ANDALAS UNIVERSITY - FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE REGIONAL BASED COLABORATIVE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT IN FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE ANDALAS UNIVERSITY BY: DR. IR. MASRUL DJALAL, MS *) CIFOR / FERDA Meeting of the Indonesian Research Community May 16 - 17, 2000 Bogor : Head of Forest Research Centre, Andalas University : Head of Department of Forestry, Faculty of Agriculture, Andalas University I REGIONAL BASED COLABORATIVE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT IN FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE ANDALAS UNIVERSITY BY: DR. IR. MASRUL DJALAL, MS. 1. INTRODUCTION Faculty of Agriculture, Andalas University established on November .30, 1954. It was officially opened by then Vice President of Republik Indonesia Muhamrnad Hatta. It was one of the oldest Faculty of Agriculture outside Java. The first campus was located in Payakumbuh which is about 150 kilometres north side of Padang. For the period of 1954 to 1957 the Faculty has had 1-3) professors and mostly came from abroad. During this period, this faculty became the centre of exeilence in Sumatra, and the not only came from West Sumatra, but also from other provinces, some of them also came from Malaysia. Unfortunately, the faculty had bee closed dubing civil war from 1957 to 1958. In 1958, the Faculty was re opened in old (Campus Air Tawar, the first graduation was in 1964. Now Andalas University New Main Campus built on 50 land in Limau Manis which is located about 12 kilometres east side of Padang. Faculty of Agriculture was moved to University New Main Campus. Limau Manis in 1991 with 23.376 square metres of building for offices and laboratories. At a present time the Faculty cousist of six department i.e.: 1. Agronomy 2. Soil Science 3. Agriculture Socio - Ekonomic 4. Plant Disease 5. Agriculture Technology 6. Forestry The number of students enroll for the first semester 1999 / 2000 is 1.674 students while the number of teaching staff is, 190, with quality structure as follows 1. Professors 15 (8%) 2. PhD. Holders (S3) 22 (12%) 3. Masters (S2) 115 (61 %) 4. Sarjana, (SI) 38 ( 19 %) Staff development is one of the main priorities of Faculty of Agriculture until now. There are about 25 Faculty lectures now pursuing their Master or PhD at Indonesian Universities and abroad. II. FACULTY RESEARCH FACILITIES Physical building in new main campus at Limau Manis consist of 14043 square metres laboratory space, 9333 square metres office building, 25 Ha farm research, 21 units shade house, 2 unit of green house and 10 Ha farm field station located in Payakumbuh. According to teaching staff research needs, laboratory and equipment facilities from other Faculties 'in Andalas University could be used b4sed on interfaculty resource sharing ( Faculty of Mathermatic and Natural Science, Faculty of Technic, Faculty of Veterinary and Faculty of Medicine). Sometimes, government and private institutions in the region offer their facilities especially when carry out joint research activity. III. FACULTY RESEARCH ORIENTATION A. Regional Based Research Area and Priorities According to his geographic location in the centre of the Bukit Barisan Mountain, Faculty of Agriculture Andalas University use some important specific condition of the Bukit Barisan Mountain as a basic consideration for seeting up research area and priorities. The following condition are normally considered : It 1. For about 70% of total area ( namely West Sumatra and surrounding area) due to the land slope and hilly land condition are not suitable. for agriculture activities and should be developed with comprehensive conservation strategy. 2. Limited area (30%) of total area available for agriculture and silvicultur with emphasis on sustainable management iii -in environmental perspective. 3. Regional Crop Speciality Development. Historically some regional crop speciality, paly important role in people income generating improvement such as Cinnamon, Gambir and Nilam (Pogostemon) and promote as Regional Crop Speciality with strong competitive market. Based on three main research area depicted above, following research priorities was being arranged by the Faculty of Agriculture , Andalas University 1. Comprehensive conservation strategy research area In following aspects: 1.1 Biodiversity conservation (with emphasis in Kerinci Seblat National Park West Sumatra Region) including Buffer Zone management system. 1.2. Forest Commonity Development / Community Based Resource Management. 1.3. Forest Conservation Management and Sistem Information Development. 1.4. Forest Environmental Service Audit , especially for some important PreservedForest Influence and Environmental Services which one very profitable by region in downstream (such &% : Riau and Jambi province). 1.5. Watershed Management, System and Technologie. 1.6. Agroforestry, System and Technologic. 2.SustainabicManagenicnt in an Environmental Perspective Research Area In following aspects: 2.1 Sustainable Agriculture a. Agricultural sustainable indicators b. Ecological basis of agricultural production c. Agricultural biotechnology c. Socio-economic farmer empowering 2.2 Sustainable Forest Management with emphasis in Natural Forest Concession and Forest Planting. a. Conservational aspects in Forest Harvesting System b. Social Forestry c. Non Timber Forest Products Development d. Forest soil degradation, nutrient cycling, and response of ecosystem to different management practices e. Natural rain forest regeneration and succession. 3.Regional Crop Speciality Research Area (Cinnamon, Gambir, Nilam) 3. 1. Sustainable Planting Development 3.2. Processing alternative 3.3. Product diversification 3.4. Marketing Channel Efficiency IV. COLLOBORATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM The orientation of the Collaborative Research Program should be able as a tool of problem solving process in the corresponding region. In the problem solving process minimal consists of following three phases: 1. Identify the need 2. Plan the research 3. Action Program A. Identify the need It is critical for any collaborative research project at the beginning, why the research is being conducted and what guidelines will be used to direct all subsequent activity. This first pase Is simply a s1ructured reminder to be sure that all parties involved in the research activity have a common understanding of what need will be satisfied by the research. The following basic activities should be performed to define the need • Diagnose the situation that led to the research • Define the need in clear, understandable terms, communicate this need and obtain approval From the research staff members, research coordinator and client. The development of a concise statement of need will enable the research team to more effectively in. • Solving the correct problern • Focusing, the research resources • Getting management concurrence • Obtaining client approval • B. Research Planning A research effectively planned by precisely identifying the. products to delivered, the task to be performed, the milestone to be achieved and significant allocations of resource. Research planning normally includes: • Defining the specific end products to be delivered • Developing key question to be answered • Defining the work task to be accomplished • Developing work plan • Developing a budget of labor and other expences C. Action Program The principal activities in action program are follows: • Data collection. For most research the principal technique used to collect facts or data, such as interviewing, facts observation and laboratory observation. In the collaborative research activity principal data collection technique should be agreed, especially "in term of range of detail, sampling technique and intensity, observation standard, etc. • Analyze the Data. The data analysis phase to further r subdivide and study the facts collected. The principal objective of the analysis step is to obtain conclusions regarding the meaning of the findings. The analysis will vary substantially from one research to others because of the technical nature of that particular research. The analytical techniques are generally categorized as qualitatif or quantitatif The out put product from the analysis phase will be an analysis worksheet listing by chapter outline sub chapter headings or group of finding. Regarding to collaborative research activities data analysis technique and format should be considered seriously. V. MECHANISM OF RESEARCH COLLABORATION There is a great enthusiasm, for conducting research among the Universities Faculties and other research institution either national or international in a collaborative, manner as advocated in this meeting. Mechanism of research collaboration consists of two main steram of concepts a. Managerial concept b. Operational concept. Managerial concept dealing with institutional relationship and responsibilities with following description: • Research administration • Budgeting system • Control and evaluation system Operational Concept consists of : • Definition and objective of task • End product formulation • Standard operation and procedure • Detailed work plan.