Berdayakan Para Ibu, Mahasiswa UGM Kembangkan Urban Farming di Lahan Sempit Perkotaan
Berdayakan Para Ibu, Mahasiswa UGM Kembangkan Urban Farming di Lahan Sempit Perkotaan
Berdayakan Para Ibu, Mahasiswa UGM Kembangkan Urban Farming di Lahan Sempit Perkotaan
A group of UGM students encouraged city mothers to creatively use narrow lands that have not been utilized optimally for farming.
Narrow lands can be used as an urban farming area that will benefit the community and environment. Through the Student Creativity Program for Community Service, the students initiated the ‘Movement of Productive Mothers through Simple Urban Farming’ (GABUTERS) with a pilot project in Pogung Dalangan, Sleman.
“The target of our program is mothers association in Pogung Dalangan RW 50, Sleman,” said Gabuters team leader, Libinza, in a release received on Monday (7/9).
The program originated from the abundance of unused small lands in Pogung. This area is an urban area located near the UGM campus with many boarding houses for students, leaving narrow spaces in houses.
“Narrow and cemented lands can still be used for farming by verticulture system or with pots.”
The program carries four main issues, including upcycling, aesthetics, entertainment, and organic livelihood. The activities are seeding, planting, fertilizing, and harvesting. Fast-growing seeds are used to start the program, such as water spinach, China cabbage, and spinach.
The mothers utilize used items to re-pot the plants from poly bags to horizontal and vertical pots. Meanwhile, the fertilizer used as vitamins and pesticides is a liquid organic fertilizer made of organic wastes using a composter.
“The outcome is organic vegetables that are difficult to get nowadays.”
Libinza hoped that this program can raise the community’s awareness to use narrow lands for farming, to reuse old items for upcycling as an entertainment, and to encourage a healthy lifestyle with organic vegetables.
The socialization of the program was carried out on Thursday, May 3, 2018, and the practice on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. In addition, private activities were held for some people who have carried the program up to certain stages to continue the procedure.