Increase Food Security with Pesticide Control
Novebmber 3 2017, by Scha
There is ways to improve food security which is to control the presence of pests that can decrease food production. However, to control pests, farmers are often uncontrolled to use pesticides can damaged to ecology. Another way to overcome this, to combine the use of controlled pesticides with predators as a natural control of pests.
“This method is quite effective to apply in Europe and I think it will be more effective when applied in Indonesia than in Europe. This is because the characteristics of agriculture in Indonesia have a smaller land area, “explained Professor Keith Walters of Harpers Adam University, UK, as a speaker in the General Agrotechnology Lecture with title “Food Sovereignty trough Sustainable Agriculture “. The general lecture is routinely conducted by Agrotechnology Department, Faculty of Agriculture UMY was held on Thursday (2/10), at Post Graduate Building 5th floor, UMY.
Professor Keith Walters also said that the use of technology in agriculture also helped control the use of pesticides that cause negative effects such as ecological damage. “The use of technology can also control the use of pesticides that can damage the environment and ecology. However as starter it requires a lot of capital, “he added.
Professor Keith Walters also explained that he had tried a way in order to convince people to use what is called the IPM System. “I try to invite local farmers to come together to do research on the problems of using this pesticide. In the hope that they are really understand what really happened and in Europe this method turned to a good results, but in the same times requires a long process, and maybe it can be applied in Indonesia, “he explained again.
Dean of Faculty of Agriculture UMY , Indira Prabasari, Ph.D said the problem of food security is quite important in many countries and UMY as a part of Higher Education Institution also participated in a program called Community Services (Kuliah Kerja Nyata) in remoke area which is a way to help people . “One of the focus actions we have implemented is the development of Green House using low cost funding but also effective and efficient,” she added.