Yogyakarta, 18 February 2025 — The Department of Agronomy at the Faculty of Agriculture, UGM, held a soft launching event for the upgrading of its greenhouse facilities, as a demonstration of its commitment to enhancing research and learning infrastructure in the field of agriculture. The event was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Vice Deans for Academic & Student Affairs; Finance, Assets, and Human Resources; and Research, Community Service, and Partnerships. Also present were the Head of the Administration Office and the chairs of the departments within the Faculty of Agriculture.
The ceremony opened with remarks from the Chair of the Department of Agronomy, Rani Agustina Wulandari, S.P., M.P., Ph.D., who emphasized the importance of the greenhouse upgrade for supporting both research and teaching. She also expressed appreciation for the cooperation from various parties who contributed to developing the facility, with hopes that it will be maximally utilized to advance learning at the Faculty of Agriculture.
Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Ir. Jaka Widada, M.P., Ph.D., also gave remarks. He conveyed his appreciation for everyone involved in the facility’s development, and expressed his expectation that the upgraded greenhouse will be utilized fully in future academic activities.
As a symbolic inauguration, a tumpeng (traditional cone-shaped rice dish) cutting ceremony was held by the Dean, who then handed the tumpeng over to the Chair of the Department of Agronomy, symbolizing responsibility for managing the facility. Also, the Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, and Partnerships gave a tumpeng to the Head of the Plant Production Management Laboratory, symbolizing support for the greenhouse’s management and use for research and learning.
The event continued with a presentation by Ir. Agoes Wijaya, Director of CV Jayasakti Mandiri. He provided an overview of the scope of work, explaining in detail the installation work in the greenhouse upgrade, including glass house renovations and the new irrigation & fertigation system. At the end of his presentation, he also gave a manual operation guide so users can understand how to operate the updated facility effectively and according to the established standards.
After the presentation, the participants were taken on a tour of the greenhouse itself to see the results of the upgrades. They were able to observe the new features that have been implemented and learn more deeply how the system works to support both research and learning.
This soft launching of the greenhouse upgrade aligns with the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education. With these improved facilities, students gain access to more modern and technology-based learning tools, which can improve the quality of both education and research in agriculture. It is hoped that this renewed greenhouse will be optimally used to support research, innovation, and improvement of student competence in the future.
Author: Mareta Aulia Putri
Editor: Yudha Pria Wibawa
Photo: Department of Agronomy