75 Farmers and Breeders Graduated from IPB University’s School of People’s Empowerment program
A total of 75 farmers, breeders, and community members from Fakfak Regency (West Papua), Sigi Regency (Central Sulawesi), and Kediri City (East Java) graduated from IPB University’s School of People’s Empowerment (SPR) 2024 program. They graduated on Thursday (6/6) at the Startup Center Building, IPB Campus Taman Kencana, Bogor City.
“This 8th SPR graduation is an accumulation of important activities from the SPR participatory learning process that has been carried out for seven months with a companion under the direct direction of competent IPB University lecturers,” said the chairman of the graduation committee, Prof Agik Suprayogi.
Prof Agik believes that the newly graduated SPR alumni will be optimistic in achieving a better and more advanced future through collective business in congregation. “Insyaallah, better welfare will be present in their community,” he continued.
For the record, SPR is an inclusive approach to achieving sustainable livelihoods, which supports rural/village development and agromaritime communities to realize food sovereignty. One of the SPR programs is the School of People’s Animal Husbandry.
The program organized by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (PSP3) of IPB University aims to form independent and competitive local communities, preparing them to face changes by utilizing existing resources.
The Acting Governor of West Papua, Drs Ali Baham Temongmere, MTP appreciated the SPR program of IPB University that has been developed in various regions in Indonesia, including in his area. He hopes that the SPR program can solve the problems of livestock development in Indonesia, especially in West Papua. In the future, he wants the SPR program to be developed in other areas in the West Papua region besides Fakfak Regency.
“The SPR concept is very much in line with the philosophy of ‘One Furnace Three Stones’ which is local wisdom with noble values rooted in culture and customs in West Papua. The values of intellectual, spiritual, and emotional intelligence are honed and improved in this SPR program,” he said.
In his speech, Secretary of the Board of Professors (DGB) of IPB University, Prof Agus Setiadi said that animal husbandry is a very strategic field. The presence of this SPR program is not only to meet national food needs, but also to educate the nation’s life, especially with sufficient animal protein intake.
“I think smallholder farming is very much needed. By joining SPR, farmers have gained a lot of knowledge. I hope that by getting education from IPB University lecturers who are very qualified, they can develop smallholder farms, because Indonesia still needs sufficient animal protein,” he said.
“So, by being able to meet these needs, not only food self-sufficiency, but our population is smart, healthy, and very advanced,” he added. (MHT/Rz) (IAAS/STD)
