ISSUE 1
| The Faculty of Agriculture Newsletter
The Faculty of Agriculture Newsletter DECEMBER 2017
Faculty of Agriculture is the first in UPM to offer 2u2i Degree Program: Bachelor of Science Plantation Management Bravo to Faculty of Agriculture, UPM for being the first to offer a 2u2i Bachelor program in UPM. The Bachelor of Science Plantation Management (Bacelor Sains Pengurusan Perladangan, BSPP), is a 4 years (eight semesters) undergraduate degree course that consists of 2 years of university study (2u) and another 2 years of industrial attachment (2i). This new course was launched recently by Higher Education Minister Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh in conjunction with UPM’s Agriculture Faculty’s Open Day. This new program is in addition to the five existing programs at Bachelor’s level offered by the Faculty of Agriculture, namely Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Bachelor of Science in Horticulture, Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness, Bachelor of Agriculture (Aquaculture) and Bachelor of Agriculture (Animal Sciences). The 2u2i program aims to produce agriculture graduates who are able to plan and operate plantation in a skillful, technical, efficient and effective manner. Graduates are also expected to manage and develop human r e s o u r c e i n o r d e r t o i n c r e a s e c r o p y i e ld s u s t a in a b ly . Bachelor of Science Plantation Management is a very relevant university program that caters the need of manpower in terms of professional management of plantation crops such as oil palm. Currently, Malaysia oil palm industry has the biggest area of planted crop with more than 5 million hectares and it is being highlighted as one of the twelve National Key Economic Area (NKEAs) that contributes significantly to national economy. Following this, industry stakeholders are looking for fresh graduate who are not only equipped with necessary agriculture knowledge but also with competent hands -o n train ing to fu lfi ll th e role of prof es sional p lant ers. For the purpose of this program, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UPM and Incorporated Society of Planters Malaysia (ISPM) was signed where ISPM will be the advisor for UPM in the design of industrial attachment curriculum as well as the type of course to fulfill the expectation of plantation industry for the future BSPP graduate. Also, ISP will be supporting the teaching process during the industrial attachment program in the field. At present, there are total of 51 students taking up Bachelor of Science Plantation Management. A number of them are now undergoing industrial attachment in a plantation training center (Pusat Latihan Perladangan KOSMA) at Bandar Muadzam Shah, Pahang.
New corn hybrid varieties Page 2
The apple snail antifeedant Page 2
PadiU Putra Page 5
Foreword from Dean Welcome to the Faculty of Agriculture’s newsletter. Indeed I am delighted to introduce this first edition of the Faculty’s newsletter. Currently it is intended to be a biyearly publication to disseminate news on happenings and developments at the Faculty. Six months is a decent span of time in order to update on new achievements. The faculty is one of the largest in UPM, and therefore the newsletter will help us to know each other more closely and serve as both social and professional contact. For the public it provides information particularly on research findings in an easy and concise manner. I would like to congratulate and thank Professor Dr. Uma Rani Sinniah and her team for their tremendous effort in making this debut issue a reality – a job very well done indeed! I believe the newsletter is designed in such a manner that it covers various interesting issues at the Faculty namely highlights of latest research findings and contribution of the community, achievements of the Faculty academicians, Industry and Community related activities, student activities, organization of conferences by the faculty ect. to keep the readers enthusiastic and informed. It is also a forum for advertising social events to encourage participation. I hope that you enjoy reading this newsletter. Thank you. PROF. DR. ABDUL SHUKOR JURAIMI
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AGRI RESEARCH Corn expert, Prof Dr. Ghizan Saleh to release new corn hybrid varieties Maize breeding program was initiated in the Faculty of Agriculture under the perusal of Prof. Dr. Ghizan Saleh since 1987. Rigorous inbred lines development, evaluation and selection processes were conducted, which lead to the release of Putra J-58, a high yielding grain corn variety in 1998, and GS2002, a sweet corn composite variety, in 2002. Research work continues to include molecular markers technologies, widening the focus to releasing new hybrid varieties of sweet corn, grain corn and forage corn with improved yield and high nutritional quality. In line with the recent aspiration of the Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries in making grain corn as a potential industrial crop, a few potential corn hybrids were ready in the pipeline. These hybrids, including sweet corn, grain corn and forage corn types, has yield potential of 14 ton/ha of ear yield and 66-74 ton/ha of biomass yield will be tested in multilocational trials and large-scale verification trials before being released as new locally developed varieties and will be ready for commercial use in 2018.
