ACICIS is very excited to announce Dr Ari Rakatama as the Academic Program Officer (APO) for the first iteration of the Virtual Agriculture Professional Practicum (APP), running in January-February 2021.

Ari is an Environmental and Agricultural Economist with more than 15-years of experience working in the field of agriculture, forestry, environment, and sustainable development. He currently works at the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry. He is also an Associate Researcher and Consultant at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF); E.Co. Ltd Group (a consultancy firm based in the United Kingdom); and the Indonesian Forestry Certification Cooperation (IFCC). Ari holds a PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from The University of Western Australia, MSc in Environmental and Energy Management from the University of Twente (Netherlands), and BSc in Agricultural Social Economics from the University of Lampung (Indonesia). See his full profile here.

The 2021 Virtual ACICIS Agriculture Professional Practicum (APP) offers students the opportunity to undertake academic studies, including intensive Indonesian language classes and industry seminars, alongside a supervised practicum placement with a local or international agricultural, agribusiness, or resource management organisation.

An Academic Program Officer is assigned to each of ACICIS’ professional practicum programs to oversee all aspects of a program, including the supervision of its academic content and assessment of student performance. The APO and ACICIS Resident Director oversee application vetting, participant selection, and work placement allocation. During the virtual program, the APO meets regularly with a student’s Host Organisation placement supervisor – and with the student themselves – to provide mentorship, to ensure that a student is getting the most out of their placement, and to assess a student’s performance. The APO provides students with advice on academic and industry-specific matters, and also plays a key role in curating and delivering the series of industry seminars that students undertake throughout the program.

ACICIS is delighted to welcome Ari as the supervising academic for the 2021 iteration of the virtual APP. Participating students will be extremely well served by Ari’s experience and expertise in agriculture and sustainable development in Indonesia.