Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Meneth Ginting, M.A.D.E. was born on July 15, 1940 in Tigalingga, Dairi Regency, North Sumatra. He took his elementary education at Bukit Karo-Tigalingga from 1947 to 1953, junior high school at HKBP Sidikalang Junior High School (1953-1956), and high school at SMA Negeri 1 Kabanjahe (1956-1959). After graduating high school, he continued his studies at the Department of Social Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara from 1960 to 1966. In 1973, he participated in the Persatuan Peladang Malaysia Study in Selangor, Malaysia, sponsored by The A/D/C Inc. United States for two months and the Quantitative Economic Analysis course UNSYAH-The A/D/C Inc. United States for three months. Later, he continued his master’s degree at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Australia, from 1976 to 1978.


In 1979, he underwent LENS (Leadership Effectiveness New Strategies) education at The Institute of Cultural Affairs, New York; in 1980, he carried out an Indonesian-Swedish exchange university staff at the University of North Sumatra with Upsala University, Sweden; and in 1986 took a cooperative comparative course-study in Germany at the invitation of Friedrich Ebber Stichtung in West Germany. Then, he continued with a comparative study of the environment as a participant in the International Visitor Program (IVS) at the invitation of the United States Government in 1988. He obtained his doctoral education (S3) from Institut Pertanian Bogor, Department of National Development Extension in 1999 with the dissertation title “Cooperative Organizational Dynamics: A Study of the Influence of Organizational Dynamics Factors on the Success of Cooperatives”: Village Unit Cooperatives (KUD) and Credit (CU) in Karo Regency, North Sumatra.”


His professional career began in 1962 as a teaching assistant. Then, it progressed to become a lecturer and Head of the Department of Agricultural Socio-Economics at the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Assistant Dean (Vice Dean) III and II of the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara, until he became Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara (February to September 1985). Shortly after becoming Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture of the Universitas Sumatera Utara, in September 1985, he was appointed as Regent of Karo for the period 1985-1990. In 2000, he returned to the academic field by actively lecturing at the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara, the Postgraduate Program of Regional and Rural Development Planning (PWD), Universitas Sumatera Utara and IAINSU, and the Postgraduate Program of Notariat, Universitas Sumatera Utara. Then, from 2004-2010, he became the Rector of the Quality Universitas Quality/Universitas Karo (UKA) Kabanjahe Private College.


Prof. Meneth Ginting. Meneth Ginting has also held various duties and positions, such as Expert Staff of BIMAS SSBM (Mass Guidance of Self-Sufficiency in Foodstuffs) North Sumatra (1966-1970), Chairman of the Indonesian Agro-Economic Survey (SAE) North Sumatra (1969-1972), Advisor to the Regional Development Coordinating Board (BAKOPDA) or the North Sumatra Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDASU) (1974-1976), Advisor to the Chairman of BAPPEDASU and Chairman of the North Sumatra Coastal Village Development Team (1978-1985), Research Fellow at ANU, Canberra (1979 and 1981), Chairman of the Community Service Institute (LPPM) of the Universitas Sumatera Utara (1980-1985), and Expert Staff of the North Sumatra Environmental Planning and Development Agency (BAPPEDALDASU) (2000-2010).

Some of his books include Housegardens-The Last Resort together with Prof. D.H. Penny (1980), Konsepsi dan Pelaksanaan Desa Pantai bersama dengan Prof. Bahauddin Darus (1982), Pekarangan, Petani, dan Kemiskinan: Suatu Studi tentang Sifat dan Hakikat Masyarakat Tani di Sriharjo Pedesaan Jawa bersama dengan Prof. D.H. Penny (1984), Idaman & Harapan Masyarakat Desa Kabupaten Karo (1990), Waktu Akan Berlalu, Kenangan Indah Akan Tertinggal: Surat-surat dari Tanah Karo (2002), Pembangunan Masyarakat Desa (Sebuah Refleksi) (2006), Penyuluh & Petani: Studi Hakikat Hubungan Manusia Fakultas Pertanian USU & Para Petani Sumatera Utara (2020, second edition), and Pelita Hati: Jati Diri Dosen Idaman (2020).


Prof. Dr. Ir. Meneth Ginting, M.A.D.E., is actively teaching at the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara, and is known as a figure who is highly interested in agricultural economics and development economics, farmers, poverty, rural community development, agricultural extension, cooperatives, and the Karo community.