UNS – Students of the Faculty of Agriculture (FP) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta realized sustainable agriculture through training on making liquid organic fertilizer in Sanggang Village, Sukoharjo. This activity was initiated by students of the Agricultural Extension and Communication Study Program (PKP) UNS. This training is part of the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka, or Free Campus Independent Learning, (MBKM) and its research program on millennial farmers was designed by PKP UNS students. Most of the population of Sanggang Village works in the agricultural sector. About 30 residents of Sanggang Village took part in this training on Saturday (27/5/2023).
The MBKM student team consists of five people, namely Muhammad Ivan Rizki as chairman, Ermanda Puspaningtyas, Naufal Rastra Subhi, Nathania Fredlina Shaffa Haurelia, and Aulia Istiqomah Sularno, collaborating with Kanz.id. Kanz.id is a start-up engaged in community empowerment and sustainable agriculture. Angelo Di Lorenzo who served as CFO and Rifka Atmajaya as CMO Kans.id were also present at this activity to provide training on making Liquid Organic Fertilizer (POC) to the people of Sanggang Village.
“We all know that fertilizer subsidies from the government are decreasing in number. Making organic fertilizer can be an alternative to meeting the nutritional needs of plants besides using subsidized chemical fertilizers,” Angelo explained.
Angelo continued that POC is generally used for rice plants. However, other plant commodities other than rice, such as crops, can also use this fertilizer. He also added that organic fertilizers are more environmentally friendly and can improve soil quality.
“The use of chemical fertilizers that are too frequent and exceed the dosage can damage the soil, as time goes by, the soil becomes hard and infertile. One solution is to use organic fertilizers to improve it,” he added.
This activity was also attended by Janu Hari Setiawan who is the Chairperson of the Ketua Gerakan Membangun Petani Milenial (Gerbang Tami) Kabupaten Sukoharjo (Sukoharjo Regency Millennial Farmer Building Movement). He is one of the community empowerment figures, especially in Sanggang Village, who fosters avocado and durian farmers.
“For Sanggang village, the main commodities are avocado and durian. Here, we tend to focus on secondary crops, rarely on planting and growing rice,” Janu said.
The information given by Janu is in line with Angelo, who at the beginning said that this organic fertilizer could also be used for crops other than rice, namely secondary crops. After the material was explained by Kans.id, the activity continued with the practice of making fertilizer. Making organic fertilizer is not difficult and the materials needed are also easy to obtain. The ingredients that need to be prepared are very simple, such as water, bananas, papayas, banana roots, EM mol, salt, flavoring, eggs, coconut fiber, moringa leaves, lamtoro leaves (mlanding), and an empty gallon. The ingredients are put into a gallon and filled with enough water, then shaken until combined.
The community looked enthusiastic when participating in the training activities. Through this activity, it is hoped that the knowledge and skills of the people of Sanggang Village can increase. The hope is that this innovation can be developed as an alternative solution to chemical fertilizer subsidies and to improve soil quality so as to realize a sustainable agricultural system. Humas UNS
Reporter: Rangga Pangestu Adji
Editor: Dwi Hastuti