Anhui Agricultural University Delegation Visits FTP UGM, Learns About Mechanization Research and Smart Agri Plant Factory

Yogyakarta, October 27, 2026. The development of agricultural equipment and machinery as well as indoor cultivation technology became the focus of introduction during a visit by a delegation from Anhui Agricultural University (AAU), China, to the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology (FTP) UGM, on Tuesday (27/10/2026). This visit was part of AAU's agenda at UGM to explore collaboration opportunities in the fields of education, research, and academic development while viewing laboratory facilities.

The delegation was received by the Head of the Laboratory of Agricultural Energy and Machinery, Dr. Andri Prima Nugroho. During the activities, the delegation received explanations regarding equipment and research activities in the laboratory as well as the development of Smart Agri Plant Factory as a research, education, and vegetable production facility through an indoor agriculture system.

The AAU delegation consisted of Vice President LI Hong; Deputy Dean of School of Humanities and Social Sciences TENG Han; Deputy Director of Office of Science and Technology GU Longjiang; Deputy Dean of School of Horticulture YUAN Lingyun; Deputy Director of International Office and interpreter DING Hui; and Professor of School of Animal Science and Technology CHEN Xingyong. The presence of delegates from various fields provided an opportunity to introduce research activities and supporting facilities within FTP UGM.

During the visit to the Laboratory of Agricultural Energy and Machinery, Andri explained the development of agricultural equipment and machinery to support cultivation activities. The equipment introduced included soil tillage tools, planting machines or transplanters, and other equipment related to the application of smart farming. This explanation provided an overview of the laboratory's activities in supporting the development of agricultural technology.

The delegation also visited the Smart Agri Plant Factory. This facility was introduced as a demonstration and display of indoor farming technology that connects research activities, learning, and vegetable production. Through this observation, the delegation was able to learn about the facility used to study management of the plant growing environment indoors.

Andri also explained a number of supporting research that had been conducted at the Plant Factory. These fields include environmental monitoring and control, plant sensing technology, and optimization of room design using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This introduction demonstrated the relationship between the development of cultivation facilities, plant monitoring, and studies of the growing environment engineering.

The use of CFD became one of the approaches introduced to support analysis and optimization of cultivation space design. Meanwhile, the development of environmental monitoring systems and plant sensing technology became part of research activities that support the management of indoor agriculture. These various fields provided an overview of the scope of smart agriculture research at FTP UGM.

This visit served as a means of introducing facilities and exchanging academic information between UGM and AAU. Going forward, inter-institutional communication is expected to be continued to identify activities that can be collaborated on, both in research development and education. Topics and forms of cooperation will be discussed further in accordance with the interests and needs of both parties.