Malanginspirasi.com – Brawijaya University (UB) Faculty of Agriculture (FP) held a talkshow with Multinational Practitioners in Agriculture.
The talkshow, which took place at the Samantha Krida Building on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, carried the theme: “Building a Green Future: Modern Agriculture, SDGs, and Food Security.”
Commemorating the 65th Anniversary of the UB Faculty of Agriculture, the event brought together agricultural practitioners from various sectors to discuss the challenges and innovations towards a sustainable food system.
One of the speakers, M. Nurjuliansyah Rahman from Bulog Malang, highlighted the enormous challenges facing the agricultural sector.
He cited five main factors that affect national food security: climate change, global economic fluctuations, volatility in food prices, rising domestic production costs and population growth.
“Climate change causes drought and floods which trigger crop failure in various regions, especially in East Java. Meanwhile, the ups and downs of the Rupiah exchange rate and the surge in world food prices also put pressure on domestic production,” he stated.
Modern Agriculture as the Solution
To overcome these challenges, Nurjuliansyah stressed the importance of implementing modern agriculture through various systems, such as precision agriculture, agroforestry, regenerative agriculture, hydroponic farming, and smart farming systems.
According to him, technology-based innovation can increase productivity while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions.
“We have implemented three main techniques—precision agriculture, smart farming system, and low carbon farming system—in several areas like Karawang and Banyuwangi. The results show that productivity has increased, and carbon emissions have drastically decreased,” added Nurjuliansyah.
Promoting the Potential of Local Food
He also highlighted the crucial role of local food diversification to reduce dependence on rice and soybeans.
Based on data from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the area of dry land in Indonesia increases every year. Coinciding with the great potential of local commodities like corn, cassava, and sweet potatoes.
“If we look at the BRIN data, dry land is increasing every year. This is also accompanied by an increase in local food commodities, including corn, cassava, and sweet potatoes,” he added.
However, he mentioned that there are still constraints in the development of local food, such as the lack of processing industries, inconsistent raw material supply, and the absence of quality standardization.
“Unfortunately, the development of local food is still hampered by the lack of processing industries, unsustainable raw material supplies, and the absence of quality standardization. Yet, the world is now starting to shift to alternative food sources,” he concluded.
He hopes the government will seriously develop the agricultural sector from upstream to downstream to realize national food security.
“The hope is that this can be developed and seriously worked on by the government. The issue of food security is now a global concern. Indonesia must be ready to transform through modern agriculture and the utilization of local food potential,” he closed hopefully.
