Innovation Biororak System Has Brought IPB Students Successfully Won the First prize in Hi-Great National Essay Competition 2017
Two students of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Danang Alfath Aldrian and Yuliana made achievements through their creativity. These two students of IPB again developed an idea after previously won the writing competition on biopori. Danang and Yuliana won the first prize in the Hi-Great National Essay Competition 2017, held by the Association of the Department of Industrial Technology for Agriculture, of Universitas Brawijaya, Malang on 19-20 May 2017.
In the event of Essay Competition with the theme “Strategi Pemanfaatan Limbah Agroindsutri sebagai Upaya Peningkatan Laju Perekonomian Rakyat Strategy of the Utilization of Agroindsutri Waste as Effort to Increase Economic Development of the Nationa” the contestants were from various reputable universities in Indonesia including: Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Universitas Brawijaya (UB ), Diponegoro University (UNDIP), IPB. They competed to give their creative ideas in advancing Indonesia. They can choose sub themes such as research, technology and education, economics, health, environment and food.
On this special event, the group of IPB successfully won the first winner. The title of their paper was "Biororak System: Pemanfaatan Kombinasi Biopori dan Rorak pada Lahan Pertanian Berkelanjutan untuk Meningkatkan Prekonomian Petani Indonesia = Biororak System: the Utilization Biopori and Rorak Combination for Sustainable Agriculture to improve the economic prosperity of Indonesian Farmers".
Biororak is a land management system by combining biopori and rorak methods. Biopori is vertical cylindrical hole into the soil that is 10 cm in diameter and about 50-100 cm deep. Such holes can be dug in house yards, gutters, along terrace walls, open grassy fields and any place where rainwater collects. and utilizing organic waste to be composted in the hole. Biopore can absorb water to prevent floods. The process of composting organic waste can occur for 56-84 days. Biopore is useful to prevent the occurrence of nutrient degradation in the soil, due to the high flow of water on the soil surface.
While rorak is a dead-end ditch, its size will be determined depending on the purposes. The making of rorak is done between the plants and the direction of the soil contour. After the hole’s maximum capacity has been reached, the compost inside can be taken out and used as organic fertilizer for plants. The rorak digging can also be accompanied by the provision of organic waste (mulch), so rorak will be used as storage of land slides as well as a reservoir of water.
"Biororak system is a combination of planning of biopori and rorak systematically on agricultural land, they are expected to be a solution of high rainfall that could potentially endanger agricultural land. Biopores contribute to air transport through the soil, increase water infiltration, reduce water runoff and soil erosion, serve as preferential pathways for root elongation and can facilitate the acquisition of water and nutrients from the subsoil. Because, it can cause loss of nutrients on the soil, "said Danang.
In addition, Biororak will utilized as the reservoir of water and nutrients on the soil, also will become alternative methods utilized by farmers in reducing the cost of the use of inorganic fertilizers. Density and in particular the quality of biopores, e.g., the nutrient contents of pore walls, can be influenced by earthworms which can be promoted by adapted tillage practices. This system can be applied to dry land commonly used for of cereal (wheat, corn, and sorghum), beans (peanut, green and soybeans), tubers (cassava, sweetcods, and taro) and other plantation crops cultivation. This biorororacic storage capacity is expected to improve the damaged soil structure, "he added. (Wied)
