The agricultural sector in Marga Toto Village, Metro Kibang District, East Lampung Regency, is now entering a new era. A one-hectare chili field has been transformed into a field laboratory with the application of integrated Smart Farming technology, replacing conventional methods that have long relied heavily on farmers' instincts.
The Regent of East Lampung, Ela Siti Nuryamah, directly inspected the implementation of the technology on Wednesday (8/7/2026). This innovation involves the use of digital sensors, automated devices, and an Internet of Things (IoT)-based monitoring system connected directly to cloud data storage. Through this system, farmers can monitor crop conditions in real-time, ensuring that watering and fertilization are carried out based on precise data.
According to Ela, the integration of this technology is a strategic step to address the challenges of increasingly unpredictable climate change and to suppress high production costs. She emphasized that the presence of technology is not to replace the role of farmers, but rather as a tool to make decision-making in the field more accurate and data-driven, no longer just based on guesswork.
The local government hopes that this modernization can significantly increase chili commodity productivity while producing more competitive products in the market. If this trial successfully delivers a real economic impact, the government plans to expand the scope of Smart Farming technology to various other areas in East Lampung.
Through collaboration between the government, agricultural extension officers, and local farmers, this modernization is expected to become a new culture in farming. This step is projected not only to strengthen regional food security but also to improve the welfare of farmers through operational efficiency and higher quality yields.
