A total of 33 postgraduate program students took part in the summer course program with the theme “Diversification of crops, mixed cropping, and risk management in smallholder agriculture in the context of climate change” which was held in collaboration with UB and SEARCA for two weeks (14/5-26/11/ 2022) in Banyuwangi. Activities organized in the form of the University Consortium (UC) Summer School 2022 aim to increase student knowledge in agriculture, rural studies, and natural resource management, especially to deal with food security issues in Southeast Asia.
33 students consisting of 17 participants from abroad (Universiti Putra Malaysia, Kasetsart University, Central Luzon State University, University of the Philippines Los Banos, Visayas State University, National Taiwan University, L’Institut Agro Montpellier) and the rest are Indonesian students (UB, UGM and IPB) will stay at the houses of residents of Kemiren Village in Banyuwangi Regency to study agricultural conditions in the area as well as interact with the farmers.
Chief Executive of Dr. Irfan Mustafa said the UC Summer School activities were in collaboration with L’Institut Agro Montpellier France, represented by Dr. Didier Pilot to design the curriculum of this activity.
UC Summer School itself is held for two weeks consisting of three days at UB for sit in class and ten days held at Banyuwangi Regency.
“In Banyuwangi, the participants will live in residents’ homes so that it is hoped that they can learn how small farmers manage their agriculture, especially in dealing with changes in the weather,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Executive Officer of University Consortium Officials UB, Prof. Dr. Ir. Moch. Sasmito Djati, MS said that many things could be done through international cooperation, especially in terms of transferring knowledge in the field of environment and natural resources.
“The two-week summer school activities will provide true education from the experience gained in the field,” he said.
Banyuwangi was chosen as the location for the summer school because it is surrounded by 3 national parks and is located on the slopes of Mount Ijen with various agricultural conditions that have volcanic soil types. One of the focuses of this Summer School is agroforestry and there are many agricultural activities involving this field.
SEARCA or the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture which is headed by Dr. Maria Cristeta N. Cuaresma is an organization in Southeast Asia that focuses on postgraduate education and for managing lecturers in the fields of agriculture, agriculture and complex agro.
Through the UC Summer School activities, it is hoped that it can strengthen cooperation within the consortium, transfer technology and knowledge within membership which involves the active participation of lecturers and graduate students. (OKY/Humas UB/ Trans. Iir).
