G

adjah Mada University's Center for People's Economy Studies (Pustek) in cooperation with the General Soedirman Center (JSC) on Thursday launched the establishment of Farmer School in their bid to help empower farmers.

'We want to improve the prospects for farmers by educating and organizing them,' Pustek head Revrisond Baswir said on Thursday.

The JSC chairman Bugiakso said that Farmer School was established on concerns about decreasing prosperity for farmers and a decrease in their products year after year.

'On the other hand, imports of agricultural products have been increasing. Something has gone wrong with agricultural policy in terms of national food security,' said Bugiakso.

Subjects to be taught in the school will focus on knowledge about wider agricultural economic politics such as agricultural development, the history of policies and the farmer's movement, problems related to the agricultural trade system, institutional empowerment strategies and networking.

Revrisond said between 25 to 30 farmers were expected to join the first batch of participants at the school. Priority will be given to young farmers both from Yogyakarta and the neighboring Central Java province. The selection test had been done and the course study is ready to start this Saturday.

Participants will enrol for 40 hours of study that is estimated to be completed in two months. Apart from theory, they will be provided with workshops and field visits to a number of agricultural production centers.

The core teachers will be from UGM, while others are practitioners such as from farmers' associations.

 'The graduates are expected to understand the trade system in the agricultural sector so that farmers will be capable of managing their trade instead of being managed by middlemen and moneylenders,' Revrisond went on.

To improve the participants' insight, he added, the school will also apply the university's national study service scheme (KKN).

Deputy chairman of the people service division of UGM's Research and Community Institute (LPPM), Irfan Dwidya Prijambada expressed hope that the school would be able to empower farmers and free them from a dependent condition.