Kulon Progo, May 6, 2025 — The Green House Field Research Center (FRC) of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) welcomed a visit from the team of UGM’s Center for Agrotechnology Innovation (PIAT) to initiate a strategic collaboration in the distribution and marketing of Green House’s premium melon products through PIAT UGM’s integrated agricultural e-commerce platform, Nutrifresh (https://nutrifresh.piatugm.id/shop).

The visiting PIAT UGM team, led by Mr. Septian and composed of four marketing staff members, was warmly received by Putri Rousan Nabila, S.T., M.T., Head of the Center of Excellence (CoE) for Smart Agriculture FRC UGM. During the visit, the PIAT team observed firsthand the cultivation process of high-quality melons at the Green House. As part of product familiarization, the team was given product samples to taste. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the melon’s sweetness, freshness, and health benefits, making it a compelling choice for Nutrifresh consumers.

The Green House FRC UGM expressed strong support for this collaboration and is optimistic that the synergy with PIAT UGM through Nutrifresh will expand market access for their premium agricultural products. This partnership is expected to benefit both parties while also providing consumers with easier access to high-quality, farm-fresh produce directly from its source.

Writer: FRC Team

On May 5, 2025, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) participated in a significant collaboration meeting with the Kulon Progo Government, held at the Menoreh Meeting Room in Kulon Progo Government Complex. The meeting was attended by the Regent of Kulon Progo, the Assistant Secretary of the Region, the Regent’s Expert Staff, the Economic and Natural Resources Division, the Agriculture and Food Office, and the Bapperida team. Also present at the event were Dr. Wiryanta, S.T., M.T., Vice Dean of Research and Community Service of Sekolah Vokasi UGM, Eko Prasetyo, S.Hut., M.Sc., Ph.D., Head of Research and Community Service Unit of Sekolah Vokasi UGM, and Dr. Nurulia Hidayah, S.Pt., M.P. as the FRC coordinator. This gathering aimed to discuss potential partnerships that could enhance agricultural productivity and food production in the region.

Yogyakarta, Thursday, March 27, 2025 – Sekolah Vokasi Universitas Gadjah Mada (SV UGM) has officially signed a collaboration agreement with the Regional Planning, Research, and Innovation Agency (BAPPERIDA) of Kulon Progo District to strengthen academic and local government synergy. This collaboration focuses on research and the implementation of technology to support regional development, particularly in realizing an agriculture-based aerotropolis. The event took place at the TILC SV UGM Ballroom and was attended by representatives from academia, local government, and local farmers interested in agricultural and technological development.

The Dean of Sekolah Vokasi UGM, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ir. Agus Maryono, IPM., ASEAN Eng., emphasized that academics play a crucial role in analyzing and providing development recommendations, while vocational education prioritizes concrete solutions through community service, research, and teaching for society. “This collaboration is a strategic step in implementing appropriate technology that can directly benefit farmers and the broader community,” he said. He also highlighted the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in generating innovative and applicable solutions for regional development.

The Head of BAPPERIDA Kulon Progo, Ir. Muh Aris Nugroho, M.M.A, stated that this synergy is a concrete step toward realizing research-based innovations for the development of agriculture and agroindustry in Kulon Progo. “We hope this collaboration can accelerate the development of the aerotropolis area and enhance the competitiveness of the local agricultural sector,” he explained. With support from academic institutions like UGM, it is hoped that agricultural technology can be applied more widely, particularly in addressing challenges related to food security and increasing agricultural productivity.

One of the main initiatives in this collaboration is the FASTAN project (Fabrication of Smart-Agri Facilities at the Farmers’ Scale), presented by Dr. Eng. Yosephus Ardean K. Prayitno, S.T., M.Eng. This program is part of the LPDP 2025 Self-Reliance Partnership Catalyst and involves three departments at Sekolah Vokasi UGM: the Department of Mechanical Engineering (DTM), the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DTEDI), and the Department of Biotechnology and Veterinary Science (DTHV). The project will begin in April 2025 with a series of outreach activities for farmers leading up to the implementation of the greenhouse system for melon cultivation.

Melons were selected as the primary focus because they are one of Kulon Progo’s flagship commodities with significant potential for further development. This initiative aligns with and is part of the UGM FRC’s premium melon program, which is currently being formulated. By utilizing Smart-Agri technology in the greenhouse, it is expected that melon production in the region will increase both in terms of quantity and quality. Additionally, the program aims to build a more modern and sustainable agricultural ecosystem by leveraging Internet of Things (IoT) technology and precision farming systems.

It is hoped that through this collaboration, the innovations and technologies developed will have a tangible impact on enhancing agricultural productivity, supporting food security, and driving economic growth for the community in Kulon Progo. With synergy between academia, government, and the community, Kulon Progo can further develop into a self-reliant and highly competitive technology-based agricultural hub.

The ceremony concluded with a group photo session and further discussions between representatives from UGM and BAPPERIDA. Through this collaboration, both parties are committed to continuing to develop innovations in the agricultural sector that can bring benefits to farmers and the broader community.  

Author: Febriana Trisnawati  

Kulon Progo, January 22, 2025 – Melon production in Kulon Progo Regency still faces challenges due to limited land availability and dependence on weather conditions, leading to an imbalance between production and market demand. On the other hand, the national melon market has a large market size without sufficient supply to meet it. To address this, the Center of Excellence (CoE) Smart-Agri Field Research Center (FRC) collaborates with the CoE Medical Devices and Fabrication Lab & Plant (CoE Fablab) and the CoE Smart System Sekolah Vokasi UGM to initiate a melon development program using a smart agriculture system based on Greenhouse (GH) to enhance long-term sustainable productivity.

