Based on a report by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in 2018, the population of breeders continues to decline every year. BPS noted that during 2012-2016, there was a reduction in the number of breeders reaching 263,484 people or 6 percent. This condition is exacerbated by the majority of farmers today who have an average age of more than 50 years.
Meanwhile, most Indonesian youths are reluctant to become breeders and choose to work in other sectors. In fact, the national need for food continues to increase in line with the population growth and the economy is getting better.
Several lecturers from the Faculty of Animal Science UGM, including Muhsin Al Anas and Akhmad Fathoni, formed and fostered a youth livestock group in Ngalang Hamlet, Buyutan, Gedangsari, Gunung Kidul. The program is collaboration with the Gadjah Mada University Volleyball Alumni (AVOGAMA).
“Most people, including young people, think that livestock is not prospective. This is because so far, livestock has only been run with the traditional system for side business or just savings, not business-oriented yet. Therefore, the program that must be carried out first is to change the paradigm of young people related to livestock,” said Muhsin on Friday (15/2).
Muhsin thinks that most young people today are millennial who are internet literate. This has a major effect on the uptake of knowledge and technology. According to him, this condition is an opportunity to invite young people to become breeders. “Of course, on farms that are run by using technology, especially the internet,” he said.
The initial program that the two lecturers developed was the construction of a stable and training in sheep farming management. They teach the youth about how to manufacture concentrate feed and fermented feed and develop forage. In addition, the youth received training in livestock breeding systems. “Implementation of the correct breeding program can increase livestock productivity so that breeders’ profits can increase,” said Muhsin.
Doni, as the coordinator of the livestock group, said that so far the village youths only run traditional livestock and are not profit-oriented. “In the past, we thought that the livestock we owned were only savings,” he said.
With the assistance from the Faculty of Animal Science UGM for rural youth, Doni hopes to make the youth become independent. “Hopefully this assistance can increase our knowledge related to good livestock management. Moreover, we can master technology to increase livestock productivity so that our motivation to raise livestock also increases,” said Doni.
For future plans, Fathoni explained that the young breeder community will receive training related to marketing so that the sheep business can immediately develop and generate profits for them. “The internet can be a means of selling products,” he concluded.
Source: https://www.ugm.ac.id/id/berita/17674-ugm-dampingi-pemuda-gedangsari-jadi-peternak-milenial
