On October 21, 2024, an activity to introduce zeoponic planting media technology for horticultural plant nurseries was carried out at the Mojosongo Agricultural Counceling Centre Office, Boyolali Regency, Central Java. This is a series of activities for “Dosen Pulang Kampung 2024” proposed by Dr. Suwardi, Dr. Dyah Tjahyandari, Hermanu Widjaja, MSc.Agr, and Putri Oktariani, M.Agr. It was opened by the Head of Mojosongo District, Mr. Sabdo Haryono. This event was also attended by the Head of the Boyolali Regency Agriculture Service, represented by the Head of Extension, Mr. Joko Susanto. The event began with Dr. Suwardi's presentation starting from the introduction of raw materials, what are the criteria for ideal planting media, to the results of research that has been carried out. Not only introduced in theory, farmers were also invited to practice making zeoponics. Farmers were taught how to mix ingredients, measure EC and pH, and how to store zeoponics. Attended by around 30 farmers representing the Farmers Group Association (Gapoktan) and Women's Farmers Group (KWT) in Mojosongo District, this activity received a very good response. "Very useful and interesting. I will try this media (zeoponics) for kates (papaya) seedlings," said Mr. Wagio, one of the participants. Zeoponics itself is an innovation in planting media made from zeolite, compost, cocopeat and fertilizer developed by Dr. Suwardi and team. The advantage of this media is that it can maintain the EC of the planting media to remain low even though the fertilizer given is quite a lot so that the plant seeds remain fresh because nutrients are available for the plants.

Prof Suria Darma Tarigan of Division of Soil and Water Conservation, DSSLR, served as a mentor for a team consisting of Salsabilla Florensi (DSSLR), Alya Mustira (Department of Plant Protection), and Nattaya Pradnya Paramitha Maheswari (Department of Forest Conservation and Ecotourism) in the Karya Inovasi Sains Nasional (KISN) 2024. Their club, known as Smart Sister Researcher (SSR) and successfully received National’s First Winner, for their paper “AGRILAND : Aplikasi Antisipasi Kelangkaan Air Pada Irigasi Tanaman Pangan Menggunakan Sensor Kadar Air Tanah Remote Sensing dan Geographic Information System (GIS)”. This paper attempts to support dryland agriculture and to contribute to SDGs of zero hunger and food security.  

A team of undergraduate students comprised of M. Saddham Aberalli (LRM), M. Fariz Azri (LRM), Elya Maulanisa (LRM), Ivan Octavianto (Landscape Architecture), dan Prilly Amelia (Landscape Architecture) won silver medal for their presentation. Additionally, they won bronze medal for their poster. Saddham and his team creates constructive video (PKM-VGK) entitled “CONSURFATION: Integrated Alternating Raised Bed System enriched by Fly Ash Bottom Ash as Ameliorant to Manage Food Estate in Peat Soil” The team is supervised by Ir. Wahyu Purwakusuma, MSc.  

The Indonesian Association of Urban and Regional Planners (IAP) and the Master’s Program in Regional Planning, Department of Soil Science and Land Resources, IPB University, has signed an Agreement (PKS) related to collaboration in education, research, community service, and professional development on October 17, 2024, at Dramaga Campus of IPB. The agreement was signed by Dr. Phil Hendricus Andy Simarmata, S.T., M.Si, as the Chairman of IAP Indonesia, and Dr. Andrea Emma Pravitasari, S.P., M.Si, as the Head of the Master’s Program in Regional Planning, Department of Soil Science and Land Resources, IPB University.

Three staffs of BSIP-SDLP, subdivision of National Standardization Agency of Ministry of Agriculture, visited Department of Soil Science and Land Resources on Wednesday, 16 October 2024 to present the revision of SNI-8474:2018 about Generating Semi-Detail Land Suitability Map for Strategic Agricultural Commodities at Scale 1:50.000. Setiyo Purwanto, MSc; Fransiscus B.W, MT; and Adib Hasanawi, MT presented a few revisions related to the standard and looked for comments from DSSLR staffs.  The hybrid meeting was attended by 8 DSSLR staff and 7 others attending through the Zoom.

Adam Szӧke, PhD, the Director of Business Strategy for Africa of Rokosan s.r.o., a Slovak agricultural biotech company, delivered a lecture on the utility of animal by-products for self- sufficiency and food security in Indonesia on Friday, 11 October 2024. Rokosan’s liquid organic amino acid fertilizers improve nutrient absorption, plant stress tolerance, and overall productivity and quality. This public lecture was attended by the company owner and its staff, 6 lecturers from the Department of Soil Science and Land Resources (DSSLR), 6 undergraduate students of study program of Land Resource Management (LRM), 15 Masters students of Soil Science (MSS) and Master Students of Regional Planning (MRP), and 1 Doctoral student of Soil Science.