International Tropical Farming Summer School (ITFSS) was officially opened on Wednesday (10/8). The participants of the summer school were from Indonesia and Thailand, while the foreign keynote speakers were from Khon Kaen University Thailand, Eindhoven University of Technology of the Netherlands, and Univesite Savoie Mont Blanc of Fance.

Dr. Panupoon Hongpakdee from Khon Kaen University, who firstly came to Indonesia, cultivation techniques in Thailand, particularly northeast Thailand. “I would like to discuss cultivation techniques of integrated agriculture of tropical areas in Thailand. The study case was in northeast Thailand since the area is well-known for the rice production,” Panupon stated.

Dr. Panupon explained that Thai farmers have possessed various farming systems. Thai farmers are good at managing their land, and the agricultural development is due to the support of Thai government, particularly the King of Thailand.

“Cultivation Techniques study distinguishing the utilization of harvests. After the crops are produced, they will be divided into to be sold in markets and to be returned to farmers. The harvests returned farmers would be used and consumed by the farmers themselves,” he told.

Dr. Panupon argued that agricultural systems of Indonesia are quite similar to the systems in Thailand due to the similarity of topography, located in tropical areas. “However, I found of differences. For instance, Yogyakarta is an area near volcanoes so that the agricultural system is distinctive from the system in Thailand. Thai farmers have various techniques to produce yeast, cassava, rubber, and sugar cane for the economy,” Panupon conveyed.

He inserted that Thai government acquainted modern agricultural technology to foster the harvests. The crops are the research results such as how to manage fertilization, how to enhance the preparation of soybean seed before planting, and how to market the harvests. “If farmers can produce a lot of harvests but they do not know how to sell the corps, the agricultural system may not be developed,” Panupon emphasized.

Additionally, Patrick van Schijndel, an energy expert from Technical University of Eindhoven, appreciated the nine-day summer school. “Even though I am not an agricultural engineer, I attempted to share engineering, especially agricultural engineering, with the participants. I noticed that the participants were enthusiastic. I wish that the next summer school can be held a little bit longer, and the participants can be conducted joint research of producing energy,” Patrick ended.