IPB University provides various events that enable local farmers and food producers to connect and exchange knowledge with the academic community. These activities are organized regularly through forums, training programs, and community-based initiatives that promote innovation, sustainable farming practices, and capacity building in the agri-food sector.

• Women Farmers Forum (Rembug Petani Perempuan), organized by TNC IPB University in collaboration with partners such as KRKP, GPN, and Lapor Iklim. This event, held on National Farmers Day at the IPB Dramaga Campus, serves as a platform for knowledge sharing, reflection, and capacity building among women farmers to help them adapt to climate change and apply sustainable agricultural practices.

• • Semarak Bumi Tani (SERUNI), an event that brings together students, farmers, and the surrounding community to engage in dialogue, promote local agricultural products, and introduce recent innovations and technologies in agriculture. The activities of SERUNI include a farmers’ market, exhibitions, community service, public discussions, and demonstrations of agricultural innovations, effectively bridging campus research outcomes with real field practices.

• Coffee School program, the Directorate of Agromaritime Community Development (DPMA) of IPB provides technical and entrepreneurial training for students and local communities in coffee processing, covering activities such as cherry picking, green bean sorting, roasting, and brewing techniques. The program is held at several locations, including BSP Farm in Cigombong, the Agribusiness and Technology Park (ATP), and Sobatani Café, with the goal of fostering practical knowledge and sustainable entrepreneurship in the coffee sector.

• The School for Smallholder Livestock Farmers (SPR-IPB) serves as a concrete example of synergy between higher education and local communities. The program has expanded to 14 provinces, covering hundreds of villages and benefiting thousands of farmers. Through education and field mentoring, SPR-IPB enhances technical capacity, productivity, and the welfare of smallholder livestock farmers, representing IPB’s tangible commitment to strengthening the local livestock sector.

• Tea School program. In the plantation sector, IPB University established the Tea School in Cianjur Regency as part of its program to empower young entrepreneurs in the tea industry. This initiative engages academics, students, practitioners, and the general public to improve knowledge, skills, and awareness of the importance of sustainable tea business development.

• Drone School program, organized by DPMA IPB in 2024, introduces the use of drone technology for land mapping and remote sensing in agriculture. The program involved 45 students and 20 farmers from five nearby villages, as well as lecturers as instructors. Through this activity, participants received technical training, hands-on experience, and drone pilot certification, while also producing cassava commodity maps for the surrounding campus area.

Overall, these various programs demonstrate IPB University’s institutional commitment to promoting inclusive and sustainable engagement between higher education, farmers, and food producers. Through education, innovation, and community-based collaboration, IPB ensures that research findings and technologies developed on campus have a direct and meaningful impact on sustainable agricultural development and the improvement of farmers’ livelihoods.

IPB University provides access to its facilities, technologies, and research outputs for local farmers and food producers to support sustainable agricultural practices and improve food product quality. The SEAFAST Center IPB offers public services in chemical, microbiological, and sensory analysis, as well as food quality and safety testing for small- and medium-scale food enterprises. Through this facility, farmers and local producers can utilize the university’s laboratories and technology for product certification, licensing, and development based on food safety standards, contributing to food security and local agro-industry development.

Access to University Facilities for Local Farmers

IPB has analytical facilities for the public to improve product quality from farmers or local businesses. Facilities at IPB for food analytical or certification:

SEAFAST Center IPB

• Food Microbiology Analysis Laboratory
• Food Biotechnology Laboratory
• Food Quality and Safety Laboratory: Chemistry
• Food Quality and Safety Laboratory: Microbiology
• Food Sensory Evaluation
• Animal Assay Laboratory

Testing Laboratory of the Department of Agricultural Industrial Technology

• Analysis for wastewater and AMDK
• Analysis of the quality of crystal sugar
• Analysis of material and agroindustry product

Testing and Certification Services Laboratory of IPB Laboratorium Jasa Pengujian dan Sertifikasi IPB

• Certified by LP-156-IDN for Analytical test
• LK-336-IDN for Calibration test,
• LSPr-030-IDN,
• LSHACCP-009-IDN,
• LSSMKP-009-IDN for product certification,
• HACCP

