Sunday, 23 February 2014

FAO OPTIMISTIC ABOUT TECHNOPRENEURSHIP IN INDONESIA



FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) or world food organization is optimistic about the realization of technopreneurship (entrepreneurship) in Indonesia. One of the ways is that Indonesia should more intensively do collaboration, including research with international institutions. Fisheries is one of the potential sectors for the development of research activities in Indonesia. “We have no money, we cannot products. But, the international agencies have. We have fertilizers, fish seeds for research in 100 locations in various villages. From the result of the research, it can be directed at technopreneurship, to build the local economy, “Director of FAO’s Fisheries Resources and Aquaculture, Indroyono Susilo, told Business News some time ago.

However, Indroyono needs to remind Indonesian researchers to be cautious. This is related to national interest. So far, foreign researchers also have interests in their own countries. In addition, there are many foreign researchers who do not comply with regulations. Genetic resources of Indonesia are the result of the joint research which were eventually taken abroad. It is very disturbing to the authority of the government and sovereignty of the country. “Intellectual Property Rights and Patents should be ours. If they do research in our country, Intellectual Property Rights and Patents belong to us. Patent-protected results of research should not be done alone, but must be done by two persons (with other Indonesian researcher). Because research is a collaboration. And, if it is done by two persons, it can reduce the risk of transfer of research results.”

In addition, foreign researches are also sorting out research materials in Indonesia. They sort out while adjusting their research material to the interests of their country. “It should not be like that. The research should also fit with our national interests. “All research collaboration activities with international institutions must produce increase of capacity of researchers in the country. Research material should also be adjusted to research and development activities in the country. Foreign researchers want to do research in Indonesia, and would transfer knowledge and technology from Indonesian researchers. “Those who come here are S3 (strata three) candidates. We do not need to teach them. If we teach them, it means that they succeeded in increasing their capacity.”

The competence of each research activity must also comply with the research materials. Suppose that the corresponding cooperation projects, including the development of Indonesia-China Center for Ocean and Climate Change. All results of research collaboration are recorded. That is, the research results are not vain, but can be used at any time because it is stored. “We build ocean observation and climate change stations with China, there is capacity building. Especially matters with regard to marine potential, they can be recorded in the station. This is an example of our cooperation with China  which is mutually reinforcing capacity.”

Indroyono admitted that during work, it is highly possible to increase cooperation between FAO and Indonesia. He travelled a lot to different countries in the world, especially Asia Pacific. In this region, there are still a lot of problems of availability of food or famine. Cooperation with Indonesia could be in the form of science and technology development in agriculture, fisheries, and marine. For example, cooperation for strengthening of food security system with nuclear technology for rice is very potential for Indonesia. As a result, hunger rate in the world, especially in Indonesia, could continue to decline. “During the administration of the late Soeharto, the second president of Indonesia, it has provided assistance of 100 thousand tons of rice to Africa. The assistance is to reduce hanger rate in some African countries. Indonesia has shown an active role in world food development. “So it could push Indonesia to more quickly achieve MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) target by 2015. Because the time is just around the corner. We were able to reduce the hunger rate in Africa in 1985.”

Meanwhile, Business News observation in the village of Gumiwang, Banjarnegara, Central Java, is that there was doubt about the continuity of the production of rice and vegetables. Rice supply from each family is processed by farmers in Gumiwang village. But some claimed that their daily needs are lacking. Although almost all kinds of vegetables are produced by farmers, some families still buy from outside the village. Farmers in the Gumiwang village are planting vegetables, maize, cassava, rice and so forth. Types of vegetables include beans, green eggplant, peppers, onions and others. “But the people here have not been able to rely on rice supply from the paddy fields,” a farmer in Gumiwang village, Ali told the Business News some time ago.

Food in security in that village relies on family traditions. So when there is one family member who experienced a shortage, he could still rely on other families who are in surplus. Food security network can be based on the smallest unit, which is the village. In addition to corps, livestock, catfish, carp and gouramies can still be relied on. Most people buy catfish seeds. They raise the fish in the ponds in the backyard. There are also farmers who must find catfish feed, i.e. worms. “They are looking for worms in the ditches in Purbalingga (about two hours drive from Gumiwang). Then the worms are used for feeding catfish. After harvest, they sell them the collectors.” (E)

Business News - February 12, 2014     

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