A professorship at the Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Dr. Irham, M.Sc., develops a recording farming business platform named Rektanigama. Rektanigama is an abbreviation stands for Rekam Usahatani Gadjah Mada which has a function as recording farming tool of digital application.
This application is developed in the hope it can make the recording farming easier precisely on supporting organic certificate administration needs and generally becoming a part of the managerial activity in the farming business with complex commodities.
“We still need a big improvement in this case. The system of recording farming business has been existed in England since 1800, moreover we know that our farmers consider that it does not necessary for them to record,” he said in Fortakgama room on Tuesday (11/2)
Irham uttered the initiation of digital recording had been launched since 2013 under the introduction name of “Pokniluh”, it is a tabulation portal for farming data in the network and it was trialled in Kulon Progo supported by dedication funds from LPPM UGM. In order to respond to the needs of farmers as final users, the Pokniluh is transformed into Rektanigama.
According to Irham, the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education became one of the parties who played a major role in this transformation. Rektanigama has several advantages compared to Pokniluh, one of which is that farmers are not only recording the farming input at the end of management, but also recording the daily activities in detail, yet still prioritizing easy and practical principles.
"Farmers' social and cultural conditions are the main consideration for the Rektanigama team. The has to be committed so that the application of Rektanigama website is accessible and will be easily used by farmers," he said.
Irham said that recording farms (farm records) is not only beneficial in the type of commercial farming but also farming with subsystem types, both with organic and conventional (non-organic) business systems. In organic farming systems, the recording of farming even becomes an aspect which is technically required for certification.
"From the product category, the recording of farming business guarantees the traceability of a commodity, as a result, it can provide adequate information for consumers," he said.
To be compared to Pokniluh, Rektanigama has advantages, one of which is that farmers are not only recording on farming input at the end of management, but also recording the daily activities in detail, yet still prioritizing easy and practical principles. Nevertheless, farmers’ social and cultural conditions are still considered as the main point for the Rektanigama team in finding ways to the easiest record systems for farmers.
Thus, Rektanigama team is committed to providing the application of Rektanigama website becomes accessible and easy to use by the farmers. By supporting funds given by the Ministry of Research and Technology, Rektanigama is expected and aimed at improving itself to become recording farming business of smartphone application.
Rektanigama is also expected to become a hub in the provision of valid, factual and assessable agricultural data. Valid agricultural data, factual and comprehensive can be supported elements used as a tool in policymaking, both at local, regional and national levels.
"We have tested this application in Sleman and Magelang and will be developed towards the perfection of the application. We hope that Rektanigama will become a recommended application for farmers because of its reliability and practicality," he concluded.
Reporter: Agung
Photo: Firsto
Translator: Sasa