The Faculty of Agriculture at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) officially launched the 2025 Summer Course on Sustainable Tropical Agriculture with an online pre-course session held via Zoom on Friday, July 4, 2025. This session marked the beginning of the program, introducing participants to coffee cultivation and field experiences under the theme “The Journey of Coffee from Seed to Cup.”

The pre-course was attended by participants from diverse academic backgrounds, both domestic and international. It began with an overview of the program, which will run for over a month, from July 4 to August 8, 2025. The session also introduced the instructors and guest experts who will lead both the online classes and offline field trips. The teaching team includes Instructors, Teaching Assistants (TAs), and Experts with extensive experience in sustainable tropical agriculture.

This year’s summer course is offered in two formats: online and blended (hybrid). Therefore, the pre-course session played a crucial role in aligning participants’ expectations and explaining the use of the Learning Management System (LMS), which serves as the main platform for online learning. The session also outlined the types of assignments participants will complete throughout the program, including independent study, poster assignments, quizzes, and video presentations, all designed to deepen their understanding of tropical agriculture issues.

With the pre-course session completed, participants are now better prepared and more enthusiastic to engage in the full range of activities offered by the Summer Course on Sustainable Tropical Agriculture 2025. The program not only provides theoretical knowledge but also hands-on experience through field visits to coffee farms, agricultural lands, and coffee processing facilities in Yogyakarta and surrounding areas.

This initiative also reflects the Faculty of Agriculture UGM’s commitment to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1: No Poverty, SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 13: Climate Action, and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

Writer: Noor Amelia Putri     
Editor: Desi Utami

Saturday, 5 July 2025 marked an important moment for the Gunung Gambar area, one of the assisted sites of Universitas Gadjah Mada’s Faculty of Agriculture (Faperta UGM). On that day, a robusta coffee harvest festival was held, attended by local farmers, the Ngawen Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis), UGM’s Community Service Program (KKN-PPM) students, the academic community of the Faculty of Agriculture, village officials, and the Regent of Gunungkidul, Endah Subekti Kuntariningsih. This harvest produced a total of 30 kilograms of robusta coffee.
In her remarks, the Regent of Gunungkidul, Endah Subekti Kuntariningsih, emphasized the importance of diversifying tourism potential in the region, one of which is through the development of coffee tourism in Gunung Gambar.

“Gunung Gambar must have differentiation, not only as a religious tourism destination, but also with a new image as a coffee tourism area. This region has great potential for coffee-based tourism, where coffee can be processed into practical and long-lasting instant products, as well as through establishing cafés that will become new attractions for visitors. Let us develop this together, from zero to hero, from nothing to something, through the collaboration of the community, the university, and the government,” said the Regent of Gunungkidul.

She also underlined the importance of fostering innovation and encouraging practical applications from universities, particularly the Faculty of Agriculture UGM, to ensure that the development of this area continues and provides tangible benefits for the community.

The collaboration in developing Gunung Gambar through research, education, and community empowerment is not new to Faperta UGM. Since 2018, the Department of Agronomy has initiated a conservative greening program in this area. This initiative was later continued in 2021 with the planting of thousands of robusta coffee seedlings on three hectares of land. With favorable agroclimatic conditions, coffee planted in Gunung Gambar can be harvested year-round, producing an average of one ton per year, and has already been marketed to various cafés across Gunungkidul.
One of the lecturers of the Faculty of Agriculture UGM, Ir. Supriyanta, M.P., expressed full support for the development of Gunung Gambar.

“We fully support the effort to develop the potential of Gunung Gambar. We are also committed to continuously building networks and communities to come here as part of tourism development. In essence, we are fully supporting Gunung Gambar and its coffee farmers,” emphasized Supriyanta.

The selection of Gunung Gambar as a program site cannot be separated from its ecological potential as well as its cultural and historical values. The area stands as a real example of synergy between the community, the university, and the government in realizing the principles of tridharma, particularly in community service. Through KKN-PPM, UGM agriculture students are actively involved in designing and implementing a coffee-based ecosystem development rooted in cooperation and local wisdom—from planning, cultivation, and management to product downstreaming.

This activity reflects the Faculty of Agriculture UGM’s commitment to ensuring the sustainability of community service programs. The initiative also aligns with the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1: No Poverty, SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13: Climate Action, and SDG 15: Life on Land.

Authors: Agrit Kirana Bunda, Anin Dita Rahmadiyanti
Editor: Desi Utami

Professor of the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Faperta UGM), Prof. Dr. Jamhari, S.P., M.P., emphasized the importance of strengthening Lumbung Mataraman as a key strategy to achieve sustainable food security in the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY). He delivered this message while serving as the keynote speaker at the Regional Development Control Coordination Meeting for the second quarter of 2025, which carried the theme “Strengthening Food Security in DIY through the Transformation and Optimization of Lumbung Mataraman,” on Tuesday, 29 July 2025, at Gedhong Pracimasana, Kepatihan Complex, Yogyakarta.

