Agricultural Product Quality Can Be Controlled with Smartphone in Your Hand

The use of the digital technology is believed to be able to increase productivity, with a measurable and well calculated treatment. All of this is possible thank to the use of a smartphone.

TANGKAPAN LAYAR KANAL YOUTUBE LPDB-KUMKM

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin at the launch of Agricultural Digitization at Al-Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School, Bandung Regency, West Java Province, Tuesday (22/3/2022)..

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin's sparkling eyes while picking an orange in the greenhouse of Al-Ittifaq Islamic boarding school in Rancabali district, Bandung Regency, West Java on Tuesday (22/3/2022) showed his enthusiasm. He was quite excited when he picked a yellow orange as large as a fist in the greenhouse.

Anwar Mustiawan (28) of the boarding school who accompanied the vice president’s entourage, passionately explained the potential of Dekopon oranges grown with the use of digital technology. The soil around the orange tree is covered with a black tarpaulin. A sensor and irrigation hose are installed under the tarpaulin. On one side of the greenhouse, there is a controller which is connected to the water reservoir.

"The sensor is used to control the temperature and the soil moisture so as to maximize the production of the oranges," said Anwar.

Apart from oranges, the 14-hectare farming area is also planted with strawberries, melons, tomatoes, as well as various fruits and vegetables. All are of good quality and meet premium market standards.

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“The modern farming model uses an Islamic boarding schools as the basis of its development. This farming system is a pilot project that is being developed in all Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia," said Ma'ruf at the inauguration of the Digital Agriculture Corporation at Al-Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School.

As a garden manager, Anwar has tasted the sweetness of farming thanks to the use of the digital technology. As many as 800 orange trees in this garden can produce 8 kg (?) of oranges per day.

Anwar said that each tree can produce up to 32 kg per six months, far higher than those grown using a traditional farming method which can only produce of up to 15 kg in the same period.

“With agricultural technology, everything is measurable. With the technology, every day we always have ready-to-harvest fruits,” he said.

MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

The garden manager of the Al-Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School Anwar Mustiawan observes citrus fruits in the pesantren's greenhouse, Rancabali District, Bandung Regency, West Java, Tuesday (22/3/2022).).

While studying

Not only making fruits ready for harvests every day, digital technology also helps the students carry out their farming activities while reciting and studying the Qur’an . All can be monitored using a smart phone connected to the farm.

"The teacher said searching for the world was allowed, as not as reducing your worship. So, with the technology, students can still recite the Qur’an while taking care of the plants in the garden . That's why we do automation. This has been done since 2016," he said.

It turned out that the method attracted the interest of various parties. Dozens of Islamic boarding schools have joined the agricultural production ecosystem fostered by the Alif Learning Center (Alec) agricultural business incubator at the Al-Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School.

The teacher said searching for the world was allowed, as not as reducing your worship.

Not only for production, the garden is also used to train students from other regions who want to learn the farming method. With the technology, all the fruits have the same quality.

“The main production here is Dekopon oranges. Later in other areas, we will grow melons, tomatoes or vegetables," said Anwar

The president director of the Cooperative, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Revolving Fund Management Institute (LPDB-KUMKM) Supomo said with the use of agricultural technology , farming would be more profitable. Using a greenhouse and land management equipped with digital technology, the agricultural land can produce quality and premium products.

LPDB has invested Rp 18 billion in the boarding school’s cooperatives. “The greenhouse requires a big investment, but the production is of high quality and can meet the requirement of the premium market. The total production from here is about 7 tons a day for all commodities," he said.

This business model is expected to continue to grow in line with market demand. Moreover, currently there are dozens of Islamic boarding schools in Sumatra, Java, and other areas that are part of the cooperative network of this Islamic boarding school.

"Production from here can only meet 20 percent of the market demand. The is another 80 percent that can be fulfilled," he said.

KOMPAS/WINDORO ADI

A catfish feed barrel equipped with an E-Fishery device in one of the ponds in Krimun Village, Friday (12/8/2018). By utilizing this digital system of automatic feeders, the yield of catfish farmers has doubled.t.

Other uses

Al-Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School is not alone. A number of areas in West Java have used the digital technology to improve the commodity management. For example, the digital technology is also applied in automatic feeding for fish and shrimp ponds, such as in Indramayu and Cirebon. The technology, developed by Gibran Chuzaefah (32), can provide automatic and measurable feed.

The tool is installed around the pool to throw food pellets with a radius of 20 meters with an area of 90-360 degrees. From the application on a smartphone, users can set the schedule and amount of fish or shrimp feed in the pond.

Gibran said the tool could address one of the problems of the fish farmers. So far, fish production cannot be maximized due to irregular and uneven feeding.

A smart technology is also used by some fishermen on the southern coast of West Java. With Fish On application, the fishermen can predict the position of fish gathering on the high seas using satellites.

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The Fish On application is not only used to find fish but also to provide an ecosystem of small fishermen with fishing boats under 10 gross tons. Information related to sales, retail outlets, to sales of fishing tools can be accessed via a smartphone.

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil believes the digital economy can turn Indonesia into a superpower. The digital technology has become a necessity not only for marketing but also for production activities. "However, everything needs a process, not only in e-commerce, but in society," he said.

The use of the technology can be maximized with quality sources. Regeneration of farmers is also important so that West Java and Indonesia as a whole can become an independent food producer.

In West Java, thousands of young people are learning to become skilled farmers. With the Millennial Farmer Program, they can produce various kinds of commodities with high market potential.

Along with the use of digital technology, present and future agriculture will be more productive. The farming can be controlled only by a smartphone in your hand, like the orange farm that made the Vice President so excited.

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.