SERDANG: KC AGRO, a Sustainable Agriculture Project developed by the Chancellor College, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), has started a red tilapia farming project in the open grounds of Chancellor College by adopting the concept of environmental sustainability, in-house training and use of recycled materials.
It involved members of the College Representative Council, fellows, management staff and students of Chancellor College.
The project was an initiative of Chancellor College in efforts to elevate the field of agriculture and farming to support the university’s efforts to preserve a green campus and respond to the call of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni), Prof. Dr. Arifin Abdu, in strengthening the first Strategic Plan (HEPA) 2021-2023, which is Agricultural Sustainability.
A special committee was established by the Chancellor College Representative Council (MPK) and placed under the Vice President for Residents Affairs and Agriculture portfolio to strengthen KC’s agricultural sustainability agenda. The committee was monitored by college management to ensure the project was realised according to plan.
The programme's main purpose was to cultivate added value, skills, and knowledge for Chancellor College students, especially in the field of agriculture such as aquaculture, cultivation using fertigation and hydroponics methods.
The red tilapia farming project was implemented starting January 2021 with a used tank found at the college as the main breeding tank.
In the initial stage, only one tank was utilised for the red tilapia fry. As the fish grew bigger, three additional tanks were utilised.
Students involved went through in-house training, which is a beneficial learning process. They were exposed to fish breeding knowledge from the very early stages, including pond preparation, water quality care, fish seed selection, feeding process, water change, fish size classification, accounting and harvesting as well as the marketing process.
The first sale of the fish was made on August 3 with a catch of 20 kg, and on August 21 and 22 with an estimated catch of 30 kg based on pre-orders received as of August 20.
To ensure the agriculture and farming project is always in its best condition and runs smoothly, a daily work schedule for the students involved had been prepared, and important notes were already taken for their reference.
Chancellor College Principal, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Amini Amir Abdullah, said apart from upholding the agenda of agricultural sustainability penned in the Strategic Plan (HEPA) 2021-2023, the implementation of the fish farming project was essentially aimed at providing exposure and knowledge regarding agriculture and farming, particularly to Chancellor College students as well as applying something different from what they obtained in the lecture room.
He hoped the knowledge gained would be best used by graduating students and also disseminated to the community.
A student involved in the project, Nor Idayu Suboh, said the experience of handling the project had given her meaningful knowledge through the learning process that was 100% different from her study programme at UPM.
“The knowledge gained in the process of fish farming and agriculture has been very useful. I am confident that it would add value to my career later,” she said.
She said through fish farming, Chancellor College residents in general and students involved were able to gain knowledge in the field of aquaculture, besides cultivating a sense of responsibility, self-discipline and teamwork in making the project a success. – UPM
