Welcome to the Fifth International Conference on Rural Socio-economic Transformation (RUSET), an annual event organized by the Department of Communication and Community Development Sciences, IPB University, Bogor. This year’s conference focuses on “Toward Sustainable Agri-food Systems, Robust Agriculture 4.0, and Inclusive Community Development”. The conference will be held online and offline in Bogor, Indonesia, on October 29-30, 2024, to enable participation worldwide, regardless of location.

The theme is chosen in response to the complexity of the 21st century, in which the world is still embroiled in humanitarian crises due to war, such as those in Gaza and Ukraine. These crises have far-reaching consequences, including disruption of global trade, value chains and a food shortage. Concurrently, the international community faces an increasing climate and ecological crisis, with projections indicating a significant rise in global temperatures, which leads to the melting of polar ice caps and exacerbates health issues and crop failures.

Breakthroughs in robotics, nanotechnology, gene technology, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and energy generation for agricultural use—often referred to as Agriculture 4.0—have the potential to address the above issues. However, Agriculture 4.0 is also potentially disruptive and transformative in many ways. Given these challenges, the energy transition and food production nexus demand attention by putting nature, people, life and livelihood at the heart of climate action. In doing so, a well-managed transformation of the food system is imperative. Thus, the RUSET aims to provide a platform for knowledge exchange, foster research collaboration that drives progress on agri-food systems and Agriculture 4.0, and discuss their role in promoting inclusive rural community development.

We are delighted to welcome you, our distinguished speakers, with your insight and expertise to give tone to the conference. We want to express our gratitude to our sponsor, the International Office of IPB, partner universities, steering committee, and organizing committee. Without their support and dedication, this conference would not have been possible.As we go on this exciting journey, let us seize the opportunity to strengthen our collaborations, develop a long-lasting research network, and inspire each other for a better agrifood sector that facilitates inclusive community development.  Your participation is crucial in shaping this conference’s discourse and outcome.

Thank you for joining RUSET 2024. We look forward to a productive and successful conference.
Sincerely,

Dr. Iman K. Nawireja
Chairperson

The 5th International Conference on Rural Socio-economic Transformation (RUSET)