18 July 2023
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The USU Faculty of Forestry students, under the guidance of Dr. Anita Zaitunah and Dr. Oding Affandi, have collaborated with InHolland University Netherlands students in a case study with the theme "Sustainable Living Lab Food Systems in Support of Food Estate Business Development in Districts in North Sumatra." This activity took place from April to June 2023. This collaboration is part of an initiative supported by Nuffic South East Asia, Universitas Sumatera Utara, and SNV. Nuffic itself is an organization based in The Hague, Netherlands, that facilitates cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands.
The Living Lab concept is used as a medium for students to learn through field experiences involving real business problems. In this project, the Living Lab became a case study platform provided by SNV, an international non-profit organization founded in 1965 in the Netherlands. SNV has been active in Indonesia since 2013 and focuses on three sectors, namely agrifood, energy, and water, with activities spread across several provinces, including North Sumatra.
The purpose of this Living Lab activity is to enable USU Faculty of Forestry students to explore the needs of a region in the context of food estate development. During the Living Lab, students can learn through direct experience in the field. They have the opportunity to apply the knowledge they have learned during lectures, interact with local farmers, observe the natural resources around them, analyze existing problems, and draw conclusions based on their experiences.
The conclusions generated from this Living Lab can be an important input in the development of sustainable food systems in North Sumatra, especially those related to the welfare of farmers and nature conservation, including forests.
This collaboration through the Living Lab, organized by Nuffic, provides a valuable opportunity for the Faculty of Forestry, especially students, to apply the knowledge they have gained, develop their insights, and build networks with foreign students, especially Dutch students. The success of the SNV case study is expected to be the start of a broader collaboration with Dutch institutions and Nuffic, especially within the framework of the Faculty of Forestry's Living Lab.
SNV offers two major topics in this collaboration, namely the development of optimal policies and the role of gender in supply chains. In addition, the collaboration also includes the identification of informal and formal market actors, as well as sustainable investment providers, to define relevant stakeholders, understand their level of participation, and identify key roles in the development of this project.
The Faculty of Forestry student team has carried out various Living Lab activities involving preliminary meetings with Nuffic, SNV, supervisors from the Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Forestry, Polbangtan team, and students and supervisors from InHolland University Netherlands. In addition, regular discussions and visits to the Deli Serdang Regency Agriculture Office were also conducted.
Living Lab activities run by the USU Faculty of Forestry, Nuffic, and InHolland University have been taking place in three locations, namely Hamparan Perak, Percut Sei Tuan, and Pantai Labu, since May 7, 2023. The preliminary field activities in the various locations were conducted to gain a better understanding of local conditions, existing case studies, and planning activities to be carried out. This activity also provided a deeper insight into the agricultural sector in the Deli Serdang Region, through discussions and guidance on the field activities to be carried out.
In addition, a coordination meeting between Nuffic, SNV, students, and supervisors from the Faculty of Forestry and Faculty of Agriculture was held at the Faculty of Agriculture of USU. The meeting was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Forestry and the Head of the Forestry Department. During the meeting, the students presented their case study results and interacted with representatives from Nuffic and SNV. This activity also involved further discussions between Nuffic, the supervisory team, SNV, and the USU Internationalization and Global Cooperation department.
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