Learning Directly in the Field, Babel State Polman Precision Agriculture Students Learn Knowledge from BPSIP Practitioners
Lecturers and students of the Polman Babel Precision Agriculture Study Program with practitioners from BPSIP after taking part in in-depth field lectures on organic farming, soil microorganisms and pest control. This activity aims to enrich students' insight with direct experience in the field.
Students from the Precision Agriculture Study Program from the Bangka Belitung State Manufacturing Polytechnic (Polman Babel) held a field lecture at the Agricultural Instrument Standardization Implementation Agency (BPSIP) Bangka Belitung Islands, accompanied directly by lecturers and experienced practitioners, Monday (11/11/2024).
This activity was welcomed by the Head of BPSIP, Dr. Ruslan Boy, S.P., M.Sc., who hopes that field courses like this can continue. “We are happy to welcome younger siblings to study together here. "Hopefully in the future there will be other visits that will further enrich the experience," he said.
The Coordinator of the Precision Agriculture Study Program, Nur Khasanah, S.P., M.Si., also motivated students to take advantage of this opportunity to gain knowledge directly from practitioners in the field. "This activity is expected to increase students' knowledge, both theory and direct practice in the field," he said.
In this activity, students learn three main materials: Agronomy, Soil Science, and Plant Pests and Diseases (HPT), guided by their respective course lecturers, namely Mrs. Priestiani, S.P., M.P., Limartaida Siahaan, S.Agr., M .Sc., and Lesta, S.P., M.Si. They also get direct insight from BPSIP practitioners who provide in-depth material in their fields.
Mrs. Dr. Mamik Sarwendah, S.T.P., M.Sc., discussed Organic Agriculture, including the green revolution to controlling Plant Pest Organisms (OPT) in organic farming.
Another resource person, Mrs. Minas Tiurlina P, S.P., M.Si., presented material about Soil Microorganisms which are very important in agricultural cultivation, including techniques for making PGPR from bamboo roots.
The final material about fungi and plant diseases was presented by Mrs. Fitria Yuliani, S.P., M.Si., who explained the symptoms of pest attacks and fungi that are beneficial for plants.
Not only theory, students are also invited to practice directly, such as making PGPR and using the Plantix application to identify plant diseases. They also toured the BPSIP experimental garden and greenhouse, seeing firsthand the seeding process implemented at BPSIP.
One of the students, Nita Anggi Felisha, shared her experience. “This field study was very fun and useful. We learned to make PGPR, go around the garden, and use applications for plant disease detection. There's even a quiz to make you even more enthusiastic!” he said enthusiastically.
This activity is expected to be the start of a sustainable collaboration between the Polman Babel Precision Agriculture Study Program and BPSIP, providing students with the opportunity to continue to deepen their knowledge and skills directly from the world of the agricultural industry.
