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.

The Faculty of Agricultural Technology UGM held a Summer Course for the 4th time. This event lasted six days, from August 8th to August 13th, 2022. The theme is “Smart Technology in Agroindustrial Sector: Concept and Implementation (On-farming, post harvesting, food processing, food handling, system engineering, agroindustrial management and information systems)“. This year’s Summer Course will be held online using a synchronous approach through Zoom and asynchronous media using UGM’s E-Learning system (E-LOK). The grand opening took place on August 8, 2022. The opening ceremony featured remarks from the Committee’s Chair, Makbul Hajad, S.T.P., M.Eng., Ph.D., the Dean of FTP UGM, Prof. Dr. Ir. Eni Harmayani, M.Sc., and Dr. Puji Astuti, S.Si., M.Sc., Apt. as the UGM International Affairs Office, Universitas Gadjah Mada.

There were 20 speakers in this Summer Course (13 international speakers and 7 home speakers). The following foreign speakers have been invited: Prof. Yu Pin Lin (National Taiwan University), Xiongzhe Han, Ph.D (Kangwon National University), Prof. Takashi Okayasu, Ph.D (Kyushu University), Asst. Prof. Ravipim Chaveesuk (Kasetsart University), Prof. Tsuyoshi Okayama (Ibaraki University College of Agriculture ), Dr. Nathdanai Harnkarnsujarit  (Kasetsart University), Prof. Hitoshi Shirakawa (Tohoku University), Dr. Shivani Pathania. (Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Ireland), Prof. Miguel Palma (Universidad de Cádiz, Spain), Asst. Prof. Thanit Puthpongsiriporn, Ph.D (Kasetsart University), Assoc. Prof. Sastia Prama Putri (Osaka University), Prof. Christine Hung (Ghent University), Prof. Shabbir H. Gheewala (King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand). Meanwhile, the domestic speakers who were invited were: Prof. Lilik Sutiarso (UGM), Andri Prima Nugroho, S.T.P., M.Sc., Ph.D (UGM), Bayu Dwi Apri Nugroho, S.T.P., M.Agr., Ph.D. (UGM), Dr. Widiastuti Setyaningsih, S.T.P., M.Sc. (UGM), Prof. Dr. Ir. Endang Sutriswati Rahayu, M.S. (UGM), Dr. Atris Suyantohadi, S.T.P., MT. (UGM), Henri Suharja (Startup Retail Titip.ku).

There are 93 registered participants (40 overseas participants and 53 domestic participants). Professionals and students from Indonesia, Poland, Sudan, Thailand, Japan, Mexico, Malaysia, the Philippines, Ghana, China, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Laos, Nepal, Cambodia, India, and the Netherlands were among those that took part. In addition to expert presentations and group discussions, participants took part in virtual field trips and community visits to several places in Indonesia.

The first day was also filled with a material presentation from Prof. Yu Pin Lin, Prof. Lilik Sutiarso, and Mr Bayu Dwi Apri Nugroho, PhD, divided into three sessions. Prof. Yu Pin Lin with the topic “Integration of Corp and Water Resources Thinking in Adaptation to Impact of Climate Change“. Prof. Yu Pin Lin described how global warming promotes climatic change, which in turn affects agricultural ecosystems. Some of the implications include the disappearance of the lowest temperature limit for crop development, the shortening of crop growing time, changes in the optimal crop growth threshold (critical point), higher water needs for crop growth, and an increase in the occurrence of pests and diseases.

The second session by Prof. Lilik Sutiarso with the topic “Introduction to Smart Farming in Indonesia”. He defined smart farming as information and knowledge management (data driven), precision agriculture, automation, and agricultural robotics. Government policy and regulation, learning organization-based institutions, agricultural machinery industry, humanity agricultural technology, qualified people resource, and supporting infrastructure will all be involved in the integration of smart agriculture in Indonesia. To implement smart agriculture, it is necessary to first understand the farmer’s situation so that the appropriate technology may be adopted by the farmer.  Because Indonesia is seen to be developing smart agriculture, improvements along the value chain are critical.

The last session was delivered by Mr Bayu Dwi Apri Nugroho, PhD, with the topic “Agri-Tech and Agribusiness Integration as Innovation to Support the Agricultural Ecosystem in Indonesia“. He explained how smart farming may be used to boost fertilization productivity and efficiency, as well as production and production costs. If agricultural technology is utilized in an agricultural ecosystem, incorporating food availability and security with the notion of traceability, it will be more beneficial in solving challenges from land to table. Finally, Mr. Bayu stated that the success of an agricultural ecosystem using technology is dependent on the dedication of each player in the ecosystem.

