UNDIP, Semarang (October 13, 2025) – Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP), through its Directorate of Student Affairs and Alumni, has established a strategic collaboration with the Badan Bank Tanah (Indonesian Land Bank Agency) to strengthen fair and sustainable land governance. The partnership was marked by a socialization event by Badan Bank Tanah themed “Optimizing Land Utilization for Sustainable Development” held at the ICT Building, 5th Floor, UNDIP Tembalang Campus on Monday, October 13, 2025.
This important event, part of the LandSmart Campus Series by Badan Bank Tanah, also featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UNDIP and Badan Bank Tanah—signifying the beginning of a partnership in research, education, and community service focused on sustainable land management.
Attendees included UNDIP Rector, Dr. Suharnomo, S.E., M.Si.; Deputy for Strategic Planning and Land Acquisition of Badan Bank Tanah, Perdananto Aribowo; Head of Land Dispute Control and Handling Division, BPN Jawa Tengah Regional Office, Eni Setyosusilowati, S.H., M.H.; as well as representatives from the Bappeda Jawa Tengah, Vice-Rector for Academic and Student Affairs Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Ir. Heru Susanto, S.T., M.M., M.T., and Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation, Collaboration, and Public Communication Wijayanto, S.IP., M.Si., Ph.D.
In his address, Prof. Suharnomo expressed appreciation for the synergy between UNDIP and the Badan Bank Tanah, viewing the forum as an essential learning platform to understand land governance from legal, social, and economic perspectives. Recalling UNDIP’s own experiences with land ownership challenges in Batang Regency and Pleburan Sub-District (Semarang City), he emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration to prevent educational land from becoming the subject of disputes.
“Land issues are very relevant to UNDIP, as the university has long experience managing land assets across regions such as Batang Regency and Pleburan Sub-District. With the support of the Badan Bank Tanah and our alumni, several land-related challenges have been resolved, and the land is now being used for education, international collaboration, and innovation hub development,” he said. “We have learned that land is not merely an asset, but a trust that must be managed with dignity for the greater good,” he added.
Prof. Suharnomo also linked land management to UNDIP’s ongoing sustainability initiatives, such as the forthcoming UNDIP Zero Waste Program, which aims to process 100% of campus waste into renewable energy. He also highlighted UNDIP’s applied research innovations, which range from mobile water desalination technology for disaster-affected areas and mobile health service vehicles to solar energy utilization and Campus Immigration Points for international academics. According to him, cooperation with the Badan Bank Tanah is a vital step toward enhancing legal awareness, social justice, and sustainability in land resource management.
Representing the Jawa Tengah Regional Office of BPN (National Land Agency), Eni Setyosusilowati emphasized that the socialization served as a strategic platform for students to understand the central role of land in national development. She outlined significant challenges, including limited land availability, ownership inequality, speculative pricing, and idle land, all of which hinder equitable economic growth.
She explained that the establishment of the Badan Bank Tanah, under Government Regulation No. 24 of 2021, derived from the Job Creation Law, aims to guarantee land availability for public interest, equitable economic distribution, and fair development. “Badan Bank Tanah is not merely an administrative body, but a state instrument to ensure that land management and utilization are fair, efficient, and oriented toward public welfare,” she stated.
Eni further noted that collaboration between the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), Badan Bank Tanah, and UNDIP is vital in strengthening public education, agrarian literacy, and research-based land governance. She reported that in Jawa Tengah, four regencies—Batang, Semarang, Kendal, and Brebes—have contributed approximately 16.2 hectares of land to support Badan Bank Tanah programs. Through partnerships with academic institutions like UNDIP, BPN hopes to advance agrarian reform and fairer, more impactful land policy innovation.
In his keynote, Deputy Perdananto Aribowo explained that Badan Bank Tanah serves as a strategic mandate to ensure land is managed for the prosperity of the people while promoting equitable economic growth. “To date, the Land Bank Agency has managed more than 34,618 hectares of land across Indonesia, utilized to support infrastructure development, public facilities, and productive economic activities,” he said.
He also underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration—between government, business, and academia—to achieve inclusive and sustainable land governance, ensuring that land policies prioritize public welfare and equitable development.
During the interactive talk show session of the LandSmart Campus Series, moderated by Dr. Oce Madril, S.H., M.A., speakers discussed the importance of fair and sustainable land management from various perspectives. Dr. Yudi Kristiana, S.H., M.Hum., Head of the Legal Division of the Badan Bank Tanah, emphasized that land policies must be grounded in strong legal frameworks to ensure transparency and public benefit. “Land is not merely an economic asset but a living space directly tied to public well-being,” he said.
Basyier Gemaning Insan, S.T., M.P.W.K., Head of Regional Development, Housing, and Land Division at Bappeda Jawa Tengah, viewed land as the foundation for balanced regional development between agricultural, industrial, and residential sectors. From the academic perspective, Prof. Akhmad Syakir Kurnia, Ph.D., Professor of Economics and Business at UNDIP, described the Badan Bank Tanah as a corrective institution to address market distortions in land use, stressing the need to make land an inclusive social instrument that supports equitable economic access.
Attended by hundreds of students, the event reflects UNDIP’s commitment to implementing “Diktisaintek Berdampak”—impactful scientific and technological initiatives—through research, education, and community service that deliver real solutions. The collaboration between UNDIP and the Badan Bank Tanah aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) through equitable access and agrarian reform; SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) through orderly and inclusive spatial planning; SDG 15 (Life on Land) through responsible and sustainable land management; and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)—in harmony with UNDIP’s values of noble and valuable. (Public Communication/UNDIP/DHW)