The program, titled “Smart-Agri Suitable for Farmer Scale (FASTAN) program” and funded by the 2025 LPDP Partnership Catalyst Grant, is led by Dr. Eng. Yosephus Ardean Kurnianto Prayitno, S.T., M.Eng., a lecturer at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sekolah Vokasi, Universitas Gadjah Mada (SV UGM). The program utilizes control and automation technology to optimize the reading of environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, and lighting, thereby providing feedback to the fertigation process, nutrient application, and melon cultivation, resulting in more stable, measurable, and higher-quality harvests. As an initial step, the GH facility will be constructed with a focus on empowering coastal farmers with experience in horticultural cultivation. Technical training is also provided, covering fertigation systems and hands-on practice in the GH.

The first meeting with the Kulon Progo District Regional Research and Innovation Agency (Bapperida) was held on January 22, 2025, at the Bapperida Office in Kulon Progo District. This meeting marked the beginning of strategic collaboration in a research project funded by Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) through the 2025 Self-Reliance Partnership Catalyst Program.  The meeting was attended in person by Khamdan Syakiri, S.Psi., M.P.Science, M.P.A., as the Head of the Regional Research and Innovation Division and Control at Bapperida Kulon Progo District. He expressed full commitment to this research and collaboration, which will run for a full year in 2025. “We strongly support this FASTAN innovation as it can provide a real solution for farmers to enhance agricultural productivity and efficiency. With the implementation of this technology, we hope to see improved farmer welfare and the sustainability of the agricultural sector in Kulon Progo,” he stated.

Dr. Eng. Yosephus Ardean Kurnianto Prayitno, S.T., M.Eng., as the program chair, hopes that the implementation of this system will significantly increase melon production, reduce weather dependency, and strengthen the melon-based agroindustry sector. Additionally, this program will create economic opportunities for local farmers and support regional food security.

This collaboration involves the FASTAN-Katalisator Kemitraan Berdikari 2025 LPDP team, the Kulon Progo District Government, higher education institutions and other educational institutions, industry, and startups. Unfortunately, the program still faces challenges such as the lack of interest from millennial farmers, limited self-funding schemes, and less supportive regulations from the local government. Therefore, support from various parties is needed to ensure the sustainability of the program and establish FASTAN-Katalisator Kemitraan Berdikari 2025 LPDP as a center of excellence for melon-based agroindustry in Kulon Progo Regency.

Author: Ahmat Hari Setiyawan; 

Curator: Yosephus Ardean Kurnianto Prayitno

Kulon Progo, February 20, 2025 – The Smart-Agri Facility Fabrication Team for Farmer-Scale Applications (FASTAN), led by Dr. Eng. Yosephus Ardean Kurnianto Prayitno, S.T., M.Eng. from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sekolah Vokasi, Universitas Gadjah Mada (SV UGM), conducted a field survey with the Gisik Pranaji Farmers Group located in Bugel Village, Panjatan Sub-district, Kulon Progo Regency.

The survey, coordinated by Ahmat Hari Setiyawan, A.Md., was conducted as a follow-up to the LPDP’s 2025 Self-Reliance Partnership Catalyst Program, which is currently in the implementation phase. The selection of the farmer group surveyed was the result of program coordination managed by the Agriculture and Bapperida Department of Kulon Progo Regency, where several Prospective Farmers and Prospective Land (CPCL) candidates were proposed. Duwianta, S.P., as the Quality Supervisor of Agricultural Products, Junior Expert in the Field of Production and Protection of Food Crops, Horticulture, and Plantations at the Agriculture and Food Department of Kulon Progo Regency, and Irlan Widya Permono, S. Pi., as the Technical Policy Analyst in the Regional Research, Innovation, and Control Division of the Kulon Progo Regency Bapperida, also oversaw the smooth running of the survey as representatives of the partner team. 

The Gisik Pranaji Farmers Group is known to already have a Greenhouse (GH) using the NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) hydroponic system, which is a hydroponic technology that places plant roots in a shallow layer of water and nutrients that is continuously circulated. This condition does not rule out the possibility that new technology is still needed to support the production process for greater efficiency and better quality.

The Gisik Pranaji Farmers Group, as one of the potential beneficiaries of the research, expressed enthusiasm for the program. The existing GH system remains highly dependent on human resources, with nutrient levels still being manually administered and checked. Therefore, the FASTAN-Katalisator Kemitraan Berdikari 2025 LPDP program is expected to make the GH production system more efficient. Additionally, the projection of melon cultivation with management as plasma/satellite farmers for UGM’s flagship melon product serves as a unique interest for the Gisik Pranaji Farmers Group.

The initial implementation of FASTAN is expected to enable farmer groups in Kulon Progo Regency to conduct hydroponic melon cultivation using a smart agriculture-based system. The FASTAN program will produce an integrated irrigation system based on DM-AQMS (Dosing Machine-Air Quality Monitoring System). With this system, farmers are expected to cultivate more efficiently and achieve premium fruit yields with improved productivity.

Additionally, this program receives full support from the local government, which provides facilities and incentives for farmers wishing to transition to the GH method. It is anticipated that the implementation of this system will significantly increase melon production in Kulon Progo Regency, thereby meeting the ever-growing market demand.

Author: Ahmat Hari Setiyawan; Curator: Yosephus Ardean Kurnianto Prayitno