Iin Handayani: Pertanian Sebagai Tulang Punggung Perekonomian
Dr. Iin Handayani (kiri) dari Murray State University menyampaikan kuliah tamu di FP-UB
Pertanian memiliki pengaruh besar terhadap lingkungan karena menggunakan 40 persen dari
area bumi, menyerap 70 persen air serta menyumbang 30 persen gas rumah kaca. Seorang
Associate Professor dari Murray State University, Kentucky, Amerika Serikat, Iin Handayani,
MSc, PhD menyampaikan hal ini pada kuliah tamu di Fakultas Pertanian Universitas
Brawijaya (FP-UB). Diselenggarakan pada Senin (17/6), kegiatan ini mengambil tema
"Future Agriculture For A Sustainable World: Global Challenge and Innovation".
"Hingga saat ini, Amerika masih memandang pertanian sebagai backbone dari
perekonomian," kata Iin mengawali paparannya. Karena itu, menurutnya pemerintah sangat
memperhatikan keberlangsungan keluarga petani dengan memberikan subsidi, pinjaman dan
beasiswa kepada penerus keluarga agar lahan pertanian tidak berkurang. "Ini yang harus
menjadi perhatian kita semua jika ingin menjadi negara yang maju," ia menambahkan.
Kata Iin, pertanian dunia masih menghadapi 4F yakni food, fibre, feed dan bio-fuel. "Selama
masih ada kebutuhan empat hal tersebut, bidang kerja pertanian dunia tidak akan kekurangan
lahan pekerjaan," katanya. Keempat hal tersebut, menurutnya memiliki tantangannya masingmasing. Pada 2050 misalnya, kebutuhan makanan secara global akan meningkat dua kali
lipat. "Food security di Indonesia rendah karena masih tergantung negara lain," ungkap dia.
Amerika, tambahnya, memiliki keinginan untuk menguasai sistem pertanian dunia. "Mereka
berusaha menjadi yang terbaik dan menguasai pasar," katanya. Dari hal tersebut, mereka pun
beranggapan akan dapat mengatur yang lain.
Yang harus dicermati adalah, 26-30 persen rata-rata penghasilan penduduk Indonesia
digunakan untuk pembelian makanan. Jika dibandingkan negara maju, penduduk Singapura
hanya menghabiskan 8 persen, Amerika 9 persen dan Malaysia 15 persen. "Semakin besar
pengeluaran yang ditujukan untuk makanan, membuat pembelian hal lain menjadi sangat
eksklusif," lengkap dosen yang kini menjadi warga negara Amerika Serikat.
Secara global sistem pertanian terbagi empat yakni pertanian modern, semi-modern,
tradisional dan sistem campuran. "Masing-masing bagus dan memiliki tujuannya sendirisendiri," katanya. Yang harus diperhatikan, menurutnya adalah dari sisi sosial, ekonomi dan
lingkungan, dimana sebaiknya ketiga hal tersebut saling terintegrasi.
Iin pun mengingatkan bahwa yang seringkali diabaikan dari sustainable development adalah
masalah soil management. Karena menurutnya, tanah dan yang dibawahnya seringkali
terlupakan. Tanah pun diibaratkannya sebagai jiwa yang tidak terlihat sementara tanaman
adalah segala hal yang terlihat secara fisik. "Keseimbangan diantara keduanya harus dilihat
sebagai factor kontribusi yang paling mendasar," pungkasnya. [waw/denok]
Iin Handayani: Agriculture as the Backbone of Economics
Dr. Iin Handayani (left) from Murray State University gives a guest lecturing in FP-UB
Agriculture has a big influence to environment because it uses 40 percents of earth’s area. It
absorbs 70 percents of water and contributes 30 percents of greenhouse gas. An Associate
Professor from Murray State University, Kentucky, United States, Iin Handayani, MSc, PhD
stated this on a guest lecturing in Faculty of Agriculture Universitas Brawijaya (FP-UB)
which was held on Monday (17/6) took a theme "Future Agriculture For A Sustainable
World: Global Challenge and Innovation".
"Up to now, US still sees agriculture as a backbone of economincs," said Iin to begin his
lecturing. Therefore, according to her, the government pays a big attention to the
sustainability of farm families by giving subsidy, loan, and scholarship to family successors
to aviod the diminished of agriculture land. “It becomes our concern if we want to be a
developed country,” she added.
Iin said, the world agriculture still faces 4F, e.g., food, fibre, feed, and bio-fuel. "If there is
the needs for those four things, agriculture in the world will not lack of land of jobs," she
said. Those four things, according to her, they have each their own challenges. On 2050 for
example, the needs of food globally will increase twice. "Food security in Indonesia is low
because it still depends on other countries," she said.
US, she added, has a desire to dominate the system of world agriculture. "They try to be the
best and dominate the market," she said. Form these, they assume that they can control other
things.
One that must be observed is, 26-30 perents of the average income of the population in
Indonesia is used to by food. If compared to developed countries, the population of Singapore
only takes 8 percents, US takes 9 percents and Malaysia 15 percents. "The bigger the
expenditure which is shown for food makes buying other things becomes very exclusive,"
completed a lecturer who now becomes the citizen of US.
Globally, agriculture system is devided into four things; modern agriculture, semi-modern,
traditional and mixture systems. "Each system is good and has its own purposes,” she said.
One that must be concerned is, according to her, is on social, economics, and environment,
where those three things should be integrated each other.
Iin reminds, things which are commonly forgotten from sustainable development is the issues
of soil management. Therefore, according to her, soil and under it are often forgotten. Soil is
seen physically. "The balance between both mst be seen as the basic factor to contribute,"she
said. [waw/denok/translated by agung]