UNS — The Agricultural Extension and Communication Study Program (PKP), Faculty of Agriculture (FP), Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta held an International Guest Lecture on Thursday (9/4/2026) through Google Meet. The event featured Assoc. Prof. Apichart Jai-aree, Ph.D., a lecturer from the Department of Human and Community Resource Development (HCRD), Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Thailand, as the main speaker.
The public lecture carried the topic “Agricultural Extension for Sustainable Food Systems: Organic Farming, Food Security, and Food Safety,” aiming to provide global insights into sustainable agricultural extension practices at the international level.
The activity was attended by 134 students from several study programs in the Faculty of Agriculture at UNS, including PKP, Agribusiness, Agrotechnology, and Soil Science. This guest lecture was designed as part of strengthening agricultural academic learning so that students could understand various agricultural extension approaches implemented in other countries.
Through the presentation, students gained an overview of how agricultural extension in Thailand supports sustainable food systems, including organic farming practices, food security, and food safety.
In her remarks, Dr. Diwicita Irawati, Head of the Agricultural Extension Laboratory of the PKP Study Program, emphasized the importance of having a global perspective in developing the agricultural sector, especially in agricultural extension. She explained that learning from other countries, such as Thailand, could become a valuable reference for students in understanding the diversity of agricultural extension approaches.
Furthermore, she added that the commitment to inviting international speakers is part of the PKP Study Program’s spirit to continue growing at the international level and expanding academic networks across countries.
During the session, the speaker presented various experiences and agricultural extension practices that support the development of sustainable food systems in Thailand. Students were also given the opportunity to interact through discussion and question-and-answer sessions, providing space for them to deepen their understanding and compare agricultural extension practices in Indonesia and Thailand.
“This activity not only provides additional academic knowledge, but also encourages students to develop a global perspective and readiness to face future challenges in agricultural development,” said Dr. Diwicita to uns.ac.id on Monday (13/4/2026).
The implementation of this International Guest Lecture is also in line with the commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 4 (Quality Education) through providing access to quality learning by involving international speakers, and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through strengthening academic collaboration between UNS and Kasetsart University, Thailand.
Through this activity, students are expected to be more motivated to broaden their global perspective, improve academic competence, and contribute to the development of a sustainable agricultural sector in the future.
HUMAS UNS
