As an institution that deals with agricultural education, research and development, Agricultural Training, Research and Development Station of Universitas Gadjah Mada (KP4 UGM)Â has started innovative projects; one of those is on sakura trees. It is widely known that sakura originates from Japan, which is a sub-tropical country. The tree is in the Rosaceae family, genus Prunus, and is similar to plums, peaches or apricots. Generally, it is classified in the sakura sub-genus. The word sakura is derived from saku (blooming), ended with the plural form ra. The uniqueness and beauty of this three are globally recognised.
Currently, KP4 develops sakura trees to be able to grow in tropical countries. Beginning January 2010, KP4 started to build a garden measuring 1000 m2 in size and to prepare some 100 trees. According to the Head of KP4, Dr. Ir. Cahyono Agus D.K., M.Sc., the development of the sakura tree is for edu-tourism and research plot.
Along with the construction of the garden, the development of the trees has started with layering method that aims at producing breeds in short period. The construction of an outbound site which includes areas for flying fox, camping ground, boats, etc, will complement environmental education in KP4. The development of Education for Sustainable Development (ESfD) in integrated agricultural-based development has made KP4 a place to gain knowledge about living creatures and the environment. KP4 has good atmosphere, and by visiting it, people have the chance to learn while playing and having fun.