Moeldoko Encourages Islamic Boarding Schools To Increase Involvement In National Food Security

KSP Moeldoko in an audience with the management of the Tebuireng Alumni Association at the Bina Graha Building, Jakarta, Monday 27 May. (Ist)

JAKARTA - Presidential Chief of Staff (KSP) Moeldoko expressed his support for Islamic boarding schools (ponpes) whose role was increased in economic empowerment, including the agricultural sector. Moeldoko said that Islamic boarding schools are not only an educational and religious broadcasting institution, but can also be empowered to face various challenges in the food sector. " “ I agree that pesantren will become a center of gravity in moving Indonesian farmers and agriculture,” said Moeldoko in an audience with the management of the Tebuireng Alumni Association at the Bina Graha Building, Jakarta, in a statement, Monday 27 May. Moeldoko believes, by maximizing the role of Islamic boarding schools in building food sector independence, not only improving the welfare of the community, but also strengthening the identity and local wisdom that become the nation's strength. "I want Islamic boarding schools to become community coaches in their environment, including getting enough of their own stomachs," said Moeldoko. Moeldoko hopes that Islamic boarding schools can become a subsystem in building the agricultural sector. Therefore, he continued, pesantren not only produce students with strong religious knowledge, but can also teach entrepreneurial skills and spirit. The General Chairperson of the Indonesian Farmers Harmony Association also said that because pesantren exist in various regions and are relatively rare in cities, they can directly touch farmers. Through empowerment of farmers by Islamic boarding schools, he continued, it can help rural communities maintain their food. "We want the fii duniya in the afterlife, right, the world can be the afterlife. Islamic boarding schools can help move (farms),” said Moeldoko.

Moeldoko added that pesantren is taught agricultural methods that last a long time, such as organic agriculture, water resource conservation, and integrated pest control. In the long term, Moeldoko hopes that this knowledge can increase agricultural productivity while preserving the environment. " “ Friends from the main pesantren can meet my own needs and I hope that in the future I can sell it with my own brand," he concluded.