UGM students from the Organizational Capacity Strengthening Program (PPK Ormawa) team of the Public Management and Policy Student Family (GAMAPI) initiated an Organic Waste Recycling Center in Banjarasri Village, Kulon Progo Regency.
In the Banjarasri Organic Waste Recycling Center program, students from various study programs collaborated to manage pig farming waste. They include students from Public Management and Policy, Animal Science and Industry, and Electrical Engineering.
Al Haqi Insan Pratama, a student of the Public Management and Policy program, UGM Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisipol UGM), class of 2022, representing the team, stated that the large number of pigs owned by the Banjarasri community necessitates proper waste management.
Although the community has already undertaken waste management efforts, they are not optimal.
“Indeed, a lot has been done by the farmers to reduce the environmental pollution produced, but in reality, the management is still not optimal,” said Pratama at the UGM campus on Tuesday (Jul. 2).
Therefore, the Banjarasri Organic Waste Recycling Center program aims to assist the community in managing pig farming waste.
He mentioned that the program uses sensor and monitoring technology to optimize pig farming waste, uses effective microorganisms and compost banks, and uses the Internet of Things applications.
Pratama emphasized that managing pig farming waste is one solution to reducing waste and minimizing its negative environmental impact. With proper management, the waste can be processed into organic fertilizer that benefits the local community.
“By utilizing the Internet of Things in this program, it is also an effort to introduce technology to the community,” he explained.
The team’s efforts eventually received support and funding from the Ministry of Education.
“In this team, we are working on managing pig farming waste in Banjarasri Village as a form of service through the Banjarasri Organic Waste Recycling Center: Utilizing Sensoring and Monitoring Technology to Optimize Pig Farming Waste with Effective Microorganism 4,” said Pratama.
Dr. Mohammad Zainal Abidin, a lecturer at the UGM Faculty of Animal Science (Animal Science UGM), supervised the program. He is very grateful that the students approached the community, the Teko Association, and the Banjarasri Village Government in preparing this program.
“They have prepared the program from March to October 2024,” said Dr. Abidin.
Banjarasri Village, Kulon Progo Regency, is about 25 km from downtown Yogyakarta. This village has various potentials, one of which is pig farming.
Data from the Teko Association indicates that all the pig farmers in Banjarasri Village raise around 2,700 pigs, and pig farming is a source of livelihood for the community.
Author: Pamedhar Sekar Utami
Editor: Agung Nugroho
Photo: The PPK Ormawa GAMAPI team