From left to right: Fitta Setiajiati (IPB Lecturer), Leti Sundawati (IPB Department Secretary), Rayanansi (FVW Country Director Indonesia), Naresworo Nugraha (IPB Dean of Faculty of Forestry and Environment), Giannina (FVW Government & Stakeholder Relations Officer), Endi Kosmaryandi (IPB Deputy Dean For Cooperation).
At Fairventures, we know that reforestation means more than “just” planting trees. Hence, we are advancing the process of community development by conducting research and projects for educational purposes, which will be carried out in collaboration with the Faculty of Forestry and Environment of IPB University. With the signing of the memorandum of understanding by Rayanansi (Country Director of FVW Indonesia), and Naresworo Nugraha (Dean of Faculty of Forestry and Environment) on August 18, 2022, this initiative has reached a stage of formal partnership.
Established in 1963, IPB University has grown into a prestigious educational institution known for its high-quality research and development. IPB has consistently had the highest rate of innovation among Indonesian universities over the past decade (2008-2018) based on appraisals from the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education.
Content of the MOU
For now, the partnership is set to last for at least two years and it contains a wide range of activities, including research papers written by master and doctoral students, and a one-year-long internship program for fresh graduates.
The first two research projects have already been confirmed:
- Comparison of carbon stocks in Fairventures projects across different types of land use systems in Central Kalimantan (including degraded land)
- Participatory analysis of smallholders in Central Kalimantan on the selection of agricultural and forestry commodities that provide sustainable livelihoods
These studies are set to take place in our project areas in Central Kalimantan. The researchers will closely work together with our team and the smallholder farmers. Upon completion, the findings will be used to derive recommendations for action and improve our activities within these areas.
Beyond these two studies, we will benefit from the IPB experts sharing their scientific knowledge about growing forest plants, agroforestry, harvesting forest products, the social economy of forestry, and other related issues to strengthen our team’s capabilities. Our staff will also be able to conduct a study trip to IPB to get in touch with academic professionals.
The output we expect from the partnership with IPB will help us to gain more knowledge and improve our strategy moving forward. However, we are equally proud of it for being another step towards lasting and fruitful relations with researchers and academicians throughout Indonesia.