Medan, 3 August 2026 – The Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara (FP USU), continues to strengthen its strategic partnerships to support sustainable agricultural development. One of these efforts was realized through a meeting and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with the Regional Center for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BBMKG) Region I Medan on Monday (3 August 2026) at the BBMKG Region I Medan Office, Jalan Ngumban Surbakti II No. 15, Medan.
The meeting was led by the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, USU, Dr. Rulianda Purnomo Wibowo, S.P., M.Ec., accompanied by the Heads and Secretaries of undergraduate, master's, and doctoral study programs within FP USU. Representing BBMKG Region I Medan were the Head of BBMKG Region I Medan, Dr. Hendro Nugroho, S.T., M.Si., Head of Administration Trismanto, M.H., and members of the working team.
The activity began with remarks from both institutions, followed by participant introductions before proceeding to the Focus Group Discussion (FGD). During the forum, each Study Program Head was given the opportunity to present potential areas for implementing cooperation based on their respective fields of expertise. This approach was intended to ensure that the collaboration would extend beyond the signing of an agreement and lead to concrete programs that provide benefits to the community.
In his remarks, the Head of BBMKG Region I Medan, Dr. Hendro Nugroho, stated that collaboration with Universitas Sumatera Utara was a long-awaited opportunity. According to him, the agricultural sector requires strong support from meteorological and climatological information, particularly amid increasing challenges caused by climate change.
He explained that North Sumatra has unique climate characteristics, with seasonal patterns varying across regions. Phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña, changing rainfall patterns, and the increasing occurrence of hydrometeorological disasters present challenges that must be addressed collectively. Therefore, synergy between BBMKG and higher education institutions is considered essential to developing data-based innovations and solutions that can benefit communities, particularly the agricultural sector.
“We hope that this cooperation will no longer operate partially, but instead generate greater contributions through integrated collaboration. BBMKG has various weather observation facilities, such as radar, Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), Automatic Rain Gauges (ARG), and other observation systems distributed throughout North Sumatra. This potential can be jointly utilized with USU to generate broader benefits for the community.”
Meanwhile, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, USU, Dr. Rulianda Purnomo Wibowo, emphasized that all partnerships established during his five-year leadership should be oriented toward creating tangible impacts.
“Agricultural problems cannot be solved independently. Therefore, cooperation must be able to provide solutions that are directly felt by the community. This is also in line with our curriculum, which emphasizes solving real-world problems through education, research, and community service.”
The discussion actively explored various opportunities for implementing the partnership, including public lectures, practitioner teaching programs, collaborative research, the utilization of meteorological and climatological data in faculty and student research, and the development of climate data-based innovations to support decision-making in the agricultural sector.
At the conclusion of the FGD, the Dean of FP USU emphasized that BBMKG is one of the Faculty of Agriculture’s most strategic partners in supporting agricultural development in North Sumatra. One of the key initiatives discussed was the development of a food price stabilization dashboard integrating weather data as a basis for analyzing and predicting agricultural conditions. The innovation is planned to involve interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly among the Agrotechnology, Agribusiness, and Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Study Programs.
In addition, a research project from the Master's Program in Food Science was identified as having significant potential to serve as an initial implementation of the collaboration with BBMKG. Going forward, the two institutions will follow up on various collaborative programs through public lectures, practitioner teaching, joint research, the utilization of meteorological data in research, and joint scientific publications as part of a mutually strengthening partnership.
Through this meeting, the Faculty of Agriculture, USU, and BBMKG Region I Medan reaffirmed their commitment to developing collaboration oriented toward solutions, innovation, and community impact. The synergy is expected to strengthen the development of science- and climate data-based agriculture, enhance human resource capacity, and support agricultural development that is more resilient to climate change.
The collaboration also represents the Faculty of Agriculture, USU’s contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2: Zero Hunger through strengthening food security; SDG 4: Quality Education through collaboration in education, learning, and research; SDG 13: Climate Action through the utilization of climate data to support climate change adaptation; and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals through strengthening strategic partnerships between higher education institutions and government agencies to develop innovations with meaningful impacts on society.