Rural Sustainable Agriculture: Uplifting both Productivity and Environmental Protection

Nurdahalia Lairing or known as Lia is now teaching at Universitas Muhammadiyah Enrekang (UNIMEN), South Sulawesi. She is also the Lead-Researcher at the Research Centre for Communication, Social Ecological Learning and Sustainable Environment under the UNIMEN. The research centre has been handling a training course called as Design and Development of a Digital Farmer Field School (DFFS) for rural farmers in Enrekang to reach broader information and knowledge about sustainable agriculture. The prominent idea is to increase farmer access to rural extension services using an online platform, targeting rural communities in South Sulawesi to reach their optimum productivity and at the same time encouraging to preserve the environment.

The project has been working since 2018 under the collaboration between Van Hall Larenstein (VHL) University of Applied Science (HVHL) and UNIMEN via the Research Centre for Communication, Social Ecological Learning and Sustainable Environment.

“Enrekang district is known and nominated for its highest agricultural production in South Sulawesi province, yet it is located in remote area, make it difficult to access an advanced information and technology that support its environmental sustainability.” The fact drove and urged Lia years back then to pursue a higher study, to get a depth understanding on sustainable rural development. She was highly motivated to make ‘change’ and contribute on the development of her hometown. Lia’s bachelor background was in Animal Husbandry and at that moment she was working on public health sector in NGO. Due to her nonlinear trajectory, she was firstly doubted that she could get any scholarship to study abroad.

While preparing for her English proficiency, coincidently Lia was given a book by a friend. Inside the book is the list of universities and program in the Netherlands that made into an alphabetical order. Lia remembered of opening the last page, finding Van Hall Larenstein, that offer a transdisciplinary program on Management of Development. Lia knew that this would be the ‘start’ of her miraculous journey in both academic and career progress. Not taking too long, she decided to begin the correspondence with the university and got accepted in the program within the specialization on Training Rural Extension and

Transformation (TREAT) which currently changed to Rural Development and Communication.

The challenges to study in the Netherlands continued even after receiving the conditional acceptance letter. She was relocated by her office to Meulaboh, Aceh province for the emergency response during Tsunami-disaster. “I was too hectic with work, with the disaster-response and no internet connection in Meulaboh. I almost forgot about my study plan. An Nuffic-Neso officer suddenly phone-called me, saying I am nominated for the NFP scholarship, and later she also post-mailed me the form to my office in Meulaboh”. Even after receiving the form, Lia had no idea about what to do. She had nobody to consult and had very limited knowledge about applying a scholarship. Long story short, Lia sent the application on the due date and several months later she was informed that she was granted the scholarship.

She later understood that she made all right decision to study, and all her efforts were paid off. She began to study in Wageningen (Van Hall Larenstein was once merged with the Wageningen University) and enjoyed all the taught process. She got all her learning need as the applied science program provided more practicalities she later needs as a practitioner. Studying in the Netherlands was indeed, making Lia facing whole new cultures and academic system. But surprisingly, “I was not stressed out of the studying. It was more like when I was at work. It is a professional master, so the study activities were much focused on putting theory into practices. After being taught of a new conceptual framework, the professor would ask us (students) to go back to our organization and contextualize the analysis using the framework or theories he brought up to the class”.

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Lia is much grateful for every experience she received during her master study and for her, the Netherlands is the best destination to learn about agriculture for its advanced and sustainable concern. After graduated, Lia had assisted three colleagues who later also pursuing the program she took at VHL University. She reckons that in enhancing agricultural system, its important to do ‘regeneration’ in both human and natural resource. Lia encourages many more young farmers to go back to farming, grasp and catch up with the latest technology. The ‘modern farming’ Lia refers is the one that put a high consideration on sustaining the land, nature and environment that will be passed down to the following generation.

Being not taking for granted, Lia realizes her dream and ideas by keeping the network she gained in the Netherland closed, especially with her supervisors and lecturers at VHL, Dr. Loes Witteveen. Together with Dr. Witteveen, Lia initiated the DFFS project in Enrekang district as a joint research of UNIMEN, VHL, and the government of Enrekang district. This project is also part of keeping her promise to contribute to sustainable rural development in Indonesia.