pme nt of ne w fish hy brid Mal aysi an Ma hseer (Tor t ambr oide s) X Silver Bar b (P unti us go nio notu s)
The apple snail antifeedant Apple snail (Pomacea spp.) has been classified as an invasive alien species and is currently a serious rice pest in Malaysia. Originating from South America, it was introduced into Asia as potential food in the early 1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s but unfortunately it became a major pest of rice. It is known to infest rice seedlings at the early growth stage (<27 days) which can cause serious crop damage or loss. They cut the rice stem from the base hence destroying the whole plant. Missing seedlings in the rice field is the main indicator of apple snail damage. Current disease management of this pest is by using chemical molluscicides that will lead to excessive environmental pollution and health hazard. Prof. Dr. Rita Muhamad Awang, an entomologist by training, who has been investigating on environmentally friendly control method of apple snail has succeeded in discovering a plant based â&#x20AC;&#x153;SAPONIN NANOEMULSIONâ&#x20AC;?. Prof. Dr. Rita together with her team members, Prof. Dr. Dzolkhifli Omar and Dr. Anis Syahirah Mokhtar are proud to announce that the plant-based active ingredient (saponin) has been able to manage the population of apple snails in the field as well as reduce the problem caused by chemical molluscicides. Other components of the concoction is vegetable-based inert ingredients. This saponin nanoemulsion contains antifeedant properties, is water-based and can be easily degraded into harmless compounds since saponin is not persistent in the environment. Attempts to produce on large scale basis is currently on going in collaboration with the industry.
Development of a new hybrid Malaysian Mahseer, Tor tambroides X Silver Barb, Puntius gonionotus The Malaysian Mahseer, Tor tambroides, locally known as kelah, is one of the most sought after freshwater fish in Malaysia. However, the abundance and distribution of Mahseer population have declined in recent years due to habitat loss from deforestation, overfishing and other anthropogenic activities. Mass production of Mahseer has not been achieved; sperm is readily produced by males but the cycle of ovarian maturation in females remains unclear. One way to overcome this reproductive challenge is to develop a hybrid cross between male Mahseer and female Silver Barb. Indirectly, the hybrid could reduce overexploitation of Mahseer and potentially become a new candidate for aquaculture. From our research, the new hybrid grew significantly faster than its parents and showed some tolerance to water salinity.
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AGRI
Recognitions Prof. Dr. Hanafi received MGAP award from the Sultan of Selangor Majlis Gemilang Akademia Putra (MGAP) for ViceChancellor Fellowship Award was held on 11 May 2017 at Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Center, Culture and Arts, UPM. In order to encourage excellence amongst its staff, UPM in the year 2017 awarded 21 academicians and 1 non-academic staff who excelled in various categories. The faculty of agriculture is so proud of Prof. Dr. Mohamed Hanafi Musa (Department of Land Management) as one of the recipients of the Vice-Chancellor Fellowship Award for Innovation and Commercialization Category. Congratulations to him, and what more, the Sultan of Selangor himself who is also the Pro Chancellor of UPM, gave away the award. Prof. Hanafi said that he was very grateful to UPM and will continue to contribute so that UPM can fulfil its vision i.e. to become a University of international repute.
Prof. Dr. Hanafi (born 1955 in Kelantan) began his academic carrier in Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (now UPM) in 1980 as a tutor in the Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture. In 1993, he was appointed as a lecturer and in 2000 he was promoted to associate professor. He became a professor in 2006. Prof. Dr. Hanafi has been very active in soil chemistry research relating to the phosphorus element as well as contributing to the research in soil quality in agriculture. He has been working on the development of new fertilizers for the plant nutrition and diseases prevention, to be used for various crops including pineapple, paddy and oil palm. So far, he has been involved and led more than 26 research project (estimated a total of more than RM 5 million), participated in consultation work and published more than 200 journal papers and 78 conference papers. His H-index is now 13 (www.scopus.com, 6 April 2017). Also, another highlight of his carrier achievement is his invention of GanoCare tm product. This newly formulated organic fertilizers which is aimed to control Basal Stem Diseases in oil palm, won gold medal in MAEPS competition and received the Innovative Creation Award from FELCRA. GanoCaretm has been patented and has been commercialized with a sale record of RM 2.0 million as of end of Dec. 2016.
