Blended learning combines the advantages of face-to-face meetings with the benefits of web-based learning. It integrates direct interactions with facilitators and self-directed learning. During face-to-face offline meetings, direct interaction with facilitators can enhance cognitive engagement by fostering dialogues between facilitators and participants in training or extension programs. Additionally, face-to-face meetings can initiate independent activities based on real-world issues.

Blended learning relies on integrating technology into education. Subejo (2018) argues that technology usage is influenced by gender and farmers’ societal status. Male farmers tend to adopt information and communication technology faster than females. Additionally, farmers with higher societal status, like opinion leaders, are quicker to adopt technology to disseminate information among their peers. This difference arises from their need to utilize media channels for rapid and equitable information sharing among their community members. read more

The increasing utilization of the internet in Indonesia holds significant promise for agricultural knowledge enhancement. Farmers have diverse information needs spanning agricultural cultivation techniques, soil fertility management, pest control, post-harvest management, and market information. However, the digitalization of agricultural information is also necessitated by the shortage of extension workers in Indonesia. Due to this shortage, extension workers have to fulfill multiple roles as initiators, facilitators, motivators, teachers, analysts, and change agents. To address this, collaborative efforts between extension workers and agricultural stakeholders are underway to increase the digitalization of extension services. This often involves integrating digital platforms with conventional face-to-face extension, known as the blended learning approach. Yet, not all communities can optimally utilize digital resources, especially considering the older age of many farmers. read more

Comparing alternative provision possibilities through extension services. The over-application of fertilizer is very common, especially when fertilizer is heavily subsidized. This overuse reduces farmers’ yields, leads to soil degradation and harms the environment. Soil tests can provide information that allows farmers to determine the right mix and quantity of fertilizer. This can help farmers to manage their soils more sustainably. Yet, soil tests are rarely applied, also because they typically exceed the costs that extension services can cover. This raises the question of how soil tests could be distributed to farmers in a way that ensures adoption and is at least partially cost covering. To answer this question, we investigated farmers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for rapid low-cost paddy soil tests in Indonesia. We compare two ways how government extension offices could distribute soil tests. read more

This policy brief presents results from a randomized controlled trial that compares the effectiveness of a 1-day training against a 2-day training on sustainable soil management. The training was targeted at smallholder rice farmers. The second day of the 2-day training focused on soil testing using a rapid low-cost soil test kit (PUTS). Both training groups are also compared to a benchmark scenario where farmers do not get any training. Specifically, the evaluation addresses the following questions: read more

Training improves farmers’ soil fertility management. Including soil testing may make it more sustainable. Since the 1960s, Indonesian rice farmers have widely adopted “Green Revolution” type techniques to achieve rapid productivity increases. However, the extensive use of such techniques, specifically the overapplication of chemical fertilizers, has induced environmental costs. These costs include degraded water quality, reduced soil quality and biodiversity loss. According to the National Development Planning Agency BAPPENAS (2014), the overapplication of Nitrogen-rich fertilizers has caused widespread deterioration of agricultural land. Providing farmers with information about soil nutrient principles, balanced fertilizer application recommendations, along with the provision of low-cost rapid soil tests can increase farmers’ ability to manage their soils in a more sustainable way and hence mitigate further soil degradation. read more

After decades of focusing on the uptake of chemical fertilizer, promoting sustainable farming is ranking high on the policy agenda. In Indonesia, intensive cultivation combined with a high reliance on chemical fertilizer have increased soil acidity and reduced the soil organic content of rice fields. Over application of chemical inputs is costly to the environment and expensive for farmers. Organic farming practices offer an alternative, either to substitute part of the chemical inputs or as a complete system. read more

The intensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has contributed to a significant decrease in poverty rates; however, it is also associated with negative impacts on soils, water resources, and biodiversity. Presently, only a small fraction of agricultural land worldwide is cultivated sustainably prioritizing soil health. The intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides has contributed to an unprecedented reduction in poverty, however, it is also associated with negative impacts on soils, water resources, and biodiversity. In Indonesia alone, an estimated 107 million hectares of land are currently experiencing acidification, partly due to decades of excessive fertilization. The intensive and often unbalanced use of chemical fertilizers has also greatly reduced soil organic matter. read more

Yogyakarta  – Program Studi Penyuluhan & Komunikasi Pembangunan (PKP) Sekolah Pascasarjana UGM bekerja sama dengan Universitas Terbuka-Universitas Filipina, menggelar kuliah umum yang dihadiri oleh Dekan Fakultas Ilmu Informasi dan Komunikasi sekaligus pakar dan peneliti Universitas Filipina, Alexander G. Flor, Ph.D, pada Senin (16/09), dengan mengusung tema tentang “Environmental Communication & The Science of Delivery”.

Kuliah umum ini dihadiri oleh para mahasiswa program magister maupun doktor PKP beserta para dosen PKP UGM, didampingi dengan Ketua dan Sekretaris Program Studi PKP Sekolah Pascasarjana UGM, Prof. Dr. Ir. Sunarru Samsi Hariadi, MS. dan Subejo, SP., M.Sc., Ph.D. read more