(06/10/2026) The TALENTA Research Team of the Faculty of Law, Universitas Sumatera Utara (FH USU), conducted data collection using the Focus Group Discussion method at the Batu Bara Regent's Office on October 6, 2026. The research team, led by Dr. Agusmidah, with members Putri Nurmalasari Siahaan and Farahdiba Sawlia Siregar, conducted research entitled “Implementation of the Sustainable Food Agricultural Land Policy by the Regional Governments of Serdang Bedagai Regency and Batu Bara Regency as an Effort to Strengthen Food Security in the Industry 4.0 Era.” The activity was held on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, from 10.30 to 13.00 WIB at the Batu Bara Regent's Office. The team was received by the Regent of Batu Bara, Dr. Baharuddin Siagiaan, and attended by officials from the Batu Bara Regional Government who also served as resource persons, namely Hendra Kumara, SP., MM., Naomi Uli Arta Siagian, S.TP., and Ferry M. Simanjuntak, S.TP., from the Department of Agriculture and Plantation; Budi Iswandi Sinaga and Ardi Zikri M., S.T. from the Department of Public Works and Spatial Planning; Topan Eros Kurnia Pane, SP., MM. from the Regional Development Planning Agency; Idham Khalid, SH., SU., from the Department of Manpower, Industry, and Trade; Faisal Rahman Nasution, ST., Fahmi Husaini, and Ahmad Fadhly, SE., from the Regional Development Planning, Research, and Development Agency; and Bambang Edi Gunardi, SE. and Fajrin Syarif, SE., M.Si., from the Investment and Integrated Licensing Services Office.
This visit was conducted as a follow-up to the Focus Group Discussion previously held at the Faculty of Law USU to gather information and data related to the Sustainable Food Agricultural Land (LP2B) policy in Batu Bara Regency, identify the implementation of the LP2B policy at the regional government level, identify problems and obstacles in protecting LP2B, and obtain input from the Batu Bara Regency Government to strengthen research related to the protection of Sustainable Food Agricultural Land (LP2B) in Batu Bara Regency. The visit was conducted to obtain primary data for the 2026 TALENTA USU Research, which examines one of the main points of the SDGs, namely Zero Hunger. The research involved three lecturers, namely Dr. Agusmidah, S.H., M.Hum. as Head of the Research Team, Putri Nurmala Sari Siahaan, S.H., M.H., and Farahdiba Syawlia Siregar, SH., M.Kn., as well as two students of the Faculty of Law, Universitas Sumatera Utara, namely Melvin Grace Hulu and Sinta Ulina.
Based on the results of the visit, it was found that land conversion activities still occur in areas designated as LP2B in Batu Bara Regency. One example is the use of LP2B land for the construction of a café. This condition may occur partly because parties carrying out land conversion do not report the activity to obtain a building permit. In addition, the absence of regularly updated annual data on land conversion is also one of the obstacles, resulting in the potential for discrepancies between administrative data and conditions in the field.
Another issue concerns coordination among agencies with relevant authorities, particularly between the Licensing Office and the Department of Agriculture and Plantation. Suboptimal coordination remains a challenge in harmonizing licensing mechanisms and supervision of the utilization of LP2B land. In addition, following the enactment of Regional Regulation Number 1 of 2022 concerning the Protection of Sustainable Food Agricultural Land, there are still no technical regulations serving as further guidelines for its implementation.
Through this visit, the Research Team hopes that the Batu Bara Regency Government can continue to improve inter-agency coordination and strengthen policies by translating them into Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), licensing mechanisms, and supervision. Policy adjustments to existing conditions in the field are also necessary so that the implementation of LP2B protection can run more effectively and minimize miscommunication among stakeholders.