Food cropland plays a strategic role in realizing food security, independence, and sovereignty in Indonesia, particularly in Ngawi Regency, East Java. However, the phenomenon of agricultural land conversion to non-agricultural sectors is increasing along with population growth, development needs, and weak spatial planning oversight in Ngawi Regency. This condition poses a serious threat to national food availability and reduces the welfare of farmers and rural communities in Ngawi Regency. This study aims to examine the legal aspects of legal protection for food cropland, particularly in the implementation of Law Number 41 of 2009 concerning the Protection of Sustainable Food Cropland in Ngawi Regency. The method used is normative legal research with a legislative and conceptual approach. The results of the study indicate that although Ngawi Regency has a legal framework in place, its implementation is still weak, especially at the regional level, which has not yet optimally designated permanent agricultural land in the Regional Spatial Plan (RTRW). In addition, sanctions for violations of land conversion have not been strictly implemented. Therefore, regulatory strengthening, synchronization of central and regional policies, and derivative legal instruments are needed at the local level, especially in Ngawi Regency. Agricultural land protection not only concerns legal aspects, but also touches on broader social, economic, and ecological interests in an effort to ensure sustainable food availability.
Hikmawati et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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