The Department of Agronomy and Horticulture (AGH) of IPB Has Been Consulted and Become Reference for Plant Cultivation Programs

Agriculture in Indonesia is one of the key sectors of Indonesian economy. Although the share of agriculture sector contribution to the national gross domestic product has declined significantly in the last half century, today it still provides income for the majority of Indonesian households. Agriculture that is a source of food supply in Indonesia needs to get more attention. As an agrarian country, the Indonesian agriculture should be developed properly, thus appropriate human resources are really required by higher learning institutions as the producers of qualified personnel.

This requirements are stipulated in objectives of the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture (AGH) of Faculty of Agriculture of Bogor Agricultural University (FAPERTA IPB), that the Department shall produce qualified graduates who have the ability to manage sustainable plant resources, and the ability to develop knowledge, technology produce science and technology in environmental engineering, Physiology to support national development and community welfare.

Chairman of the Department of AGH, Dr. Sugiyanta, stated that the Department of AGH is actively involved in the formulation of policies and regulations of agriculture. "the Department of AGH is the only department of IPB that fostering the sustainability and the technologies for sustainable agriculture," he said.

He mentioned that the Department of AGH has three strong pillars of an outstanding department, namely breeding and seed technology, and agronomy, which are currently a national reference. The Department has been the  source of inspiration for plant cultivation program of universities, especially for the  curriculum development in that universities.

The Department of AGH of IPB has been consulted and become reference for  plant cultivation programs, majors in this field learn how to breed and grow garden and ornamental plants and plant species with the right amount of moisture, nutrients, and light. The Department is supported by professional faculty members, who have integrity and high dedication to agriculture. In 2016, a number of faculty members of the Department of AGH have participated in the first generation of Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) training and training activities. The Training Course was aimed to improve the competence of IPB lecturers to teach using English as their media of instructions. "At the end of the training course, seven faculty members the Department AGH were successfully completed the course and  were awarded the CLIL certificate," he said.

Currently the Department of AGH has been accredited A by National Accreditation Commission and has passed ISO 9001: 2008 Quality Management System. "With high commitment to quality, the Department of AGH of PB is fficiently and accountably produces graduates who are qualified for development of sustainable agriculture, " he concluded. (Wied)