Sustaining Food Security Through Relationship Marketing: The Case of Bulog and the RPK Partnership Model

Sustaining food security requires not only reliable food supply chains but also effective partnership models that foster trust and commitment among stakeholders. This study examines the Rumah Pangan Kita (RPK) partnership network established by BULOG, Indonesia’s state-owned food enterprise, as a strategic approach to relationship marketing for enhancing food distribution. The novelty of this research lies in its comparative analysis of active and inactive partners within the RPK network, offering new insights into why certain partnerships are sustained while others dissolve—an aspect rarely explored in previous studies on food security partnerships. Specifically, the study investigates: (1) the determinants of commitment in BULOG’s partnership with RPK members, and (2) the determinants of trust in these relationships. Findings reveal that for active RPK partners, termination costs and shared benefits significantly influence commitment, while shared values, communication, and non-opportunistic behavior significantly strengthen trust. In contrast, for inactive partners, these factors show no significant correlation with either commitment or trust. These results highlight that sustaining food security through partnership-based distribution models requires not only structural arrangements but also continuous trust-building and mutual value creation between state-led enterprises and community-based partners.