality in food systems reporting
• In-depth and narrative reporting
• Data-based in-depth reporting, including open-source (OSINT) research

Impact: 20 journalists trained, creating a media network committed to food justice storytelling.

Learn More About Journalism Training →

3. Food Sovereignty Campaign

May - July 2025 | 5 Workshops | 50 Community Members

A participatory campaign series uniting 2-3 Bandung neighborhoods through:

Workshop 1: Introduction to Food Sovereignty and Shared Challenges
Workshop 2: Building Social Capital and Community Networks
Workshop 3: Rights-Based Advocacy Skills
Workshop 4: Practical Skills for Urban Food Systems
Workshop 5: Solidarity Building and Collective Action Planning

Approach: Rights-based advocacy, participatory methods, and disability-inclusive facilitation.

Learn More About the Campaign →

4. MEL & Communications Capacity Building

March - April 2024

Training consortium partners in:

• Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) methodologies
• Outcome Harvesting for impact assessment
• Communications strategy and tracker systems
• Finance management for community projects

Tools Shared: 11 participatory evaluation frameworks, communications workplans, and monitoring trackers.

Learn More About MEL Training →

Impact at a Glance

By the Numbers

• 50+ participants in FOODS Diplomacy Training
• - 20 journalists trained in food systems reporting
• 50 community members in Food Sovereignty Campaign
• 97 photos documenting activities
• - 11 participatory MEL resources shared with partners
• 5 organizations collaborating across sectors
• 3 marginalized communities (urban poor youth, vulnerable women, persons with disabilities)

Geographic Focus

Bandung, West Java, Indonesia - A city of 2.5 million where 1/3 of residents are youth, facing:

• Increasing dependence on external food sources
• Food waste challenges from consumptive patterns
• Limited urban agriculture spaces
• Marginalization of persons with disabilities in food access

Our Approach: The Seven Pillars of Food Sovereignty

PESPA's work is grounded in the seven pillars of food sovereignty:

1. Focuses on Food for People: Prioritizing nutritious, culturally appropriate food
2. Values Food Providers: Recognizing farmers, urban growers, and informal food workers
3. Localizes Food Systems: Strengthening local production and short supply chains
4. Puts Control Locally: Empowering communities to govern food resources
5. Builds Knowledge and Skills: Sharing traditional and innovative practices
6. Works with Nature: Promoting ecological agriculture and biodiversity
7. - Promotes Just Social Relations: Advancing gender equality and solidarity between communities

Key Achievements

Training Excellence

• Developed comprehensive 60-page Food System Diplomacy module
• Created facilitator guides for inclusive, participatory workshops
• Trained facilitators in disability-inclusive pedagogy

Documentation & Knowledge Sharing

• Participant essays capturing personal food sovereignty journeys
• Photo documentation of all major activities
• Outcome harvesting reports demonstrating behavior change

Network Building

• Community resource mapping across Greater Bandung
• Cross-community trust-building exercises
• Sustainable partnerships between marginalized groups

Looking Forward

PESPA's legacy extends beyond the 2025 program cycle. Participants are now:

• Leading mini-projects in their neighborhoods
• Advocating for inclusive food policies in Bandung
• Training peers in urban agriculture and food co-operatives
• Collaborating across disability, youth, and women's movements

The transformation from training to action is already underway.

Get Involved

For Community Members

Join local food sovereignty initiatives in your Bandung neighborhood. Contact consortium partners for upcoming workshops and advocacy campaigns.

For Journalists

Access training materials and connect with Article33's food journalism network for story support and publication opportunities.

For Policymakers

Engage with PESPA-trained advocates for inclusive food governance consultations and participatory planning processes.

For Funders & Partners

Support the expansion of PESPA's model to other Indonesian cities facing similar urban food challenges.

Contact

PESPA Consortium
Lead by Article33 Foundation

Program Period: 2023 - 2025
Funded by: Yayasan Humanis dan Inovasi Sosial (through Urban Futures program)

Resources

• Food System Diplomacy Training Module
• Facilitator Guide for Food Sovereignty Campaigns
• Food Journalism Training Materials
• Participatory MEL Toolkit
• Community Resource Mapping Templates

Building sustainable food systems, one community at a time.

Correction (27 September 2026): this post was checked against the primary sources and corrected. What changed: Consortium agreement signed 6 Nov 2023; activities from Jan/Mar 2024 (finance, MEL sessions) through Dec 2024 journalism training to 30 Jul 2025 workshops; CRPG ran FOODS, journalism training and the campaign; the MEL/communications sessions were Urban Futures sessions, with communications delivered by Humanis; IATL ran waste-reduction training; The consortium agreement gives the food sovereignty training/campaign to CRPG (WS2A); Sinergantara leads the youth dialogue series and multi-stakeholder forum (WS2B); IATL ITB is Ikatan Alumni Teknik Lingkungan ITB, the ITB environmental engineering alumni association; its role is food waste reduction pilots; The ToR provides for 20 selected journalists; the attendance confirmation form has 20 responses. 22 is the photo count; Sessions were held 19-20 March 2024 (Hotel de Braga) and E2A youth sessions 23-24 April 2024; finance intro 25 January 2024; Article 33 gives the project period as 2023-2025; the consortium agreement runs from 6 Nov 2023 to 31 Dec 2025. Also: 5 minor corrections of detail. Report errors to contact@crpg.id.