IPB University Innovation KKNT Team and Farmers Group Synergize Towards Sustainable Agriculture in Cicadas Village
Students of IPB University’s Innovation Real-Thematic Work Lecture (KKNT) held counseling on liquid organic fertilizer (POC) in Cicadas Village, Binong District, Subang Regency, West Java. The counseling was attended by six farmer groups, including farmer women groups (KWT). The counseling aimed to introduce POC as well as hands-on practice in making the fertilizer.
The activity began with an explanation of POC, an agricultural innovation that utilizes organic materials to improve soil fertility and plant productivity. POC is known for improving soil structure, improving plant health, and reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers.
Edelino Weissnanto Rahman, the person in charge of the Cicadas Village KKNT Innovation program said, looking at the issue of rising fertilizer prices, an alternative fertilizer is needed whose basic ingredients are available in the surrounding environment. Therefore, they carried out the counseling.
“During the counseling, POC was made using chicken feces and rice husks. The combination of the two materials provides nutrients that are useful for plants,” said Edelino.
He said the explanation was followed by a practical session on making POC. In this session, KKNT Innovation IPB University students guided the farmers to understand the process and its benefits.
“After that, we also introduced the IPB Digitani application that can be used by farmers as an online consultation medium, with the hope of helping them optimize agricultural yields and adopt more modern and efficient agricultural practices,” Edelino explained.
He hopes that this counseling will provide new knowledge about POC and digital technology to Cicadas Village farmers, and help them apply it to improve agricultural yields.
Ateng, one of the farmer group leaders in Cicadas Village, shared his views on the challenges faced by farmers in the village. He stated, “The problems in the village are mostly diseases and incompatibility of seeds from outside the region. Therefore, even though the government subsidizes seeds, sometimes the seeds are not suitable so the community returns to using local seeds.”
Farmer participation shows enthusiasm for innovation and commitment to improving agricultural sustainability. The collaboration between IPB University students and local farmers is a positive step towards developing sustainable agriculture in the area. (*/Lp/Rz) (IAAS/HRD)