Food analysis services

• Chemical Analyses (Proximate (ash, moisture, fat, protein, carbohydrate), Dietary fiber, Vitamins (A, B1, B2, C, E), Minerals and heavy metal (Na, Ca, K, Fe, Zn, Mg, Hg, Co, Cd, Pb, Cu, As, etc), pH dan titrable acid, Fatty acid composition (GC), Sugars (total sugar, reducing and non-reducing sugar, lactose), Cholesterol (GC), Phenolic content (tanin), Formaline and borax (qualitative and quantitative), Qualitative analyses of MSG, nitrate, nitrite, and cyclamate, Beta caroten (HPLC), Amylose and amylopectin (spectrophotometer), Amino acid (HPLC), Water activity, Acidic, acetyl, ester, safonic, peroxide, and iodic values (titrimetric), Nutritional fact, Free fatty acid (titration), DHA, Cyanidic acid (qualitative/quantitative), Carageenan (Manan and alginate), MSG (qualitative), Nitrate/nitrite, Starch (Luf Schrool and Lane Eynon Methods), Pectin, Sacharine and cyclamate (qualitative), Volatile oil, Colorant (qualitative), Sulfite, Smoke test.
• Physical Analyses: Fluid behaviour (Newtonian/non-Newtonian), Rheological analyses by Farinograph, Extensograph and Brabender amylograph), Solid behavior (elasticity, plasticity, visco-elasticity, Texture analysis of food products or materials (viscosity, gel strength, crispiness), Colour (L, a, and b values), Microscopic analysis (e.g. granule size and shape), Total soluble solid, Density, Refraction index, Whiteness, Emulsion stability index, Fat impurity, Optic active, Texture Profile Analysis (hardness, brittleness, elasticity, cohesiveness, stickiness), Thermal properties (thermal conductivity), Polarized Microscopic analysis for starch granular size and shape.
• Microbial Analyses: Pathogen bacteria (Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, Enterobacteriaceae, bacteria spore), Sanitation indicator bacteria (Coliform, E. coli, Streptococcus faecalis), Lactic acid bacteria, Yeast and mould, Total plate count (mesophyl/thermophyl), Aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2 (HPLC), Vibrio cholera (quantitative/aglutination), Gram positive/negative bacteria.
• Food Quality Analyses: Nutrition fact, Shelf-life determination of processed food products (Arrhenius Model and Moisture Sorption Isothermic Model), Fat quality, Sensory analysis, Determination of Fo value for thermal process adequacy (batch retort and continuous aseptic system), Other quality analyses according to client request.

PT BLST IPB University provides access to university facilities, innovations, and technologies for farmers through collaboration with Perum Bulog in the development of climate-smart rice cultivation technology. The “Asta Citha Padi” innovation developed by IPB University introduces eight integrated technology components, including seeding systems, water management, mechanization, and climate-adaptive cultivation management. This initiative helps farmers enhance productivity and input-use efficiency while strengthening resilience to drought, flooding, and pest attacks, thereby promoting sustainable farming practices.

The Agrotechnopark (ATP) IPB serves as an innovation center focusing on social entrepreneurship, agromaritime services, and digital farming implementation to support modern agriculture. ATP has established partnerships with farmers in villages surrounding the campus. In 2024, ATP IPB recorded 10,899 visitors, including 759 partner farmers and 95 assisted villages, reflecting its active role in fostering knowledge exchange and sustainable agricultural development.

IPB University has several market channels to market its products, and farmers, food producers, and home industries are assisted by the university. IPB prioritizes purchasing products from locals to fulfill the need of the university as well as to expand the market. To maintain the collaboration with these smallholders and SMEs, IPB keeps assisting them through technical assistance and knowledge transfer.

IPB University supports the ethical sourcing of food and supplies. This commitment is seen in policies established and enacted for use within the university ground, the immediate surrounding area, and the national scale. In 2020, IPB issued a policy highlighted the ethical sourcing of food and supplies as stated in Rector’s Decree No. 133/IT3/LK/2020 concerning IPB’s Commitment in Achieving SDGs, specifically on page 2, point J “IPB ensure ethical sourcing of food and supplies”. 

Sustainable food purchase from local farmers for IPB University canteen IPB University always uses local products for the canteen and meeting programs at the campus. Agricultural products marketed by the Agribusiness and Technology Park (ATP come from products of local farmers as well as ATP self-produce). More than 759 partner farmers and 95 villages are assisted by ATP IPB to produce high-quality organic food. ATP IPB prioritizes purchasing local farmers’ products as part of IPB’s commitment to community engagement and development. Collaborating with farmers enables ATP IPB to guarantee the availability and quality of food products for sustainable marketing.

IPB Shop IPB official stores are available online and offline for the campus population and the public around Bogor, Jakarta, and neighboring districts. These stores sell various products, including vegetables, meats, processed food, herbal, etc. These products are purchased from local farmers, food producers, and home industries, assisted by IPB University.