Dr Siti Zaharah Sakimin was awarded IFS grant The IFS or International Foundation for Science, established in 1972, is an international research council based in Stockholm, Sweden, supporting young scientist from developing countries through the allocation of competitive grants to carry out research in their home countries. This foundation mainly supports research on biological and water resources, stakeholder participation in research and on sustainable food security. In 2017, Dr. Siti Zaharah Sakimin, a senior lecturer from Department of Crop Science became the lucky recipient of the IFS grant worth USD15,000. According to the records, less than 100 Malaysian academicians have been the recipient of this award since its inception in 1972. The faculty would like to congratulate Dr. Siti Zaharah for her hardwork and for being brave in attempting for International grants. Her self-confidence is to be emulated by other young academicians. In this project, entitled Optimum Agricultural Management for Enhancing Tomato Growth, Physiology, Yield and Quality in Relation to Light Transmission Level, Irrigation Rate and Media Types Grown under Smart Solar Greenhouse Systemâ&#x20AC;? Dr. Siti Zaharah will collaborate with an academician from UiTM and also one international collaborator from Vietnam. It is a cross discipline involving agriculture and electrical engineering. This project is intended to contribute to a bigger project on Climate Smart Agriculture utilizing solar energy for tomato production in ASEAN.
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AGRI
ENGAGE
UPM-MAFF Japan partnership program to strengthen food industry UPM is the first university in Malaysia to cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) to conduct the ASEAN-Japan Cooperation Project for Human Resource Development in Food-related areas. The Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has been highly involved in this partnership since 2015 and is program is coordinated by Dr. Juwaidah Shariffudin from the Department of Agribusiness and Information Systems. Through this program, participating Japanese companies share their strengths in handling its food industry value chain from food production until it reaches the consumers’ plate, emphasizing on the systems of production, distribution and consumption. To date, about 200 students have gained experience through this program. In 2017, this program ensued for the third time with speakers from the industry, including Yakult, Pasona, Kokushikan University, Fuji Oil, Sakata Seed Corporation, Aeon Co. Ltd, Ajinomoto and Mayekawa Mfg. Co. Ltd., sharing their personal and institutional knowledge and experiences in sessions of ‘food value chain seminars’ which runs for two hours for a selected ten weeks at the Faculty of Agriculture, UPM. This year, five graduating students were selected to join this company after their graduation in the job fair organized by Yoshinoya Co. Ltd. at the end of the program. In addition, MAFF also sponsored 4 postgraduate students, 1 Professor and 1 agriculture officer from Ministry to join Japan Factory Tour in September 2017. The faculty hopes that such collaborations continue so that more and more students and staffs can reap the benefits.
UPM-Agrobank Agriculture Certification Program (AU-ACP), 2017 UPM and Agrobank has been collaborating in various way. 2017 again marks a new era in UPMAgrobank collaboration when Agrobank approved and accepted the proposal by the Faculty of Agriculture UPM on a specially designed UPM-Agrobank Agriculture Certification Program (AUACP). The focus of the program is on young Agrobank employees in ensuringthat they are with various key agriculture principles, latest technologies and updates on agriculture business initiatives. Faculty of Agriculture had been entrusted to handle the course based on the expertise available in the faculty by subjects required by Agrobank. The program was held from 16 March to 20 August 2017 at Agrobank Training Centre, Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor involving 40 participants.
RM15 Million UPM-Holstein Milk Co. joint venture The Holstein Milk Co Sdn Bhd is allocating RM15 million through its subsidiary Farm Fresh to encourage greater automation in dairy farming, following a joint venture (JV) with University Putra Malaysia (UPM) to establish the UPM-FarmFresh Industry Centre of Excellence (ICoE). Holstein Milk Co. aims to promote and transfer technology on dairy farming, as well as production of dairy-related products through the venture. This JV would increase its market presence, as it now has a 39% market share for fresh milk in the country. The dairy market in Malaysia was estimated to be worth about RM2.9 billion annually in 2015 and only 5% of the milk consumed is produced locally, with the rest being imported.
The UPM-Farm Fresh ICoE venture will be located at University Agriculture Park in Serdang spanning across 60 ha of land, which is slated for completion by February 2018. It also promotes genetic advances required to boost the dairy industry into a modern venture. UPM Vice Chancellor Prof Datin Paduka Dr Aini Ideris said the ICoE will be an excellent teaching and learning centre, and she hopes to encourage UPM students to participate in.
