An Update on Dimitra’s Partnership With Indonesian Coffee Farmers
One of the leading missions at Dimitra is to increase farmers’ capacities to leverage agricultural technology. This is crucial if they’re to achieve success while adopting more sustainable farming practices. When used optimally, Dimitra’s agricultural technology (AgTech) solutions can increase crop yields, reduce operations costs, and mitigate farming risks at all levels of operation.
To further this mission, Dimitra works with organizations, government personnel, and education programs around the world to help digitize farming — particularly in rural areas that can benefit from simple AgTech solutions. By collaborating with students, professors, and lecturers in other countries, Dimitra continues to improve its AgTech platform to provide global agriculture workers with an industry-leading experience.
Since 2022, the Dimitra team has been working in Indonesia to help coffee farmers achieve this mission. Here’s how it’s going.
Technological Innovation for Indonesian Agriculture
Dimitra’s farming education in Indonesia takes place among two primary learner groups:
- Regional coffee communities and farming co-ops, such as Solok Radjo Cooperative.
- Current college students at Andalas University, who will soon be professionals in the workforce.
Recently, Dimitra’s Indonesian sales partner, Ricky Tanudibrata, has been focused on helping Solok Radjo farmers and Andalas University students learn to leverage agricultural technology. The main goal of these education efforts is that farmers throughout the region will be able to increase the productivity of their farms and improve the quality of West Sumatra’s famous coffee through accessible technology solutions.
Using satellites, drones, and IoT (Internet of Things) technology both in lectures and field training, Ricky equips engineering students to collaborate with local farmers and to get involved in the latest coffee farming developments. This collaboration is not only improving agricultural education — it’s building important partnerships across industries.
AgTech, Engineering, and Education Among Indonesian Students
Ricky and the Dimitra team educate students at Andalas University. The school is one of the major public research universities in Padang, West Sumatra. In partnership, they developed an integrated Carbon Soil Assessment Program at the University. This program assesses the current health of the soil so it can then be monitored during ongoing regenerative practices. Monitoring occurs using the digital agriculture solution, Dimitra.
Ricky Tanudibrata teaches students how to use the many AgTech features of the Dimitra app. Once students are confident using the platform, they go out into the fields and help local farmers in the Solok Radjo Cooperative learn how to use this technology. In turn, students utilize farm data they collect from their fields to then enhance their studies and analyses.
Lectures give students the opportunity to learn from other professionals and cooperatives while simultaneously getting the chance to practice hands-on engineering skills. When working alongside Ricky and the team, it’s common for students to quickly voice new cutting-edge farming ideas. In one lecture, a group of students brainstormed how they could use drones to spread seeds accurately throughout multiple crop rows. In another lesson, students came up with methods to apply crucial farming data securely to the blockchain.
Because these students could be future leaders in their industries, their interest in advancing these solutions is very promising for careers in agriculture. Lecturers at Andalas University are working to integrate greening and forestry efforts into computer technology and informatics courses.
Recognizing Positive Impacts
Students at Andalas are already recognizing the real positive impacts both greening and agriculture programs can have on their communities. Faranisa (“Rani”) is a third-year IT faculty student at Andalas University. She is seeing both the necessity and possibilities of Dimitra technology first-hand.
Rani’s father works in housing construction. Rani told a story about how she’s been disturbed because the forest was destroyed in front of where she lives in Lake Singkarak. Land continues to be deforested to make space for new buildings. Dimitra’s lessons at the University provided a new experience. They allowed Rani to see that deforestation is a problem that affects everyone, not just workers in agriculture.
Another student impacted by Dimitra’s education is a young man named Aulia. As a last-year student at the University who has started his assignment, he said Dimitra has taught him a lot about the business aspect of farming. He shared, “I finally feel more confident about my hobby of raising chickens. Dimitra’s lessons have taught me new insights about turning this hobby into a business.” Aulia learned that he has to become more familiar with the prerequisites of all aspects of the broiler supply chain if he is to become a better poulterer. AgTech sensing and IoT features, offered through the Dimitra app, can help him accomplish this.
Ricky Tanudibrata: Leading Dimitra’s Mission in Indonesia
Who is Ricky Tanudibrata and why is he leading AgTech education with Dimitra in this region?
