Faculty of Agriculture UGM collaborate with Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in conducting an in-depth research project on the control of fruit flies in mangoes through area-wide management (AWM) system approach. The project, which has been conducted since 2017, was completed by an International Training Workshop on Tuesday-Thursday, 28-30 May 2024 at AGLC Building, Faculty of Agriculture UGM. The event was attended by participants from 12 different countries involved in the project.
Dr. Stefano de Faveri as a project leader of ACIAR Australia said that the topic of fruit fly control is very important to be researched because it greatly impacts mango production carried out by farmers. If the control of fruit flies is carried out effectively, fruit production will be greater and could lead to wider export opportunities.
“The core of this workshop is to be upskilling part of the research project aimed at the Asia Pacific region. We are trying to expand our reach in helping other countries with the same fruit fly problem,” Stefano explained.
Besides Stefano, ACIAR Australia representative who also attended the workshop were Mikayla Hyland-Wood as the research officer in horticulture. Mikayla considered UGM as a very important partner for collaboration with ACIAR, especially because UGM has a big role in field research activities, especially related to control of fruit flies carried out by farmers in Indonesia.
The research team from UGM for this project is led by Prof. Ir. Y. Andi Trisyono, M.Sc., Ph.D., Professor at The Department of Plant Protection UGM, with his team including Dr. Suputa, S.P., M.P., and several students from the Master and Doctoral degrees. Prof. Andi explained that this workshop is the end point of the research project which will be officially completed in August 2024. However, Faculty of Agriculture UGM and ACIAR have a plan to continue the project for the next five years.
“Currently, we have been planning a follow-up project and the proposal is in the final stage for decision making. Hopefully, this follow-up project can be carried out for a period of five years from 2024 to 2029,” said Prof. Andi.
Prof. Andi added, student involvement in this research project was focused on two master’s degree students, where they are also supported in research finance by ACIAR. The two students are students of Master in Pest Science study program; Valentina Eerline with the research titled “Diversity and Abundance of Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Three Different Ecosystems in Sleman, Yogyakarta”; and Riya Fatma Sari with the research titled “Decision Making on the Use of Pesticides by Mango Farmers who Practice Area-Wide Integrated Pest Management and Conventional Farmers”.
Partnership between Faculty of Agriculture UGM and ACIAR involving students showed joint efforts in achieving the SDGs, including SDG 1: No Poverty, SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 15: Life on Land, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
Author: Hanita Athasari Zain
Translator: Sha
Editor: Desi Utami
Photo: Media Faperta