Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department of Faculty of Agricultural Technology UGM has transferred aid programme to Selopamioro and Sriharjo villages in Bantul regency on Monday (7/8) at Selopamioro village hall.
The programme consists of climate change mitigation, integrated management system and development of knowledge management system. The Faculty also transferred supporting programmes such as those related to biogas, Safe Water Garden, and food tools such as slicer, sealer, and spinner.
The Faculty did the community service project since August 2018 in both villages collaborating with Yanmar Environmental Sustainability Support Association (YESSA). The theme of the project is Knowledge Development for Agricultural Sustainability in Agropolitan Area for Community Welfare.
Prof. Dr. Lilik Sutiarso, programme coordinator, said they aimed at benefiting the village people. He said the people in fact already had their own local wisdom, but the Faculty maximised this knowledge by operating the technology.
“The people here have their own way of farming, understanding the weather, harvesting, and detecting pests. And we teach them knowledge of technology. But we also learn their local wisdom which can be shared with others,” he said.
Himawan Sajadti, village chief of Selopamioro, thanked UGM for having benefited the village. He said the programme had helped raise the economy, particularly in agriculture sector. The programme also made the people more aware of technology.
Himawan added that the village now not only wanted to be helped but also wanted to help. They wanted to develop their tourism but they still grapple with design and marketing aspects. “I hope UGM would be willing to help us again to make our village more independent,” he said.