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PadiU Putra Paddy research conducted through the Long Term Grant Scheme (LRGS) program for food safety priority areas led by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) from 2011 to 2016 has resulted in several innovations that have contributed to the increase in paddy production at several major research sites rice as in KADA, MADA and IADA. This research innovation and technology has been presented to the community of farmers through the launch of several LRGS products and technologies on 30th October 2016 in Lubuk Kawah, IADA KETARA, Besut, Terengganu. Following the launch of these products and technologies, UPM's research team has been recommended by YB Minister of Higher Education (YB Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh) to expand research findings by involving more community farmers to be utilized in the country's rice bowl. In response to thecall by the Minister, UPM has agreed to implement a pioneering technology transfer project with the Branding of PadiU Putra program. The main objective of the PadiU Putra program is to transfer high-impact LRGS research findings to be used especially for the community of farmers, and to the country in general. This research is led by Prof. Mohd Razi Ismail who is backed up by an energetic team. The impact of this research is seen via the establishment of seven new technologies namely Putra UGrow, Putra BIO 1, Putra AHA, Pest Biological Control, Pest Decision Support System, Putra 1 tahan karah and Precision Putra. Together it serves as a useful tool for increasing yield in rice, improve revenue through improved management system without increasing cost of input (producing more from less).
Vegetable Postharvest Handling in ASEAN In recognition of the expertise from the Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture UPM, Associate Profesor Dr Siti Hajar Ahmad and Associate Prof Dr Phebe Ding were invited to share their expertise and moderate the training workshop on “Extension of storage life and maintenance of quality of selected vegetables in Asean”. The workshop jointly organized by ASEANAVRDC Regional Network (AARNET) and MARDI, held from 17 Sept-6 Oct 2017 was funded by Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF). As moderators, they are required to assess the current problems in postharvest handling and quality maintenance of vegetable and to help ASEAN countries with problems to come up with strategies and action plan to solve issues with the vegetable industry. In this workshop Dr. Siti and Dr. Phebe had the opportunity to visit several postharvest handling areas in Malaysia, Singapore, Laos and Bangkok.
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IN ACTION Faculty Open Day!
Raya Celebration
The Faculty of agriculture organized an open day on the 19 to 20 Mar 2017 and it was inaugurated by Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh, The Minister of Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE). The event was organized to encourage public to have closer relationship with the Faculty. Numerous activities and exhibition were organized to entice the public to interact with academicians and experts regarding matters related to the faculty.
Hari Raya Eidul Fitri celebration was held on the 19th July 2017 (25 Syawal 1438H), an event jointly organized with the Faculty’s Social and Welfare Club. It was a joyous event as it involved all faculty’s staffs, postgraduate students and research associates. Each department within the faculty was responsible to prepare special food that represent Hari Raya. Both food and the department with most creative decoration of their booth was judged and awarded. Events such as this serve as a social platform for team work, strengthening fellowship and to minimize the gap among the academics, non-academics and students.
Congratulations and welcome to our faculty!!! The faculty of Agriculture received 230 students this semester (SEM 1, 2017/2018), who enrolled for the six Bachelor programs offered by the Faculty namely Bachelor of Agriculture Science, Bachelor of Horticulture, Bachelor of Science Agribusiness, Bachelor of Science (Aquaculture), Bachelor of Science (Animal Science) and Bachelor of Plantation Management.
All departments and institutes opened their doors to the public: “Come and see what we have!” It was a very good opportunity to discover the faculty’s achievements, current research, programs offered, and opportunities for students. The event began with the speech by the Dean of the Faculty followed by performances. The participants wore beautiful clothes both traditional and modern to celebrate the event. The prince and princess were chosen based on dressing, character and image. Traditional and various food like nasi briyani, satay, lemang, lontong, meehon sup, grilled chicken and many more dishes were served.
Farm Run 2017 was organized in conjunction with the open day and more than 300 people participated in the run. The program was successful and we hope that more of the public will join in the coming year.
Raya songs were played and some of the staff enjoyed singing their favorite karaoke songs. Hopefully this activity will enhance the relationship among the staff and students, and become an annual event for the future.
It is interesting to note that 199 out of the 230 were local and the rest were international students. We are proud to welcome the international students and to state that UPM has been S. News &ranked as the 53rd in the world for Agricultural Sciences based on U.S News and World Report: Best Global Universities Ranking. To facilitate the students, our faculty organized Putra Perkasa program, held at the Agriculture Hall, which includes academic briefing, registration and introduction to the Faculty management team as well as the lecturers.
