How The Ministry Of Environment And Forestry Trains Social Forest Farmer Groups In The Middle Of COVID-19

E-learning (Foto: KLHK)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) has made e-learning for facilitators and social forestry farmers.

The e-learning is a collaboration between the Human Resources Extension and Development Agency (BP2SDM) with the Directorate General of Social Forestry and Environmental Partnerships (Ditjen PSKL).

This remote training is each held by LHK education and training centers and 7 LHK training centers throughout Indonesia. The number of participants who took part in the e-learning was approximately 500 assistants and farmers from Social Forestry groups in various places in Indonesia.

The Head of BP2SDM, KLHK, Helmi Basalamah hopes that this activity can create Social Forestry assistants in various regions of Indonesia. So that the acceleration and improvement of the quality of the Social Forestry program can be achieved.

Helmi, in his report to the Minister of Environment and Forestry, said that the participants were very enthusiastic about this distance learning. This method is new to farmers. They realized that only using a smartphone or laptop and an internet connection could attend training and get knowledge from competent sources without having to leave their homes.

"The training participants are active and enthusiastic in the learning process through videoconferencing by actively providing opinions, questions, solving quizzes, and making independent tasks," said Helmi in her report to Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya, Saturday 2 May.

He said, all participants attended the training well and got the title of graduation. Participants are then entitled to a training certificate by fulfilling the assessment aspects which include: Attendance / Participation (weight 10 percent), Academic Value (answering questions on each material / quiz) (weighting 40 percent), Independent note assignments (20 percent weighting), Planning Tasks Post-Training Follow-up (weight 20 percent), Attitudes and Behaviors (weight 10 percent)

According to Helmi, this e-learning method is designed to provide easy, inexpensive, effective and efficient training and can reach people across the archipelago.

"Teamwork between tutors, admin and committee is absolutely necessary when the online learning process is essential. Similar concepts and perceptions between tutors who are far from each other are very important, so that the learning process is smooth, on time, and there are no signals or other disturbances," he said.

Meanwhile, the Director General of PSKL Bambang Supriyanto conveyed that the strong collaboration of all elements in BP2SDM and the Directorate General of PSKL was transformed into a Super Team that could realize the e-learning training for Post-Permit Social Forestry Assistance well and smoothly.

"The enthusiasm of forest farmer groups is extraordinary, shown by attending the TC and carrying out exercise on social forest management in independent learning, making this wave 1 e-learning successful in achieving its target," said Bambang.

Participants who took this e-learning left a good impression on the implementation of this activity. As stated by the assistant of the Pemandang Village Forest Management Institute (LPHD), Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau, Johan Wibowo.

Johan said that e-learning activities are extraordinary policies, a technology transition to the digital era. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, participants can still gain knowledge.

Several forest farmers who participated in the e-learning gave good appreciation to KLHK. Sapto, a forest farmer from Rajabasa, Lampung, expressed his pride and joy with this long distance training. He hopes that there will be other training to support business development.

Likewise, a forest farmer from Sukabumi, West Java, Sandi Mulyana. He is grateful that he can attend the training and assess the online training as something very new, and will apply it in the field to support the progress of social forestry.

Another farmer is Nurdin from Mejeni, West Sulawesi who revealed that the training material was very good, supported by teachers who were patient, kind and competent to answer questions in the field. Nurdin will apply the knowledge he gets to work in the field.

In order to accelerate the Social Forestry program, KLHK will continue the Social Forestry e-learning activities. The target until June 2020 is 3,000 participants consisting of 100 batches.