������Ƶ

The initiative, which took place from August 5-29, 2025, focused on empowering the local community with organic solutions to restore soil health and improve crop resilience.

The program was initiated after the team identified critical issues in Dusun Puhun, Kampung Salem. Local farmers were facing crop failure during the third planting season due to extreme drought. This condition was exacerbated by the long-term use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides without proper measurement, which led to the soil becoming dry, hardened, and crusted, as well as contaminated with chemical residues.

To address these challenges, the students designed a comprehensive, integrated program covering four fundamental aspects: soil restoration, crop diversification, natural pest control, and agricultural waste management.

To restore soil nutrients and texture, the students produced and trained residents to make solid organic fertilizer (45 kg) and liquid organic fertilizer (24 liters). The solid fertilizer aims to enrich the soil with long-term nutrients, while the liquid fertilizer acts as a supplement sprayed directly onto the plants.

Additionally, the students introduced biochar technology by building three modified kilns. This tool effectively converts dry agricultural waste, such as rice husks and coconut fibers, into activated charcoal, which is excellent for fertilizing the soil and retaining moisture. These three units have been placed in each neighborhood unit (RT) of Kampung Salem for communal use.

To combat pest infestations, the students conducted workshops on and produced 9 liters of biopesticide made from natural ingredients like papaya leaves, garlic, and onions. This solution offers a cheaper, easier-to-make, and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides. The program was complemented by the planting of refugia plants around the rice fields to naturally repel pests from the main crops.

As a direct solution to the drought, the students also promoted crop diversification by introducing the cultivation of corn and taro, two commodities that require less water. The program specifically involved the Women Farmers' Group (Kelompok Wanita Tani) to increase women's participation in the village's food security.

The leader of Group 13, Najwa Rumondang Nasution (Urban and Regional Planning 2023), revealed that the main challenges were not technical, but social. “The biggest challenge was aligning our rhythm as students with the community's schedule and customs. We learned to be flexible and to listen, ensuring that the programs we offered truly matched the community's needs and timing,” Najwa explained.

The community's response to the program was overwhelmingly positive. A total of 13 farmer groups, each with 17-30 members, and 150 households in Dusun Puhun have directly benefited from this program.

“The community was very enthusiastic and treated us like family. Since we were the only group with an agricultural theme, they found our program highly relevant and necessary,” she added.

Beyond the main program, the students also actively engaged with the community through various activities, including planting water spinach in used plastic bottle pots with 45 elementary school students, holding regular religious studies (pengajian) with local women and children, and participating in the Indonesian Independence Day (August 17th) celebrations.

For Group 13, this experience offered valuable lessons on the meaning of a simple life and the importance of deeply understanding a community. Najwa hopes the knowledge and technology they introduced will continue to be utilized long after the program has ended.

“What we did may still be on a small scale, starting with the farmer groups. Our hope is that this knowledge spreads by word of mouth and that the tools, like the biochar kiln, can serve as a prototype for the community to replicate. May the soil here become healthier, the harvests more abundant, and the agriculture in Mandapajaya Village become more advanced and sustainable in the future,” she concluded.

Reporter: Chysara Rabani (Mining Engineering, 2022)