10 December 2021
Anonymous Writer
Medan – FP USU: The problems faced by farmers in the field are very complex, requiring the transfer of knowledge to achieve better production. The Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara (FP USU), once again took on the trust of the Community Service Institution (LPM) of USU to carry out the Village Development Program in Semangat Village, Merdeka District, Karo Regency, North Sumatra Province.
The activity, titled Improving Community Capacity in Agriculture and Tourism in Semangat Village, Merdeka District, Karo Regency, is led by Dr. Ir. Hasanuddin, M.S., with Dr. Ir. Tavi Supriana, M.S., the current Dean of FP USU, serving as the vice-chairperson. The activity, which took place from July to December 2021, consisted of five subtopics: Potato Leaf Blight Disease, Egg Laying Chicken Farming and the Use of Chicken Manure as Organic Fertilizer, Land Conservation and Balanced Fertilization, Tourism Development, and Planting Calendar as a Guide for Farmers' Planting Patterns.
This event (Saturday, 10/7) was officially opened by Dr. Ir. Tavi Supriana, M.S., who mentioned that this activity is a continuation of last year's program and is expected to continue in the coming years. "We are grateful that this year the Faculty of Agriculture is still trusted to carry out the Village Development Program in Semangat Village, and hopefully, it will continue next year," she said. This was also warmly welcomed by the Head of Semangat Village, Mr. Resmando Sinulingga, S.Sos., who was pleased with the community service activities in his village. "To all of you, please never get tired of sharing your knowledge with us here," he said at the Semangat Village Jambur in front of the implementation team and local villagers present at the time.
During the field activities, Fuad Hasan, S.Pt., M.Si., provided direct training to the Semangat Village community on raising village egg-laying chickens, where it was hoped that the community could benefit from both the eggs and the chicken manure, which could be used as organic fertilizer for their agricultural land. "Initially, the production was 10 eggs, and then it increased to 31 eggs per day," said this lecturer from the Animal Science Study Program, FP USU.
Additionally, the team conducted a demonstration plot (demplot) for potato conservation, taking into account soil analysis in Semangat Village for fertilizer recommendations on potato plants. By applying a low input high output approach, it was hoped that farmers would achieve higher margins from potato farming while implementing land conservation techniques. "We want to change farmers' paradigm regarding fertilization according to soil conditions so that the profit margins for farmers are higher," said Dr. Ir. Sarifuddin, M.P., Head of the Research and Technology Laboratory at FP USU.
Moreover, in this demonstration plot, farmers were able to compare the handling of leaf blight disease, which often attacks potato plants in Semangat Village, on both open-field plants and those in plastic houses. "Ultimately, plants under cover performed better in handling the leaf blight disease," said the Head of the Implementation Team, Dr. Ir. Hasanuddin, M.S.
At the potato harvest event in the demonstration plot for balanced fertilization land conservation (Saturday, 4/12), held on a farmer’s land and attended by the Head of the Implementation Team and the Coordinator of the Land Conservation Activity, the potatoes harvested were of uniform size with low input land. "The potatoes are good, and their size is relatively the same," said Ir. Lahmuddin Lubis, M.P., also a faculty member at FP USU.
Faculty of Agriculture USU Receives Visit from Kijami Table CEO to Explore International Collaboration Opportunities
NewsUSU Faculty of Agriculture PKM-K Team Secures 2026 Funding with Eco-Friendly Polybag Innovation
NewsFaculty of Agriculture Plant Clinic Student Organization Holds Klintan Workshop 2026 on Trichoderma spp.-Based Plant Protection
