IPB University Rector Awards Golden Tickets to Outstanding Farmers’ Children in the Indonesian Agricultural Olympics

IPB University Rector Prof Arif Satria presented 11 golden tickets to the winners of the 2025 Indonesian Agricultural Olympics (OPI), including five to outstanding farmers’ children.

This event is a form of IPB University’s commitment to recruiting young talent and strengthening the regeneration of Indonesian farmers in the era of modern agriculture.

In his speech, Prof Arif emphasized that the awarding of these golden tickets is not just an award, but also a symbol of trust in the young generation of future leaders in the field of agriculture.

“Alhamdulillah, we are grateful to be able to gather for talent spotting, to find the best seeds for future leaders in agriculture. Congratulations to the winners who received golden tickets. Hopefully, this will be useful,” said Prof. Arif during his speech at the 2025 Indonesian Agricultural Olympics at the IPB International Convention Center, Bogor (10/19).

He added that the appreciation for outstanding farmers’ children is part of IPB University’s efforts to accelerate national agricultural transformation.

“We are facing the challenge of farmer regeneration, and through this program, we hope to see the emergence of technopreneurs and sociopreneurs who are able to introduce modern technology in agriculture,” he said.

Prof Arif also shared his experience of observing modern agriculture based on artificial intelligence (AI) in China. In less than a decade, the country has made rapid progress in agricultural innovation.

“If we don’t run, we will be left behind. But we must be optimistic because Indonesia’s rice productivity is among the highest in Southeast Asia,” he said.

Furthermore, Prof Arif explained that today’s agriculture has entered the Society 5.0 era, which not only emphasizes digitization and automation, but also sustainability, resilience, and humanity.

“The skills of the future are not only digital and AI, but also green skills such as agriculture, conservation, and environmental management,” he explained.

The Executive Chair of OPI 2025, Prof Syarifah Iis Aisyah, reported that this year’s event was attended by 809 students from 217 schools in 9 provinces. Five competition categories were held, namely speed and accuracy, written ideas, essays by outstanding farmer children, photography, and videography.

“From the total number of participants, 11 golden ticket recipients were selected for the three main categories,” she said.

She added that this activity was a continuation of OPI 2024, which succeeded in increasing the interest of high school and Islamic high school students in agriculture. “This year, our energy has not diminished, and God willing, OPI will continue to be held every year,” she added.

Meanwhile, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at IPB University, Prof Suryo Wiyono, hopes that OPI will become a forum for networking and selecting talented prospective agricultural experts.

“Agriculture needs a great and enthusiastic young generation. Through OPI, we want to foster interest and pride in Indonesian agriculture,” he said.

The Chairman of the Association of Agriculture Faculty Alumni (IKA Faperta), Octen Suhadi, expressed full support from alumni for this program. “IKA Faperta is ready to provide scholarships for OPI champions until they graduate. Thousands of alumni spread across the globe will support the younger generation in their studies and contributions to the nation,” he said. (dr)

List of Winners of the 2025 Indonesian Agricultural Olympics