This morning, August 7th 2024, at 08.00 Western Indonesia Time (GMT+7), marked the 9th day of the Summer Course (SC) 2024 held by the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada.

There were 4 speakers, 3 online and 1 on-site. The first lecture was on Food Engineering, moderated by Wahyu Dwi Saputro, Ph.D. from FAT UGM. Prof. Dr. Rosnah Shamsudin, Professor from Universiti Putra Malaysia, explained about food processing including the primary and secondary techniques to enhance products/commodities shelf life, improve quality and functionally be more useful. She also mentioned the definition, goals, scoop, and the importance of food engineering. She elaborated the process and practices of Food Engineering and the possible research topics in food engineering. She stated the difference between agricultural engineering and food engineering and the role of food engineer in every supply chain to give understanding about the future career.       

Before continuing to the next session, we had a coffee break from 09.45-10.15. The second lecture was on Food Functionalization, moderated by Qurrotul A’yun, Ph.D.  from FAT UGM. Dr. Chaleeda Borompichaichartkul (on-site speaker) from Chulalongkorn University Thailand, explained the difference between functional food and food functions and how both of them were intercorrelated. She explained the trend of food in the new industry evolution as well as the lifestyle evolution as nowadays there are many noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) affecting society. She stated the importance of gut-brain axis and how active compounds, microbiota (fermented food), and meat alternatives can be great solutions. She also explained her latest research about fermented pineapple juice to produce bacteria cellulose (nata) especially co-fermentation with probiotics 

The second session ended at 12.00 then we moved to the next session which was lunch break and prayer time. The plenary started at 13.00 for the third lecture on Soil Health for Promoting Agricultural Production, moderated by Ahdiar Fikri Maulana, Ph.D. from FAT UGM. Dr. Katharina Keiblinger from The University of Natural Resources and LIfe Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) explained the characteristics and the structure of soil and how microbiota, microbial activity and the seasonal effects affected the soil. She also explained about co-creation of diverse stakeholders, locally available soil amendments, and future research about remediation strategies of heavy metal and soil parameters. 

The fourth session started after a 30 minute coffee break around 15.15. It was about Protein Transition and The Nutritional Quality of the Diet, moderated by Dr. Lily Arsanti Lestari from FAT UGM. Dr. Eduardo Capuano from Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands explained the example of protein transition and commodities that are potential for alternating meat protein such as legumes, insects, microalgae, mycoproteins, and PBMA. He showed the calculation of PDCAAS and DIAAS and ratios of dietary fiber, iron and vitamin B12 of each protein alternative compared to real meat (beef).  

This morning, August 5th 2024, at 08.00 Western Indonesia Time (GMT+7), marked the 7th day of the Summer Course (SC) 2024 held by the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada.

There were 4 speakers, 3 online and 1 on-site. The first lecture was on Water Management and Quality for the Agricultural System, moderated by Dr. Prieskarinda Lestari from FAT UGM. Prof. Gary R. Sands, Ph.D., Professor from University of Minnesota USA, explained the global distribution of agricultural areas and the global land used for food production. He mentioned the challenge and obstacles of global water issues especially in the agricultural sector and elaborated the solution as well as the opportunity for reducing agriculture’s water footprint to restore water quantity and quality. 

Before continuing to the next session, we had a coffee break from 09.45-10.15. The second lecture was on Irrigation and Climate Change, moderated by Muhammad Khoiru Zaki, Ph.D from FAT UGM. Prof. Dr. Ki Hee Ryu, Professor from Seoul National University South Korea, explained the global trends for irrigation in climate change mentioning Sustainable Development Goals Target 1 (no poverty), 2 (zero hunger), 6 (clean water and sanitation). He elaborated the effort for irrigation modernization in Indonesia both the challenges and the opportunities.

The second session ended at 12.00 then we moved to the next session which was lunch break and prayer time. The plenary started at 13.00 for the third lecture on Plant Factory, moderated by Imam Bagus Nugroho, M.Sc. from FAT UGM. Dr. Md. Parvez Islam from Ehime University, Japan explained artificial intelligence in agriculture. He showed many graphs about population, grain production and land used in Japan. He elaborated the challenges in the agriculture sector worldwide and the modern way to solve agricultural problems such as automation, AI, and robots to achieve the future vision of the society 5.0 plant factory.

The fourth session started after a 30 minute coffee break around 15.00. It was about Smart Farming and Climate Change, moderated by Bayu Nugraha, Ph.D. from FAT UGM. Bayu Dwi Apri Nugroho (on-site speaker) from FAT UGM explained the basics of climate change, the effect of climate change in the agriculture sector. He mentioned his latest interest in using technology for smart farming systems such as AI to forecast environmental conditions, drone, and smartphone application.

This morning, August 4th 2024, at 10.30 Western Indonesia Time (GMT+7), marked the official opening ceremony of the Summer Course (SC) 2024 held by the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada.

Dr Agung Putra Pamungkas delivered an opening speech welcoming all the participants from over 15 countries. This year, the SC 2024 carries a theme: Adaptive Technology for Sustainable Agroindustrial Sector in a Response to Climate Change. SC 2024 is a hybrid course consisting of two sessions: pre-course (asynchronous) and course (synchronous). All participants have undergone the pre-course sessions for the last five days from July 29th to August 2nd 2024. During the next seven days, from August 4th to August 10th 2024, the participants will go through course sessions consisting of lectures and trips to the field research station. He hoped the participants would enjoy a productive learning experience on several topics, ranging from on-farm technologies, agroforestry, food processing, food waste recycling and sustainable supply chains.

Dr Wiratni Budhijanto, the Secretary of the Directorate of Partnerships and Global Relations UGM, also gave an opening speech to welcome the participants. She also mentioned the unique position of UGM in Yogyakarta. She hinted at the community’s wisdom in tackling problems of agriculture and climate change using different perspectives: technological, cultural and even spiritual. She also spoke briefly about sharing knowledge, making memories, friendships and possible collaborations in the future.

Professor Dr. Yudi Pranoto, S.T.P., M.P., the Vice Dean of Academic and Student Affairs, Faculty of Agricultural Technology (FAT) UGM, welcomed the participants and officially opened the Summer Course 2024. He also elaborated on the many academic activities in FAT UGM, committing to learning, research and community service excellence.

Two online lectures followed the opening ceremony. The first lecture was on Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) for Livestock Animals Wellbeing, moderated by Putrika Citta Pramesi, M.Sc. from FAT UGM. Dr Jahidul Islam, Associate Professor from Tohoku University Japan, explained the FMT technologies to alleviate disease incidence and reduce antibiotic usage for curing diseased calves. He elaborated on the possible delivery mechanism of FMT using formulated prebiotics, which can alter dysbiosis in calves. The FMT implementation aimed to restore the balance of gut microbiota and improve the health status of livestock animals.

The second lecture was on Carbon Measurement for Mitigating Climate Change, moderated by Dr Ahdiar Fikri Maulana from Vocational College UGM. Dr Rebecca Hood-Nowotny from BOKU Vienna, Austria, described the essentials of soil as the medium to store carbon. Carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide and methane, contributes to climate change. The biotic elements, such as plants, bacteria and fungi, convert the labile pool of carbon into a stable pool using a mechanism called carbon entombing. She elaborated more on the biotic-mediated contribution of carbon pumps to storing carbon in the soil. Finally, she explained how to increase soil health while also improving the carbon storage in the soil using biochar.