The event was also attended by several notable figures, including Dr. Ir. H. Andi Amran Sulaiman from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia, the Governor of DIY Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, regents and mayors from across DIY, as well as other stakeholders from both local and national institutions.

In his presentation, Prof. Jamhari highlighted that DIY’s food security has shown a positive trajectory. Based on recent data, the province ranked sixth nationally in the Food Security and Food Vulnerability Atlas, with consistent improvements over the past five years. The index is calculated across three main aspects: food availability, accessibility, and utilization.

“DIY’s food availability index has increased by 0.31 annually, food accessibility by 1.38 points per year, and food utilization by 0.816 points. However, the availability index remains relatively low due to limited land resources. This is where innovation and the optimization of home gardens become crucial. The late Prof. Harjono Danoesastro, the first Dean of Faperta UGM, long ago demonstrated that food security can be built from one’s own backyard,” he explained.

Prof. Jamhari also mapped out a number of challenges to food security in DIY, such as land conversion, climate change, long supply chains, as well as limited technology and access to capital for small farmers. To address these issues, he proposed strategic solutions including land protection through the Sustainable Food Agricultural Land (LP2B) policy and spatial planning, the use of climate-resilient varieties and early warning systems, strengthening digital marketing and agro-industries, as well as improving access to finance through KUR and banking partnerships.

He pointed out that protecting agricultural land is crucial. “The elasticity of land productivity is real. A 1% decrease in farmland can reduce production by up to 0.88%. Therefore, we must push productivity through the increase of planting index (IP 400), farming efficiency, and strengthening farmer institutions,” he stated.

From a technological perspective, Prof. Jamhari underscored the importance of leveraging local innovations such as the use of Bacillus microbes to improve soil fertility, the development of superior varieties like Gamagora, and the digitalization of extension services through platforms such as Lentera Desa and Desa Apps. All these innovations were developed by the Faculty of Agriculture UGM to address the specific challenges of tropical agriculture and strengthen the capacity of smallholder farmers.

Prof. Jamhari also emphasized the need for fair price incentives for farmers. Currently, the increase in the price of Gabah Kering Panen (GKP) at the farmer level is only 1.6 rupiah, while premium rice at the milling stage reaches 3.28 rupiah and medium rice at retail stands at 2.9 rupiah. This imbalance highlights the urgency of improving supply chains to ensure farmers receive fair profits.

Furthermore, he warned that DIY could face a decline in the farming population by 2057 if regeneration efforts are not carried out. Therefore, urban farming movements must be promoted, and Lumbung Mataraman should be optimized as the foundation of urban food security through household-based farming. He also stressed the need to revitalize the Lumbung Mataraman concept, which has existed since the 17th century.

“The philosophy of ‘nandur opo sing dipangan, mangan opo sing ditandur’ (plant what you eat, eat what you plant) essentially reflects an integrated farming system that has been applied in Yogyakarta since the 1600s,” he said.

Prof. Jamhari suggested that Lumbung Mataraman institutions be elevated from social structures (farmer groups, associations, women’s groups, and community empowerment programs) into cooperatives or farmer corporations through Legal Agricultural Enterprises (UPB). This transformation would allow Lumbung Mataraman to increase competitiveness and contribute to local economic development, including the production of premium rice under local branding.

“We need to elevate Lumbung Mataraman from just a social institution to a cooperative or farmer corporation so it can compete and make real contributions to the local economy,” he stated. “We propose strengthening Lumbung Mataraman institutions. Referring to the Ministry of Agriculture’s regulation, one farmer corporation ideally covers 5,000 hectares or the equivalent of five districts (kapanewon). This means there must be awareness to consolidate five existing cooperatives into a stronger entity. In this way, Lumbung Mataraman will not only focus on food provision but also encourage economic development, improve competitiveness, and produce farmer-owned branded products,” he added.

Commitment to Lumbung Mataraman does not only come from academics and farming communities but is also strongly supported by both local and central governments. The Governor of DIY, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, emphasized the importance of transforming food security management through local solutions. According to the Head of Bappeda DIY, Nimade Dwianti Indrayanti, S.T., M.T., the local government is prepared to support food strengthening efforts through supply and price stabilization, logistics reinforcement, and cross-sector collaboration.

The Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. Ir. H. Andi Amran Sulaiman, M.P., reaffirmed that agriculture remains the backbone of DIY’s economy today. He called for the importance of downstream processing and policy consistency to achieve the broader vision of national food sovereignty. “Agricultural progress cannot be achieved alone. It requires togetherness and sustainability so that we can achieve economic independence,” he asserted.

The involvement of Faperta UGM in strengthening Lumbung Mataraman reflects its tangible contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1: No Poverty, SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13: Climate Action, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals—through a community-based approach integrated with local wisdom.

Authors: Agrit Kirana Bunda, Anin Dita Rahmadiyanti
Editor: Desi Utami