Agricom.id, JAKARTA – Dean of Agriculture Faculty, Universitas Brawijaya, Daman Huri supported the local food diversification program and family farming that Ministry of Agriculture told to realize the food independency. The support is by involving the students directly in the integrated agriculture system program in Universitas Brawijaya.

"Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Brawijaya is developing the sustainable and integrated agricultural system. We have designed the plantation sub which is integrated to the livestock and fishery,” he said when attending the singing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) about local food desertification and sustainable food activity in the head quarter of ministry of agriculture, Tuesday (4/8/2020). The signing of the MoU among the Head of Badan Ketahanan Pangan, Ministry of Agriculture and deans of agriculture faculty from six universities and vocational schools of Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) was witnessed by Minister of Agriculture (Minister), Syahrul Yasin Limpo.

Daman Huri also told that the integrated agricultural system is about sub agriculture development by involving the students of Brawijaya to advantage the agricultural areas to be livestock and fishery areas. He mentioned that the people and the students could cooperate to breed fish, produce woof, and get the harvest.

“For example, we cultivate the mushroom. The wastes are mixed with the feces of animals to be media for the worm. The result would produce vermicompost and the next is it would become the media to plant vegetables,” he said, as in the official written statement to Agricom.id.

He also mentioned that every system has been tested for several times within good results because there is no useless waste. He claimed that the agricultural system in Brawijaya has the high quality level of environmental perspectives or zero waste system.

“Every waste is well advantaged because everything is automatically useful for every planting system,” he said.

Just like Daman Huri, Dean of Agriculture Faculty, Universitas Lampung (Unila), Irwan Sukri Banua said that the family farming is the right thing to do to increase the food security nationally.

“I think that the program is extraordinary for many aspects, such as, the prevention and handling of corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic. It means that the food security nationally really increases to produce the kinds of foods,” he said.

In Lampung, he continued, Unila itself designed the food security program by involving the other institution to increase kinds of foods.

“We also involved the students of final grade in faculty of agriculture to advantage the yards sustainably. In the future, we would involve many people too,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo said that his side is in cooperation with six universities in Indonesia, managed by Badan Ketahanan Pangan (BKP), Ministry of Agriculture to strengthen the local food diversification, namely to strengthen the pekarangan pangan lestari (P2L) program. In the new normal era, the people from many groups are encouraged to strengthen the food security, such as, from around the house.

Syahrul said that the yard is potential to develop the food security independently, such as, planting vegetable, fruits, and breeding animals.

“I know that our yards are very potential to be planted by vegetable. Of course, they should be well cultivated. That is why the cooperation could be the sample to develop mindset to present the plantations in the house yards, and the way to prepare the food issue,” he said.

“Food is needed to give nutrients in good level, namely heading this situation. I do hope that the students actively see in person the agricultural condition nowadays,” he said. (A2)