Improving milk productivity and quality requires more than technical assistance. It also takes opportunities for farmers to measure their progress, exchange experiences, and learn from one another’s best practices. Through the Dairy Farmer Yield Competition, the FRESH (Farmer Resilience and Enhanced Sustainable Husbandry) Program encourages smallholder dairy farmers to continuously improve their farm performance by adopting good and sustainable dairy farming practices.

The competition is part of Rumah Energi’s collaboration with PT Sarihusada Generasi Mahardhika (SGM) and Danone Ecosystem to strengthen the capacity of smallholder dairy farmers. The awards recognize farmers’ efforts to improve productivity while encouraging knowledge and experience sharing that can inspire other farmers.

The awards ceremony was held as part of the Talkshow on Improving Dairy Productivity and Smallholder Dairy Farmer Competition Awards, in collaboration with the Faculty of Animal Science at Universitas Gadjah Mada (Fapet UGM). The event took place at the drh. R. Soepardjo Auditorium in Yogyakarta on Wednesday, October 28, as part of the Faculty’s 57th Anniversary celebrations.

Through this competition, farmers are encouraged to recognize that productivity improvements result from consistent farm management, including livestock care, feeding practices, and the implementation of Good Dairy Farming Practices (GDFP). Beyond recognizing achievements, the competition serves as a learning platform to help farmers identify opportunities to improve their daily practices and develop their businesses sustainably.

As part of the event, a talk show featured Professor Budi Prasetyo Widyobroto, a Professor at the Faculty of Animal Science, UGM, who discussed the implementation of GDFP in smallholder dairy farming. The discussion also featured drh. Suryawati Purwaningtyas, M.Si., Head of the Livestock and Animal Health Division at the Sleman Regency Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries Office, who shared insights on the role of government support and guidance in advancing dairy farming businesses.

Meanwhile, Dean of the Faculty of Animal Science at UGM, Prof. Ir. Bambang Suwignyo, S.Pt., M.P., Ph.D., IPM., ASEAN Eng., highlighted the event as a tangible example of collaboration between the university, government, NGOs, industry, farming communities, and cooperatives.

“Fapet UGM is committed to advancing GDFP and environmental conservation, in line with the FRESH Program developed through the collaboration between PT SGM, Rumah Energi, and Danone Ecosystem,”

— Prof. Ir. Bambang Suwignyo, S.Pt., M.P., Ph.D., IPM., ASEAN Eng., Dean of the Faculty of Animal Science at UGM

The FRESH Program has reached more than 500 smallholder dairy farming families across Central Java, the Special Region of Yogyakarta, and East Java as direct beneficiaries. Its interventions include support for GDFP implementation, environmental management through biogas utilization, and various initiatives to improve operational efficiency, productivity, and milk quality.

For Rumah Energi, the competition represents one of the approaches to strengthening peer-to-peer learning among farmers and encouraging wider adoption of good farming practices. The involvement of cooperatives, local governments, universities, and industry partners is also essential in building a supportive ecosystem for smallholder dairy farmers.

Looking ahead, the achievements recognized through the competition are expected to extend beyond the awards ceremony and inspire broader adoption of good dairy farming practices. In this way, improvements in productivity and milk quality can go hand in hand with stronger farm resilience and the long-term sustainability of Indonesia’s smallholder dairy sector.