Bung Omo Ahmad of the Sumber Jaya Karawang Farmers Group talks about three simple yet effective agricultural technologies in the second episode of NH Radio’s rural radio program.

Ahmad is an agricultural technology expert who works with smallholder farmers in Indonesia, particularly in the Karawang district. In this episode, he discusses drip irrigation, digital applications, and basic harvesting tools that can ease the work of farmers in the field and in the market.

• Drip Irrigation: This efficient technology uses small pipes or even bottles with makeshift holes to release water slowly and directly into the roots of crops. This helps farmers conserve water by preventing run-offs and evaporation loss, as well as reduce the amount of time spent in watering crops [1].
• Digital applications: In this digital age, mobile applications can help farmers bring their products directly to potential consumers without middlemen and/or offer recommendations for effective and profitable farming. Some examples are TaniHub, an agricultural e-commerce platform, and Eragano, an application offering end-to-end farming solutions.
• Basic harvesting tools: Technologies do not have to be expensive or complicated. Farmers can make tools from scrap materials, such as pipes or metal, to help them ease and/or speed up the harvesting process.

Ahmad encourages the adoption of such tools to simplify farmers’ lives. Through this episode, small farmers can learn simple solutions to help them develop their businesses without incurring big costs.

This rural radio initiative is a collaborative project by AMARC Asia-Pacific and ComDev Asia and produced locally by NH Radio 107.9 and the Far East Broadcasting Company. It is supported by the United Nations’ (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization for the UN Decade of Family Farming.

To learn more about other farming practices in Indonesia and the Asia Pacific region, visit the ComDev Asia website and listen to other rural radio episodes.

References

[1] Brouwer, C., Prins, K., Kay, M., & Heibloem, M. (1988). Chapter 6: Drip Irrigation. In Irrigation water management: irrigation methods. https://www.fao.org/4/s8684e/s8684e07.htm