IPB University Professor Develops Two Strategies for Farmer Regeneration
IPB University continues to strengthen the institutional role of farmers through the development of Rice Estate Communities (KEP) and Village Campuses (field-based learning models). These two initiatives are concrete efforts to address the crisis of farmer regeneration and strengthen economic democracy at the village level.
According to Professor Amiruddin Saleh, Head of the Faculty of Human Ecology at IPB University, the Rice Estate Community serves as a solution to land fragmentation, the weak bargaining position of farmers, and the lack of appeal of the agricultural sector for the younger generation.
“We see a crisis in farmer regeneration that we cannot ignore. There is a gap in knowledge and community needs that we must address now,” he said during a press conference prior to the IPB University Professor’s Scientific Oration via Zoom (7/24).
He said that KEP was built through a collective and modern approach involving cooperatives as economic institutional nodes.
“We are playing with modern concepts and opportunities for institutional transformation. However, we are still lacking in the aspect of communication,” he said. According to him, public and community communication are important aspects in building collective awareness among farmers.
Data shows a 7,45 percent decline in Individual Agricultural Businesses (UTP), while Legal Entity Agricultural Businesses (UPB) increased by 35 percent. “This means that legal and collective-based institutional models show more promising results,” said Prof Amiruddin.
He cited the success of IPB University in developing IPB 3S rice, which received direct appreciation from the President during the 2021 harvest. “We want this to become a national program. Young farmers must be involved in the transformation,” he said.
To this end, Prof Amiruddin has also developed a participatory model called the Forum of Farmer Owners and Workers Representatives (F4L). This concept not only involves landowners but also workers who have long been overlooked in institutional recognition. “We want F4L to be managed modernly, technology-based, and truly democratic,” he explained.
He emphasized that the main challenge is youth participation. Currently, only about 38 percent of young people are willing to go into agriculture. “Most choose to work in malls or jobs that don’t get them dirty,” he added.
As a solution, IPB University, through its Village Campus concept, has begun fostering the regeneration of farmers from an early age. In Banyuwangi, for example, young people have formed an agricultural startup with premium products targeting the government employee market. “This is a good start. But it must be nurtured and expanded further,” said Prof Amiruddin.
As background, the Village Campus program has been implemented since 2018 in over 60 villages and neighborhoods in the Bogor region, through collaboration between IPB’s Vocational School, the Human Resource Development Center (P2SDM), local universities, and international partners such as the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. (dr) (IAAS/LAN)
