The orchid festival, held on Saturday (May 18) in the orchid garden and reservoir area of the UGM Agro-technology Innovation Center (PIAT UGM), showcased 200 orchid plants.
Various types of orchids from the PIAT UGM collection and eight orchid enthusiast communities in Yogyakarta were featured. This year’s orchid festival was enlivened with activities such as an orchid auction, a coloring contest, and a talk show.
The festival, themed “Mindfulness in Orchid Business: Finding Peace Through Plant Cultivation,” also launched the “Nganggrek nang Kampus” program.
This program represents a commitment from PIAT UGM and orchid enthusiast communities to collaborate on orchid cultivation through training and exhibitions and to promote orchid diversity to the public regularly and periodically.
The ceremony was symbolically carried out by collectively raising orchids by the Secretary of UGM, Dr. Andi Sandi Antonius Tabusassa Tonralipu; Head of PIAT UGM, Dr. Alan Soffan; and representatives from the Biology’s Orchid Study Club (BiOSC), and Kagama Orchid.
Dr. Andi Sandi Antonius Tabusassa Tonralipu stated that the orchid festival, which is part of the re-opening of the PIAT UGM orchid garden, is a concrete step by the university to conduct activities outside of academic pursuits that positively impact the community.
“The hope is that after this, PIAT UGM can become a discussion hub for developing orchids in terms of their beauty, as they can be used for self-healing therapy and research into new varieties. This innovation needs to be strengthened,” said Dr. Tonralipu.
The secretary added that the results of orchid research need to be incubated and disseminated to the community, as orchids are a commodity with good prospects for continued cultivation.
“Let’s all collaborate so that orchids can become an economic driver, not just for individuals and communities, but also nationally,” he concluded.
Dr. Alan Soffan explained that the orchid festival would become an annual event, continuing to involve communities because PIAT UGM, as a university representative, positions itself as a hub or center for activities carrying the mission of the university’s tri dharma (three principles).
“This orchid festival will be an annual event, and in October, we plan to hold another exhibition with the orchid communities,” said Dr. Soffan.
He added that PIAT UGM’s strong foundation in research and education led to the choice to collaborate with communities. The strengthening of the downstream or business model will be carried out with the communities. Dr. Soffan hopes this collaboration will bring broader benefits to society.
In the talk show titled “Mindfulness in Orchid Business,” PIAT UGM featured three speakers: Aries Bagus Sasongko from the Faculty of Biology, Ricky Setiaji Nugraha from Agri Orchids, and Syafni Sukmana from the Indonesian Association of Landscape Architecture.
The three speakers shared best practices on orchid cultivation and care techniques, tips for starting a successful business, empirical studies explaining the positive correlation between gardening or horticultural therapy activities and mental health, and the use of orchid plants from a landscape architecture perspective.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Photographer: Firsto