Seputarkarawang.com - Karawang, KARAWANG — The world of agriculture continues to develop along with the emergence of various cultivation methods, both conventional and modern. In the midst of the challenges of climate change and increasingly unpredictable weather, farmers are required to be able to adapt to the latest planting patterns and agricultural technology so that productivity is maintained. Seeing these conditions, the West Java Province Agricultural Training Center (Bapelta) in Cianjur is holding climate and agribusiness smart training aimed at farmers, especially the millennial generation. The training aims to increase farmers' understanding regarding adaptive cultivation strategies to weather changes, starting from determining the right planting time to selecting plant varieties that suit environmental conditions.One of the participants from Karawang Regency who took part in the training admitted that he had learned many valuable lessons regarding the development of modern technology-based agriculture. He was one of the participants recommended by the Karawang Regency Agricultural Service to take part in this activity.According to him, the world of agriculture today is no longer synonymous with old-fashioned or unpromising work. With the support of technology and innovation, agriculture actually has a great opportunity to become a productive and profitable future business sector.This is proven through smart farming-based agricultural management using a greenhouse system which is currently being developed. This concept utilizes modern technology, such as automatic temperature regulation, scalable irrigation systems, and biological technology to support more optimal plant growth.
Head of the West Java Province Agricultural Service, Dadan Hidayat, said that the development of agricultural technology is currently increasingly rapid. Various innovations continue to be developed, especially greenhouse and smart farming systems which are considered capable of increasing agricultural efficiency and productivity."Agricultural technology continues to develop. Currently, many modern systems use automatic temperature control, humidity regulation, and other supporting technologies to increase agricultural yields," he said.In Karawang Regency itself, the concept of modern agriculture has actually emerged through the ex-TTM (Taiwan Technical Mission) greenhouse facility which was previously a center for modern agricultural education. However, it is currently considered that these facilities have not been utilized optimally after the contract period ends in December 2025.Seeing this condition, Nur hopes that the government can provide opportunities for millennial farmers to manage some of these greenhouse facilities so that they become productive and useful for the community.He believes that the existence of these modern greenhouses can become a center for horticultural development as well as a means of agricultural education for the younger generation. Apart from focusing on horticultural cultivation, his party also plans to develop the concept of smart farming, selling superior seeds, student farming, student research centers and agricultural vocational schools, and opening agricultural education classes, both free and paid.This concept, he said, has begun to be proven through the management of horticultural land at Glenmore Farm in Puseurjaya Village, East Telukjambe District, Karawang Regency.One of the commodities currently being developed is melon cultivation. According to him, melons have great potential to become a superior commodity as well as a horticultural icon in Karawang Regency because they are considered suitable for cultivation in areas with hot temperatures like Karawang.He said, apart from having high economic value, melon cultivation can also be developed into melon picking tourism, student farming, and agricultural educational tourism which can attract the interest of the public and the younger generation in the world of modern agriculture."Melons can become one of the self-sufficient food commodities besides rice in Karawang Regency. The potential is very large. "Because it is suitable for the weather conditions in Karawang and has high economic value," he said.In the future, he hopes that the regional government, especially the regent, can provide real support for the development of millennial agriculture in Karawang, either through land access, training, or strengthening modern agricultural technology."The hope is that agriculture can become the main sector of interest to young people and become a driving force for the community's economy, especially in the fields of horticulture and smart farming," he said.
