Agricultural Extension Pun Now Use the Internet

MATARAM, KOMPAS.com - Not only is the dominance of the city, farmers in the village was now close to the internet. For example, in the province of Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB), which began implementing a cyber extension program that is internet-based agricultural extension activities.
"Starting this year cyber extension program was implemented, but starting in four BPP (Institute for Agricultural Extension) at the district level," said Head of the Coordination Body Extension (Bakorluh) Integrated Agriculture (Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry), West Nusa Tenggara, DR Mashur, in Mataram, Wednesday (19/05/2010).
CPP's call Mashur fourth one each in Mataram, West Sumbawa Regency, East Lombok and Bima. The four districts are used as a pilot program of cyber extension was not included in the empowerment of local farmers who carried out this year.
"Four districts were selected because they do not include farmer empowerment programs are also conducted in the six other districts in the NTB region," he said.
According Mashur, now that he is coordinating with various parties in the four districts was to determine the location and activities. Besides getting a computer device that has Internet network, CPP at four locations will also be supported by operational cost of Rp100 million per location.
"In addition to providing counseling via the internet, manager of BPP was able to implement the cultivation techniques of vegetables and other crops and breed livestock so that the necessary funding, and sources danaya from the state budget," he said.
Former Head of Department of Food Crops and Horticulture NTB was explained, the application of cyber extension was to facilitate extension to farmers, who conducted the field officers. Through the cyber extension, extension can be done in the Office of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry Bakoorluh district level, known as Agricultural Extension Center (CPP), but the farmers as participants disuluh remain in his village.
Guidance in this way can be done through a number of Internet connections at a time in which each participant can see the faces of participants as well as penyuluhnya on the screen. Cyber extension is also a new system in the extension as currently implemented extension methods namely training and visit system.
Exercise of staff, farmers / farmer groups, farmer groups and joint (farmer group union), as well as periodic visits to the farmers and the BPP officers farmer group union periodically by the extension.
In addition, extension activities as well as through the dissemination of information in the form of leaflets, brosor, and bulletins as well as film screenings about agriculture through mobile units that travel to the villages. "In the future, the more diverse pattern of extension, in addition to the old ways will also be marked with the Internet-based counseling," said Mashur.
Now, the number of integrated agricultural extension agent in NTB recorded as many as 1830 people, but only 760 people who still serve as field workers and the status of Civil Servants (PNS). Ideally, the village has a extension so that the number of villages in the area of value added reached 911 villages, while only 760 field extension workers, which may lack as many as 151 people.
Helps Agricultural Extension Workers (TBPP) or known as Labor Day Off (THL) in the NTB region has currently reached 651 people, who used to cover the shortage of agricultural extension in NTB.