The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) partnered with Rikolto to conduct a two-day training programme on rice consultation service called LKP 2.0 (Layanan Konsultasi Padi). The training took place from 20th to 21st February 2024 in Surakarta as part of our efforts to enhance the welfare of Indonesian rice farmers through sustainable practices and digital innovation. Thirty key farmers representing four Central Java and East Java farmers' organisations were involved, including youths representing the future of agriculture and women, who play pivotal roles in ensuring that women's needs are adequately addressed and integrated into agricultural practices.
Rikolto and IRRI join forces to empower SRP farmers for sustainable crop management
Rikolto and IRRI join forces to empower SRP farmers for sustainable crop management
Ratih Rahmawati
Rice Programme Coordinator
LKP, the Indonesian version of Rice Crop Manager, is a digital tool designed to offer field-specific nutrient and crop management recommendations, drawing from Site-Specific Nutrient Management (SSNM) principles. These recommendations are tailored based on past yields, field conditions, and the farmers' existing management practices. LKP aims to optimise nutrient and water management, thereby enhancing yields and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through SSNM and Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) practices.
LKP complements Rikolto's rice programme, which strives to improve farmers' welfare through adopting Sustainable Rice Platform standards in rice cultivation and mitigating climate change impacts. In addition to using smartphones for communication and entertainment, they can now access valuable agricultural information such as LKP.
The training equipped participants with fundamental nutrients, water management, LKP knowledge, and hands-on experience in interviewing farmers using the LKP tool and generating LKP recommendations. Fifteen rice farmers were actively engaged in the hands-on interviews.
The trained farmers will afterwards train their peers from their respective Farmers' Cooperatives and provide them with LKP recommendations tailored to their fields. These farmers will be encouraged to implement the recommendations during the planting season while receiving guidance via field visits and meetings. The farmers will also present their action plan for the next steps after the training, with all cooperatives set to implement LKP recommendations by the end of April. Additionally, four cooperatives partnering with Rikolto will implement the KP application, benefiting 850 Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) farmers.
