Sleman - Faculty of Agriculture (FP), Universitas Pembangunan Nasional "Veteran" Yogyakarta (UPNVY) held an online Public Lecture via Zoom and Youtube live stream of Faculty of Agriculture UPN YK. The public lecture which was held on November 13, 2020 invited Prof. Dr. Ir. Lilik Sutiarso, M.Eng (Head of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology - UGM) as the main speaker moderated by Dr. Bambang Supriyanta, SP., MP. (Lecturer at the Department of Agrotechnology, FP UPNVY). This public lecture had the theme of "Intelligent Agricultural Technology in the Industrial Age 4.0". The purpose of holding this public lecture was to have the knowledge and motivation be able to continually improve technological innovations in order to support the sustainable integrated modern agriculture.
Prof. Dr. Ir. Lilik Sutiarso, M.Eng, as the main speaker, explained the etymology of agriculture; agriculture is defined as tools / technology, while when agriculture is defined as culture, it means a system. He explained that technology and job automation had emerged in the 3.0 era. Then, it did not focus on IoT (Internet of Things) in the era of 4.0, but on connectivity between knowledge and technology. In order to deal with the industrial era 4.0, national science and technology needs are needed, especially in the agricultural sector, including technology based on renewable natural resources and food, new energy technology, renewable energy, and new materials, as well as modernization of agro-based industrial technology. Especially at this time, apart from being in the era of industrial revolution 4.0, the world is also facing the Covid-19 pandemic where there are sectors affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, such as the tourism and automotive sectors which are potential losers, yet there are also sectors that are potential winners, such as the medical sector and particularly the agricultural sector. Graduates of the Faculty of Agriculture must be able to take advantage of opportunities in the the agricultural sector as the potential winners by overcoming obstacles to the development of the agricultural sector, such as hindering regulations (bureaucracy), capital, high cost economy (inefficiency), technology development, and logistics and infrastructure.
Furthermore, Prof. Dr. Ir. Lilik Sutiarso, M.Eng advised, "In the era of 4.0, there are IoT, Big Data, AI (Artificial Intelligence), and robotics that surround human life. However, the main point is not on IoT, but on connectivity between knowledge and technology. Don't get it upside down, instead technology drives our knowledge. It is because it is much more essential to digitize knowledge (knowledge that has developed so far) in the 4.0 era. As a graduate of the Faculty of Agriculture, it is important to overcome the obstacles that exist in the agricultural sector and provide added value to agricultural products for the welfare of farmers, which so far has only reached 9% (compared to large traders who are at the 21% level).