Rector IPB: If We Are Unprepared, We Will Not Have Farmers in 15 Years
Indonesian farmers currently are above 47 years old. If agricultural technologies are not prepared thoroughly, I am afraid that no one will be interested to be a farmer in the next 15 years. This was conveyed by Dr. Arif Satria, Rector of IPB University, when he became a keynote speaker in a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) themed Technology Transfer and Digital Agricultural Economy Development in Grand Savero, Bogor (20/3). The event is the collaboration of IPB, the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo), the Ministry of Technology and Higher Education (Kemenristekdikti), and the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan).
Dr. Arif Satria explained that IPB currently is preparing its graduates to become technosocio-entrepreneurs for facing the Industrial Revolution 4.0. “A techno socio-entrepreneur figure is important for bridging in transition time like this. IPB graduates will be pushed to become a farm manager in the village. Even now, IPB will contribute 500 alumni to support the One Village One CEO program in the partnership with the Regional Government of West Java Province,” he said.
According to him, right now is the best point to move. Based on the conversations with numerous leaders of university in countries like Japan and Australia, regarding the Industry 4.0, Indonesia has a same start as everybody else.
“It is very important to get moving as soon as possible. If we do not accelerate, we will fall behind. IPB has already formulated the concept of agriculture 4.0 and translated it into research agenda and roadmap. For example, IPB has had seeding robot, smart fertilizer, smart farming, smart utilization, and precision farming. The application is available, it is the result of students and lecturers’ research. We are already moving towards the Industry 4.0 patterns,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Head of the Research Institute for Human Resource Development (BP2SDM), Kominfo, Basuki Yusuf Iskandar said that the most important collaboration with IPB was the existence of big data and computing for agricultural applications. The Digital Talent Scholarship (DTS) program that was initiated by BP2SDM was an initiative to increase the capacity and capability of human resources in the field of communication and informatics.
On this occasion, a book by IPB Permanent Professor, Prof. Eriyatno and Prof. Lala M. Kolopaking titled AGFIN 4.0 PLATFORM was launched. This book tells how to navigate the era of digital technology, conventional micro-finance, learning from abroad, modernization of microfinance financing, digital ecosystems based on farmer and village financing, AGFIN platforms, policy implications, capacity building, community and human capacity.
