Urban agriculture needs more attention: Expert

BOGOR (JP): Rector of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) Soleh Solahuddin said here Saturday it is time to pay more attention to the development of urban agriculture in big cities.

"Urban agricultural development is needed in addition to the further development of land-based agriculture in villages," Soleh said at a ceremony marking the graduation of 324 students of the institute.

The development of urban agriculture is important, he said, to help solve problems arising from the emergence of mega cities, including Greater Jakarta, which attract a large number of people migrating for the better living conditions.

In line with the fast growth of big cities, Soleh questioned how the agricultural sector could develop.

As urban agriculture is mainly soilless and is applied using modern technology, the focus should be on the development of biotechnology, greenhouse technology, vertical development and other agricultural systems, which are less dependent on nature, he said.

He said he was confident that urban agriculture would become a an industry which would focus on environmentally friendly mass production.

Soleh said the IPB has set up a special team, which has been assigned to design agriculture paradigms for the 21st century.

"The paradigms worked out by the team will combine the comparative advantage, namely natural resources, and the comparative advantage, consisting of human resources and technology," he said.

He said it was important to pay more attention to urban agriculture in the country to ensure agriculture did not lag behind the rapid growth in industrialization.

"We have to be confident that agricultural institutes will remain relevant and important in the current industrialization era," he said.

Soleh said that in order to strengthen IPB's existence as an agricultural institute, a number of modifications ranging from educational orientation to organization are now being conducted.

The modifications will be designed in such a way that they are conducive for human resource and technology development to support urban agriculture or agro-based industries, he said. (24/hhr)