Pupuk Kaltim Encourages Sustainable Agriculture to Realize Food Security
There are a number of steps taken by PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur (PKT) in an effort to increase the productivity of the agricultural sector in a sustainable manner. One of them is to support the role of the Communication Forum for Agricultural and Rural Self-Help Training Centers (FK P4S) of Lumajang Regency through the development of human resources in the form of training for farmers and communities in the region.
PKT Corporate VP Marketing Business Partner Indah Febrianty said sustainable agriculture is one of the fundamental aspects in supporting national food security, especially regional agricultural productivity through increasing production yields on various commodities. It is hoped that this can become the concern of FK P4S Lumajang through assisting farmers, as well as collaborating with various parties in encouraging regional agriculture.
"This is in line with PKT's steps in encouraging the agricultural sector by spurring the productivity of superior commodities in various regions so that it can have a significant impact on increasing yields and farmers' welfare". said Indah.
Increasing regional agricultural productivity, continued Indah, is one of PKT's concerns which is realized in various programs. One of them is through Agrosolution which was introduced by PKT at the Lumajang Farmers Festival in 2022. In this Agrosolution, education is given on the company's superior products in boosting plant productivity.
Later the Agrosolution program in Lumajang Regency will specifically target the productivity of bananas, tobacco, and salak which are regional superior commodities. In this case, PKT will focus on encouraging increased yields through a pattern of balanced fertilization assistance, as well as providing easy access to agri inputs as a form of added value in promoting the welfare of regional farmers.
"Through the Agrosolution program, Pupuk Kaltim is ready to collaborate with all related parties, such as FK P4S to the Regional Government, to provide benefits and added value for farmers. So that in the future, the productivity of mainstay commodities in Lumajang can be optimized," said Indah.
According to Indah, Pupuk Kaltim has a variety of superior products that are suitable for the needs of banana plants. One of them is NPK Pelangi JOS, which is the newest product that combines the functions of chemical and biological fertilizers in one package so that it is able to maintain the carrying capacity of the land on an ongoing basis.
In addition, Pupuk Kaltim also produces Urea Leaf Fruit, NPK Pelangi, as well as Ecofert and Biodex as biological fertilizers which have also been tested for quality. So that with the Agrosolution program, Pupuk Kaltim can provide education and direct assistance on balanced fertilization patterns, so that yield productivity is increased and has a more significant impact on farmers' welfare.
Benefits of Sustainable Agriculture
As an agricultural country, Indonesia has a large agricultural sector which continues to be developed to meet people's needs. One of the applications is sustainable farming methods.
Sustainable agriculture has become an important theme of development on a global and national scale. On a global scale, sustainable agriculture is important because agriculture is the main source of food for most people in the world, and agriculture has been one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. If not managed properly, agriculture can cause environmental damage and reduce future land productivity.
Sustainable agriculture is a concept used by the world food agency-FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), to link the issue of food security with climate change discourse. Sustainable agriculture is seen by FAO as an important mitigation effort that can reduce carbon emissions.
According to FAO research results, the agricultural sector contributes to emissions because it can increase air temperature by 1-2 degrees Celsius. Reducing emissions has also become a global agreement, as agreed at the Climate Change Summit contained in the Paris Agreement.
To accommodate this, changes to the agricultural system and food system need to include economic and technical changes. One of the factors of technical change includes the availability of seeds that are drought-resistant and flood-resistant.
In addition, modern agriculture using machines can be a form of increasing agricultural productivity.
Sustainable agriculture has various benefits that can help related parties. One of them is saving operational costs because the land used has been used before.
Farmers can also take seeds from old plants that are ready so they don't have to buy new seeds and of course, it's more economical. In addition, farmers can maximize the production of agricultural products throughout the year.
When it's time to harvest, the yield of agricultural products becomes healthier because farmers maintain nutrition and the land is used as a planting medium. Sustainable agriculture can increase the stability of existing ecosystems in nature. This makes the environment more protected, biodiversity which consists of some biotic components and abiotic components is also more managed so that it will produce stable products.
As one of the state-owned companies engaged in agriculture, PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) is expected to play a role in the production of chemical fertilizers and organic fertilizers, as well as providing a variety of nutritional solutions for agriculture which aim to increase crop productivity and quality of agricultural products.
One of them is by providing high-quality fertilizer and providing information to farmers on how to use the fertilizer properly. In addition, PT Pupuk Indonesia can provide education to farmers about efficient farming techniques such as the use of environmentally friendly agricultural technologies and planting systems that suit local conditions. (Nisa)