Yogyakarta, August 6, 2025 – Students from the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (DTPB), Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FTP UGM), have once again achieved national recognition at the 3rd Indonesian Agricultural Technology Seminar (STPI III) organized by the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Brawijaya (UB).
Carrying the theme “Strengthening MSME Competitiveness through Appropriate Technological Innovation,” the event was held in a hybrid format via Zoom and on-site sessions. It served as a collaborative platform for academics, researchers, and practitioners in the field of agricultural technology.
This year’s STPI attracted 226 presenters from various universities across Indonesia, reflecting a strong enthusiasm for research-based agricultural technology development. Among them were two student researchers from the Smart Agriculture Research Center, DTPB FTP UGM — Fahmi Arsyad and Mutiara Alifia Ramadhanty — who presented their research on developing a system to determine papaya tree health using Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) drones equipped with RGB and multispectral cameras. This research was supported by the Inter-University Center of Excellence (PUAPT) program at Universitas Gadjah Mada.
At this prestigious event, one of the UGM students, Fahmi Arsyad, was awarded 1st Place Best Presenter for his research presentation titled:
“Development of a Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Tree Health Classification System Based on Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) Using Vertical Take-Off and Landing Drone.”
His research was supervised by Ardan Wiratmoko, S.T.P., M.Sc., and Ir. Andri Prima Nugroho, S.T.P., M.Sc., Ph.D., IPU., ASEAN Eng., APEC Eng.
This recognition highlights the contribution of young researchers in creating innovations relevant to the challenges of modern agriculture. It also serves as motivation for other students to continue developing research-based solutions that promote efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness in Indonesian agriculture.
The achievement also aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including:
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SDG 2 – Zero Hunger: Supporting food security through improved crop productivity and health monitoring.
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SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth: Encouraging economic growth and enhancing MSME competitiveness through agricultural innovation.
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SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Applying modern technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence for agricultural advancement.
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SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production: Promoting efficient resource use through precision monitoring to minimize environmental impact.
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SDG 13 – Climate Action: Enabling early detection of crop stress caused by climate change and supporting adaptive farming systems.
This accomplishment reflects UGM’s continuous commitment to fostering innovation and empowering the next generation of researchers to contribute to a more sustainable and technologically advanced agricultural future.
Contributor: Fahmi Arsyad
Editor: HP