Ricky has experience with process engineering, product management, distribution systems, and marketing. This makes it possible for him to facilitate insightful interactions with students of various majors and interests. He’s passionate about using information and communications technology (ICT) to improve people’s livelihoods. Ricky is an avid lifelong learner and he’s been absorbing blockchain technology concepts. His interest in financial technology, agribusiness, AgTech, platform solutions, and the consumer goods supply chain lends him a leadership role in global farming advancements.
Over the past decade, Ricky has focused on mobile technology skills and their relation to social concerns. He’s also been a successful entrepreneur in mobile technology, advertising, and mobile payment solutions where he built one of the most successful prepaid GSM services in Indonesia. He has decades of experience working professionally in telecommunications and consumer goods.
With Dimitra, Ricky leads both classroom lectures and field training opportunities. He aims to motivate students and professionals to take part in coffee farming developments and coffee production. Ricky hopes the outcome of this effort in Indonesia will include the reforestation of barren land into coffee agroforestry. On top of that, he wishes it would bring greater employment opportunities for local coffee communities
Dimitra Technology for Bali’s Forests and Farms
As a country, Indonesia is committed to reducing pollution from carbon emissions. A lot of work still needs to be done, especially when it comes to forest protection. Through building welfare solutions for the people — in the agriculture sector and beyond — the country hopes to meet consumer demands in more responsible and sustainable ways.
There are several ways Dimitra helps farmers increase the quality and sustainability of West Sumatra’s famous coffee. They use satellites to assess local land conditions, which can identify areas that are disturbed by high rain or erosion. This allows farmers to increase forested land cover and develop agroforestry to prevent future crop loss caused by erosion.
Internet of Things (IoT) features help the Solok Radjo Cooperative’s purchasing station improve the consistency and quality of their specialty coffee. Dimitra’s Connected Coffee app is accessible to students and farmers to offer solutions.
An example that Ricky often refers to with the students of how these methods can aid in places like Bali, Indonesia. According to the interim local government, forest cover should take up at least 30% of the island land mass. Regional regulations have been set in place to preserve this goal, an important task for both officials and the community.
Integrating Tourism and Agriculture
What makes Bali such an attractive location for tourism, ritual, and cultural preservation is the collective respect the Balinese Hindu people have for the earth’s resources. Forests, water, mountains, and natural wonders hold a spiritual reverence in Bali. In fact, agriculture throughout the province is a cornerstone of the culture. Without agriculture, there would be no Balinese culture; nor would there be such a charm to the island. This respect and charm are what attract so many tourists every year. It greatly contributes to Bali’s economy, making the increase of greening and preservation efforts a top priority.
Because Bali is a high-traffic tourist destination, greening efforts mean more than simply preserving the local land. If accomplished sustainably, greening methods could serve as a model for similar efforts in other parts of Indonesia and the world.
Throughout Indonesia, Ricky teaches greening and other sustainable farm methods at coffee cooperatives like the Solok Radjo, where 3,300 coffee farmers in West Sumatra learn responsible farming as well as how to use the Dimitra app. This is something that can be replicated in places like Bali, where increasing agricultural and preservation efforts is a top priority. Dimitra is always looking for more places to expand and help farmers where it matters most.
Educating Coffee Farmers of the Future: Why it Matters
Dimitra’s work in Indonesia with the Solok farming collective is only one of many essential steps toward improving coffee farming and its global market. Ricky is one of the millions of collaborations needed to properly facilitate and educate new solutions for smallholder farmers around the world.
“Last February 2023, I had four opportunities to speak in front of students from the Faculty of Computer Science and Informatics, Andalas University (Padang, North Sumatra). So many questions were raised [by] these engineering students with astonishment. We can give many answers. However, the most important is that traditional approaches cannot solve the problems of forests and agriculture. This is a problem that requires a multi-disciplinary approach. Second, forestry and agriculture provide opportunities to build new businesses, especially for engineering and engineering graduates.” — Ricky Tanudibrata
Countries like Indonesia need clear and well-defined targets to achieve responsible agriculture. Now more than ever, the world needs innovative and well-equipped educators. Educators like Ricky, who are willing to invest their careers into lasting farm solutions. This is the work Dimitra aims to spread, with Indonesia as one example of proof that it’s possible.
If you have inquiries or would like to get in touch with Dimitra Incorporated about agricultural farming, contact info@dimitra.io.