Congratulations and agriculture family.
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AGRI LARM students in UK learning about land resource From 12 to 20 August, a total of 25 Master of Land Resource Management (LARM) students from the Faculty of Agriculture went to Cambridge University, UK for a technical course on Land Resource Management and Urban Development. Activities for this course is held around the cities of London and Amsterdam, and students visited redeveloped parks, urban farms and smart townships. The students were accompanied by Dr. Daljit Singh Karam and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Radziah Othman (Head of Department of Land Management).
According to Prof. Dr. William Seabrooke, (Cambridge International Land Institute (CILI)) the tour aimed to introduce students to the methods of development, reclamation and urban and suburban land care and maintenance as practiced in Europe. For the students, Wan Abdul Hadi Wan Mohd Shafie said that, through the course, he had gained considerable knowledge in land development that can be adapted to Malaysia. He added that in spite of a dense population, cities such as London and Amsterdam are able to ensure issues such as traffic congestion and the availability of low cost housing for the poor are addressed. MSc in Land Resource Management is a non-thesis master program that highlights the sustainability of land management. Over a course of 4 semesters, students take different courses on Malaysian land law, evaluation of land, conservation of land and water, sustainable development of land, planning and management of land as well as other relevant soil courses pertaining to sustainable management.
YOUTH Agri-Entrepreneur Incubation Program
Entrepreneur development programme is one of the main agenda among graduates of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). A total of 278 graduates have completed the program since 2012, in 8 modules i.e. crop, aquaculture, Kampung chicken hybrids, food service management, trade, ecotourism, bio-technology (bio-compos), and ruminants. To date the program has transformed 136 participants into new entrepreneurs through the start-up of their own agribusiness. From the year 2013 to 2016 alone, the total revenue generated from this incubation project was estimated at RM 14.3 million. For those interested to join, application is online (http://www.inkubasi.upm.edu.my), with seats limited to 20 per module. Selected participants will receive a monthly allowance of RM1,000 for six months as the stipend and for the purchase of materials required. We would like to highlight a very successful entrepreneur from this incubation program, Mr. Azri Khairi Juaher, who currently owns his own farm (Sebang Agrofarm) in Kampong Alor Gajar, Melaka. The faculty hopes that the incubation program can motivate, instigate and provide the required knowledge and skills for more and more graduates to become successful entrepreneurs.
Congratulations to Our Student, Jackie Wong on Creating a SEA Games Record!
INBOUND MOBILITY: A STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND It was a day filled with pleasure and fun for the faculty of agriculture, as the faculty was delighted to welcome 20 international students from three countries namely China, Indonesia and Japan. September 5, 2017 was meant to welcome and introduce inbound mobility students to UPM and the Faculty of Agriculture. A new country, a new environment or more apt as “a stranger in a strange land”, the faculty was very concerned in making sure that the students felt at home with UPM. During this New International Student Welcoming Programme (NISWP) the concept of student’s buddies was introduced to help the international students acclimatize. The students were enriched with information such as Do’s and Don’ts, Visa and student pass, talk by Security Division, UPM, and session with the Royal Malaysia Police. The event was officiated by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International), the Honourable Prof. Dr. Iqbal Saripan. As part of the programme, students were on a later date taken to visit Putrajaya and Malacca the historic city of Malaysia.
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HAPPENNINGS
TN50 (Agrofood Sector): Academicians Aspiration The 2050 National Transformation Programme (TN50) envisioned by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak is a futuristic policy for the country's roadmap in the next 30 years after 2020, the aspirations conveyed by the scientist covered transformation in all aspects relating to agriculture for the benefit of future generations. The dialogue session with academician in agriculture was organized by the Faculty of Agriculture, UPM and Ministry of Agriculture and Agrobased Industry at Dewan Pertanian, UPM on 25th August 2017, which was attended by 150 agriculture academician from all universities that offered agriculture programmes in Malaysia such as UPM, UM, UKM, USM and UMK. The programme was launched by Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Saripan, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International), UPM. The panel for the TN50 Aspiration Session was YBhg. Datuk Seri Dr. Ismail Hj. Bakar, Secretary General, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry and was moderated by YBhg. Prof. Datuk Dr. Mad Nasir Shamsudin, Professor, Department of Agribusiness and Information Systems, Faculty of Agriculture.
