The significant step to increase agricultural productivity and adopt digital solutions, the UGM Graduate School’s Extension and Development Communication (PKP) Program in collaboration with the Faculty of Agriculture UGM and the University of Passau held a workshop on Wednesday, February 19th 2025 at Santika Premiere Hotel. The workshop aims to promote the adoption of the “Lentera DESA” platform among millennial farmers and agricultural extension workers. The program is part of a broader effort to modernize agriculture in Indonesia.
Prof. Dr. Michael Grimm from the University of Passau highlighted two main benefits of the “Lentera DESA” platform. The program made extension workers able to utilize these digital tools to conduct more efficient training sessions, and access important information regarding agricultural practices and weather updates. This access is expected to significantly improve their farming techniques and overall productivity.
The main objective of the workshop was to discuss the relevance of the platform and prepare for the intervention scheduled for March 2025. A follow-up of this workshop will be conducted in September, with another survey planned for early next year to assess the impact of the training and platform adoption.
Alia Bihrajihant Raya, S.P., M.P., Ph.D., Chief of the Extension and Development Communication Doctoral Program, provided insights on the “Lentera DESA” platform, explaining its journey since its establishment. He noted that the use of this platform among senior farmers is still relatively low, especially in terms of remembering, understanding, and applying the information provided. This shows the need for training for millennial farmers and extension workers.
In the middle of the workshop one of the extension workers, Laila, expressed her hopes for the “Lentera DESA” program. She emphasized the importance of regular monitoring to ensure that the platform serves as a reliable reference for farmers and extension workers in their agricultural endeavors.
The workshop featured several keynote presentations. The first topic, delivered by Dr. Leonard Chrysostomos, focused on the urgency of digitalization for millennial farmers and extension workers in Indonesia. He emphasized that adopting digital tools is crucial to improve agricultural productivity and ensuring sustainable practices. The second topic delivered by Shofyan Adi Cahyono, S.P., a millennial farmer and owner of Sayur Organik Merbabu (SOM) discussed the implementation of online and offline training methods. He highlighted the challenges faced by farmers in Indonesia, emphasizing that modern agriculture requires not only farming skills but also entrepreneurial capabilities. This change of view is seeing farming as a business is crucial for the future of agriculture in the country.
The third topic was delivered by Prof. Jamhari, S.P., M.P. from the Faculty of Agriculture UGM conveyed the importance of agribusiness management or farm business records to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of agriculture. The last topic was closed with material delivered by Anita Windrati Syarifuddin, S.P., M.M.A. chief of UPTD BPSDMP DIY regarding the readiness of technology adoption through extension and training activities.
As the workshop ended, participants left the event with renewed enthusiasm and commitment to utilize digital platforms such as “Lentera DESA” to improve agricultural practices. Collaboration between millennial farmers and extension workers is expected to drive innovation and encourage the development of sustainable agriculture in Indonesia.
Author: Khoirul Mujazanah