400 Agricultural innovative technologies
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Date
2013-12-16
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Publisher
IAARD Press
Abstract
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Description
Indonesia, like many other developing countries, is facing a great challenge in agricultural development. Providing sufficient food for more than 240 million people, for example, has been challenged by the shrinking of agricultural land due to other development purposes such as housing, roads, and industry. In addition, global warming as well as biotic and a-biotic stresses have also threatened the agricultural production which require special attention.
During the last decade Indonesia has been successful in reducing poverty from 14.5% to 8.8% in the urban areas and from 21.1% to 15.1% in the rural areas. We still have to work harder in reducing the poverty, especially in the rural areas where farmers are the major population. Small land holding and lack of capital are among the major problems faced by the farmers. Therefore, the government has put high priority in improving farmer’s welfare through various policies such as effective research and extension activities.
For more than four decades, the agricultural research and development represented by IAARD (the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development) has contributed significantly to developing innovative technologies. Its contribution is not only related to the effort to increase agricultural production but also to reduce poverty of the rural population where most of them are farmers. Improved variety of rice, for example, has enabled farmers to increase the crop intensity and productivity. I am pleased with the initiative to publish 400 Agricultural Innovative Technologies as the outputs of IAARD research activities during the last few years. I noticed that some of the technologies are quite relevant to the current situation related to the increasing food crops production as well as
improving the export opportunity of some agricultural production.
During the last decade, the surplus of our international food trade increased from US$ 401 million in 2000 to US$ 16, 6930 million in 2012 contributed mostly bydomestic oil palm production. To maintain the surplus trade we have to continue exploring, developing, and commercializing of other agricultural commodities for export. In addition to export, there will be an increasing demand of agricultural product for domestic market. Wide adoption of the better quality and appearance of some agricultural products like fruits and ornamental plants would be able to meet this expectation. I am also pleased with the various innovations on bio-fertilizers, bio-control, and farm machineries. All of these innovations need to be communicated to the stakeholders and users. I believe that the private sector would play an important role in the production and promotion of this innovation to the users. I hope this important publication would be made available to local government through each Office of Agricultural Services (Dinas Pertanian) and Extension Services in the province and district level as well as to our partners and collaborators within the country and abroad.