Indonesia offers knowledge-based solutions to growers

Malang, Indonesia

Corn University farmers, practicing to plant seed

Focusing on helping seed growers in Indonesia understand how to increase productivity, Pioneer Indonesia is offering knowledge-based solutions to the farming communities through its "Pioneer Corn University" in all production territories (Blitar, Jember and Malang) in East Java.

The program is geared towards transferring agricultural technologies, including land preparation, crop protection, fertilizer applications, quality and pest controls that will help boost the quality and increase yield and corn hybrid crops.

“Through this 'learning-by-doing' and 'train-the-trainer' approach, our employees and grower leaders are able to pass on what they learn to their fellow growers in their groups,” says Jesada Nittayajarn, Production manager, who introduced this concept as a way to see best practices to help increase yields on their own farms and share information with others.

The “Corn University” has been upgraded from the “Corn and Rice School” programs conducted at the Malang production plant in 2010. The Corn School focuses on improving knowledge, skills and ability of all Pioneer field team members. The participants from the field team learn the technical intricacies of how to increase yield and general cultural practices.

In the case of Corn University, the primary target is the grower leaders. Based on the experience of field employees from the Rice School program, leaders can help effectively cascade important farming techniques to fellow growers in their respective groups, thus acting as multipliers. The Corn University has so far achieved higher yields of harvest (from three to four metric tons per hectare to seven to 12 metric tons per hectare), which is a convincing demonstration of how effective agriculture technology is to farmers.

Mardahana, Indonesia country manager added, “Indonesian rural farming communities have limited access to agricultural technology that can help improve their productivity. The Pioneer Corn University makes agronomic information and agricultural technology available to them, thereby building their capability for sustainable agricultural growth. At the same time, the close interactions with the farmers help us gain a better understanding of their challenges, leading to win-win collaboration."