Ideas and views by the participants would be compiled into TN50 document where appropriate. Suggestions include the below:
Build Human Resource Capacity particularly skilled farmers. Efficiency in resource utilization Increase R and D – high yielding new crop varieties Transform traditional low-productivity farms are into high-productivity commercial enterprises. Introduce appropriate agricultural technologies, machineries and innovations Preserve natural resources Ensure policies on urban agriculture Focus on strategies for building sustainable and healthy cities.
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3rd International conference on Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources 2017 (FANRes 2017) From 21st to 23rd August 2017, the Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) organized the 3rd International Conference on Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources 2017 (FANRes 2017) with the theme Fostering Agropreneurship for Food Sovereignty.
cultivation and technology. The course was participated by 13 individuals including DOA officers, growers, entrepreneurs and students. During this course, participants were exposed to the basic aspects in the production of edible mushrooms such as the oyster, abalone and shiitake, as well as the past and present status of mushroom cultivation and its current potential in Malaysia. Apart from lectures and demonstrations, comprehensive hands-on sessions for participants were conducted especially on the aseptic techniques of mushroom cultivation, culture preparation and mycelial propagation. A day trip to Ganofarm Mushroom Farm located at Tanjong Sepat, Sepang, Selangor was organized to provide additional knowledge to all participants in terms on know-how to establish and manage their own mushroom farms.
BAYER|SAFE USE Ambassador The conference aimed attract and develop entrepreneurs in agricultural sectors. It was attended by 137 participants and presenters with a total of 82 oral presentations from participants from various countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Iran. The conference is believed to have identified ways to address challenges in increasing food production under limited resources such as labor, soil, water and others in addition to knowledge sharing and linkages particularly with stakeholder both local and international.
Training Course on Mushroom Production In April 2017, the Department of Plant Protection, in collaboration with Agriculture Institute of Malaysia (AIM) and International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS) organized a two-day intensive training course on edible mushrooms led by Dr. Sumaiyah Abdullah, the department expert in mushroom
We are delighted to announce that BAYER Co. (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. will be the main sponsor for this year’s safe use of Crop Protection Products Competition (BAYER | Safe Use Ambassador® ), this is the largest national competition involving the country and the 2017 finalist selection will take place at Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). The competition challenges participants to explain their knowledge to farmers and help our local farmer protect themselves and the environment better. From this program, students of agriculture in UPM are required to sign up as an ambassador and attend a professional (1) day course which consist of in-class presentation and field demonstration, in a way that can be understood by a non-specialist audience. Open to any Faculty of Agriculture students, the competition attracts entry from across the national. BAYER will be part of the judging panel and provide prizes to finalists. The winner was also awarded with an educational trip to Germany in 2018. However, this will include a grant to the judges' choice winner for further public engagement activities, giving the winner the opportunity to enhance their professional development and profile beyond the competition.
Urban Agriculture Project in Community of Raya Permai Sg.Besi, Kuala Lumpur
The Urban Agriculture Project in the Community of PPR Raya Permai Sungai Besi started in May 2014 through the program 'Local Agenda 21’ Kuala Lumpur. This program also succeeded in receiving RM30,000.00 through the UCTC-NBOS project by the Ministry of Education Malaysia. The main objective of this program is to develop communities through agricultural activities to obtain their own food supply while reducing daily expenses and reducing social problems in the area.
The project had also gained widespread coverage through TV media reports, newspapers, visits from government and private agencies and participated in many exhibition programs organized by DBKL, UPM and NGOs. The project had helped secure the fourth place of 22 entries at the ASEAN Sulfate PR Excellence Awards, DBKL's best community level and the best and high-impact community of 2015 and 2016 at UPM level. The success of this program is also the result of collaboration by experts from Faculty of Agriculture who regularly monitor the activities, providing advice and short courses in various aspects of cultivation and management.
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AGRI HIGHLIGHTS
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Newsletter Editorial Board Committee
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Abdul Shukor Juraimi Editor-in-chief: Prof. Dr. Uma Rani Sinniah Members: Dr. Azizah Misran Dr. Chong Chou Min Dr. Dzarifah Mohamed Zulperi Dr. Frisco Nobilly Dr. Kelly Wong Kai Seng Dr. Muhammad Fadhil Syukri Ismail Dr. Nik Norasma Binti Che'Ya Dr. Tan Ngai Paing Pn. Noorizajune Binti Abu Bakar
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