Faculty of Agriculture of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) organized a Focus Group Discussion aiming to embolden its lecturers to conduct research bringing merits for community and to entail instill students’ entrepreneurship characteristics.

A speaker of the FGD Dr. Ir. Nur Rahmawati, M.P. presented her dissertation entitled ‘The Effects of Entrepreneurship Characteristics on Risk Attitudes of Organic Rice Farmers’. “My research examined farmers’ entrepreneurship characteristics,” told Rahmawati at the FGD at A.R. Fachruddin A on Saturday (6/10).

“Farmers possessing strong entrepreneurship characteristics were braver to take risks,” presented Rahmawati. The risks encompassed prices, production, and fertilizer use. Thus, she recommended that accompaniment be necessary for the farmers so that they can sell their own rice packaged interestingly and can distribute their organic to reduce the price risks.

Meanwhile, Dean of Faculty of Agriculture of UMY Dr. Indira Prabasar, M.P. stated that the FGD was in accordance with an expectation from Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education. “This FGD may enable lecturers to carry out research which benefits community such as providing solutions or positive changes,” declared Indira.

Indeed, Indira maintained that the FGD theme was in line with a goal of UMY, to have entrepreneurship characteristics. “Most of faculties at UMY encourage students to be open-minded about issues of entrepreneurship,” she asserted.

At the FGD attended by Office of Food Security of Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (DIY), lecturers and students of Faculty of Agriculture, Indira bolstered that lecturers and students should innovate. “Our innovation should not end in research, but it should become a commercial product beneficial for community. Therefore, entrepreneurship characteristics should be grown,” stressed Indira.