The last day of the 3^rd Summer Course of Local Indigenous Functional Food’s Roles in the Era of Covid-19 Pandemic: From Farm to Table was held on July 23^rd, 2021. The first session was delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Santad Wichienchot, Ph.D. from Prince of Songkla University about “Influence of Functional Foods on Gut Microbiota”. Prof. Santad explained about functional foods and functional ingredients, gut microbiota, probiotics and prebiotics, and gastronomy.

In addition, the session was continued by watching the recorded presentation from the group projects. The presentations were about “Golden Milk” from Group 1, “Seaweed Crispy” from Group 2, “Butterfly Pea Tea” from Group 3, “Marine Collagen Peptide” from Group 4, “Greek Yoghurt” from Group 5, “Black Garlic” from Group 6, “Butterfly Pea Yogurt” from Group 7, and “Flavoured Kombucha” from Group 8.

After finished all of the activities, the closing ceremony was held at 2.30 p.m. local time (GMT +7). The closing ceremony of the 3^rd Summer Course was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, the representative of the Office of International Affairs, Universitas Gadjah Mada, the lecturers, and the participants. The closing remarks were given by the chairperson, Dr. Arima Diah Setiowati, the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Prof. Eni Harmayani, and the representative of Office of International Affairs, Universitas Gadjah Mada, I Made Andi Arsana, Ph.D. There were some testimonies from the lecturers represented by Prof. Kune-muh Tsai dan Prof. Takuya Sugahara. Other than that, some participants were asked to give their impressions during the summer course. Therefore, the best group, the best participant, and the most active participant were announced to be awarded. Thank you very much for all the speakers, participants, and committee for the amazing memories! See you next year!

The ninth day the 3^rd summer course on food with the theme of Local Indigenous Functional Food’s Roles in The Era of Covid-19 Pandemic: From Farm to Table was about Management and Supply Chain. There were three speakers including Dr. Merve Kaya from Algaenergy, Prof. Kune-muh Tsai from National Kaohsiung of Science and Technology University, and Prof. Christine Yung Hung, Ph.D. from Ghent University. The sessions were led by Rosa Amalia, S.T.P., M.Sc from Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada.

The first session was about “Functional Foods Marketing and Management” which was delivered by Dr. Merve Kaya. The main topic Dr. Merve Kaya discusses is Microalgae. Currently, microalgae are used in agriculture, aquaculture, human nutrition, animal nutrition, and cosmetics. In the future, microalgae might be used for pharmaceuticals, biomaterials, and biofuels. In addition, Microalgae have benefits in many fields such as a plant-based source with eco-friendly extraction, organic base macronutrients, and complete amino acid, and metabolic profiles with free L-amino acids. Other than that the benefits of microalgae were improving crop vigor, creating healthier plants, advancing flowering and seed/fruit development, and increasing the tolerance to abiotic stress. Hence, it is possible to create new agricultural solutions and a sustainable farming environment using microalgae products.

In addition, the second session was about “Supply Chain Management in Functional Food Industry” by Prof. Kune-muh Tsai. He opened the discussion with the definition of the supply chain. Other than that, Prof. Kune-muh Tsai gave an example where the functional food industry in Taiwan is mainly distributed across the midstream and the downstream. Next, Prof. Kune-muh Tsai also talked about the functional food supply chain, the differentiation between supply chains of functional food in Taiwan and Brazil, the example of the yogurt supply chain in China, supply chain of challenges of functional food due to trade war and pandemic, cold chain practice (best practice), and international supply chain also explained.  Moreover, Prof. Kune-muh Tsai also explained how to control the supply chain risk.

The last session was delivered by Prof. Christine Yung Hung, Ph.D. about “Consumer Behavior Over Functional Food”. The class was started with an explanation about why studying consumer behavior is important and the application of this study. In the next topic, Prof. Christine Hung talked about why we behave the way we do. Prof. Christine Hung also explained other examples of behavior theory, such as choice overload, construal levels, goal visibility, sunk cost effect, and payment depreciation. Then, Prof. Christine Hung also talked about some types of strategies to influence our food behavior. Three case studies were explained about knowledge, acceptance, and preferences of protein, willingness to pay for iodine and selenium, and food choices during the pandemic situation. At the end of the sessions, the participant was assigned to do some tasks to complete their course.