16 March 2023
Anonymous Writer
Field trip conducted by Agribusiness students of the Plantation Agribusiness Management course, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Sumatera Utara (USU) on Saturday, March 11, 2023. This activity is highly beneficial for applied education and for the development of students' knowledge in reading the future job market.
The field trip, participated by 60 students from the Agribusiness Study Program of USU’s Faculty of Agriculture, was held at the ASIAN AGRI’s Tanah Datar Palm Oil Plantation located in Batubara Regency, North Sumatra Province. This activity served as an application and direct practice of the Plantation Agribusiness Management knowledge they had previously learned theoretically in their lectures at USU.
The field trip method (study tour) is a journey undertaken by students to gain learning experiences, especially direct experience, which is an integral part of the Plantation Agribusiness Management course curriculum.
Students gained hands-on experience from the objects they observed, engaging in work tasks, asking questions, and solving problems encountered, enabling them to draw useful conclusions.
Ms. Charloq explained that during the visit to Tanah Datar Plantation, the field trip activities included: Observing management activities, online record-keeping techniques, fertilizer/asset warehouse stock management, pest & disease control for oil palm, fertilization activities, palm oil mill (PKS) processing, maintenance and post-harvest activities, utilization of empty fruit bunch organic waste, as well as harvesting technologies supported by fruit harvest database application, all while focusing on economic business management.
During the visit, students were trained by ASIAN AGRI staff to stand in formation and practice team spirit before starting and completing tasks, with chants that energized their spirits. The students, wearing helmets and field boots, diligently took notes with enthusiasm and joy.
To respond to technological advancements, digitalization, and the demands of the industrial world, as a supervising lecturer, Ms. Charloq explained that this plantation field trip is part of the implementation of the Outcome-Based Education (OBE) curriculum, which focuses on learning outcomes, aiming to fulfill knowledge, skills, and attitudes in line with social, economic, and academic cultural contexts.
Through this field trip, students are sharpened to think creatively, gain new experiences, observe and understand issues directly in the field, and hone their technical or application skills. In addition, students are not bored with just classroom learning methods, enabling them to recall, comprehend, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create in real-life situations.
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