REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JEMBER -- Four Agricultural Counseling Centers (BPP) in Jember will be the pilot applications for climate smart agriculture (CSA) over the next four years. The four chosen BPPs are Ajung, Balung, Ambulu, and Gumukmas.

Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo invited farmers and extension workers in Jember to be more enthusiastic in farming. "Farmers and extension workers are the frontline in agriculture. They cannot stop, because agriculture cannot stop under any circumstances," Syahrul said said in a press statement on Tuesday (23/6).

He advised farmers to continue implementing the Covid-19 prevention protocol. This needs to be done so that farmers and extension workers are healthy and their productivity increases.

Head of the Agricultural Human Resource Extension and Development Agency (BPPSDMP) Dedi Nursyamsi said farmers and extension workers could implement and develop CSA  through the SIMURP project which will be implemented in Jember Regency, East Java.  This CSA is implemented in anticipation of the effects of global climate change.

"Moreover, Indonesia is expected to experience a long dry season. For this reason, extension workers and farmers must immediately accelerate planting so that in the remainder of the rainy season farmers can still harvest, to maintain food availability and security," he said.

Dedi said, strengthening food security can be started from the family by utilizing a yard that can be planted with personal medicinal plants.  Vegetables, goat or chicken livestock, and fish ponds can also be made there. Whereas paddy fields can be planted with intercropping systems, such as rice and vegetable crops.

In Jember, four BPP were prepared by establishing prospective farmers and prospective CSA locations. Many things have been done especially in the four BPP target areas which will become the location of the application of climate smart agriculture.

Based on available data, the number of extension workers at the BPP Ajung is 17 people. They can foster 145 farmer groups (poktan) and 23 combined farmer groups (gapoktan) and their main commodities are rice and corn. While in BPP Balung, the number of extension workers is 22 people and is able to foster 181 farmer groups and 22 combined farmer groups and their main commodities are rice, corn, cabbage, chillies and tobacco.

In BPP Ambulu, the number of extension workers is 24 people who are able to foster 171 farmer groups and 28 combined farmer groups with the main commodities are rice, corn, soybeans and tobacco. While BPP Gumukmas number of extension workers as many as 29 people who are able to foster 238 farmer groups and 29 combined farmer groups with superior commodities of rice and horticultural crops or vegetables.

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