Encouraging Future Agriculture, South Korea-Indonesia Realize Smart Greenhouse and Plant Factory at IPB University, Here are the Advantages

A new research facility that is an innovative breakthrough in the field of smart agriculture has just been inaugurated at IPB University (17/10). The Smart Greenhouse and Plant Factory development project based on cutting-edge and environmentally friendly technology was officially launched as part of a collaborative effort involving several leading institutions from South Korea and Indonesia.

The project, located at Leuwikopo Experimental Farm, IPB Dramaga Campus, Bogor, is the result of a collaboration between the Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture, and Forestry (IPET) and the Korea Smart Farm R&D Foundation (KosFarm), through the Smart Farm Innovation Technology Development Program.

“The inauguration of this state-of-the-art research facility is expected to encourage the development and application of smart agriculture technology in Indonesia through continuous research on Smart Greenhouse and Plant Factory, strengthen collaboration between the two countries, and contribute to better food security in the future,” said IPB University Rector, Prof Arif Satria when inaugurating this facility.

The initiative is funded by the Korean government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), the Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology (MSIT), and the Ministry of Rural Development Administration (RDA), and involves IPB University as a cooperation partner in Indonesia.

In this project, various Korean institutions contributed, including Sherpa Space Co Ltd, Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Agency, Korean Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), Korean Scientific Technique Industry, Mokpo National University, Greenplus, Woowon MNE, and Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL).

President of Sherpa Space Inc, Choa Mun Yun said that in the agriculture industry, there is a significant increase in the adoption of smart farming technology. He also mentioned that Indonesia is experiencing rapid economic growth, which is a great opportunity for technology-based agricultural innovation. 

“Close collaboration between Indonesia and South Korea plays an important role in accelerating the implementation of smart farms in Indonesia. This collaboration opens up opportunities for international cooperation to optimize the agricultural sector,” he said.

The person in charge of the cooperation project, Dr Slamet Widodo, explained that the project, which has been ongoing since April 2021, aims to develop agricultural technology based on intelligent integrated environmental control.

“The facility inaugurated today is an important symbol of Indonesia’s future agricultural innovation. This facility is supported by the latest and environmentally friendly technology that allows efficient, optimal and sustainable management of plant growth,” he said.

“With its various technologies, this facility is one of the most advanced Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) research and development facilities in Indonesia,” added the IPB University lecturer at the Department of Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology.

Plan Factory

The smart technology used in the Plant Factory consists of Sherpa Ray which is a lighting system with dynamic lighting technology. The light spectrum produced can be adjusted (tunable) according to the needs of plants at various stages of growth.

With LED technology equipped with quantum dot film, Sherpa Ray is able to save up to 55 percent of energy compared to conventional lighting technology, while improving crop quality and productivity.

In addition, the hydroponic system is also designed and implemented to improve crop quality through the use of an automated nutrient and water delivery system (fertigation) that can be monitored in real-time. This precision fertigation system not only saves water, but also ensures the provision of the right nutrients according to the stage of plant growth.

The Plant Factory facility is also equipped with a hybrid cooling system that uses a combination of dehumidification systems and environmentally friendly gas-fired air conditioning. This technology not only maintains uniform indoor temperatures, but also produces very low CO and NOx emissions, supporting cleaner and more energy-efficient operations.

Not only that, the CO2 gas produced is also not released into the air. Using a specially designed smart CO2 controller, this gas is captured and channeled into the cultivation room to enrich the CO2 content so as to increase the photosynthesis rate and plant productivity.

“This Plant Factory is planned to be planted with Korean strawberry which has high economic value and is in great demand in Indonesia,” said Dr Slamet.

Smart Greenhouse

Meanwhile, the Smart Greenhouse that was built has also been equipped with technology that is no less sophisticated. The venlo-type greenhouse construction is designed to industrial standards as found in many developed countries. The greenhouse is equipped with circulation fans and a fogging system designed to control air temperature and humidity.

Temperature control is also supported by roof vents, horizontal light filter screens, and cold air produced by a chiller which is then blown to a limited zone around the plants through a special channel/tunnel using a blower. This system can increase photosynthetic efficiency by up to 30 percent compared to conventional greenhouses because it can control humidity and temperature precisely.

The greenhouse is also equipped with a CO2 enrichment system in the form of special pipes that exhale CO2 around the plants and a special control system to keep the CO2 concentration at the desired level. The greenhouse also uses renewable energy from solar panels to fulfill about 20 percent of its energy needs.

The plan is to plant Korean melons, tomatoes and Cissus quadrangularis herbs in the greenhouse. In the future, there will be many other types of high economic value plants that can be developed in this greenhouse.

In addition to the rector, vice rectors, deans, directors, heads of research institutes, and staff within IPB University, the inauguration ceremony was also attended by several other parties such as the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), the Bogor City Food Security and Agriculture Office, and a number of industrial partners.

In the future, the Smart Greenhouse and Plant Factory facility will be developed as a research and technology development center related to plant phenotyping/phenomics and plant production systems in a controlled environment. This facility will also be used for training and certification to prepare skilled personnel in greenhouse and plant factory management.

Another thing that is no less important is that this facility is expected to become a vehicle for agro edutourism, especially for students and the younger generation as a showcase of advanced agricultural technology so as to foster their interest in plunging and helping to advance Indonesian agriculture.

“We are very open and invite all stakeholders, university partners, government R&D agencies, and the private sector to collaborate in utilizing this newly inaugurated facility for education, research and training to prepare advanced agricultural human resources,” said Prof. Slamet Budijanto, Dean of Fateta IPB University regarding the follow-up utilization of the newly inaugurated Smart Greenhouse and Plant Factory facilities. (*/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)