The village of Duwet in Gunungkidul has attracted the attention of five UGM students. This village has a total population of 2,779 people, consisting of 1,341 men and 1,438 women, with 600 working in livestock and agriculture.
With a total area of 384,888 square meters, unproductive land during the dry season is very concerning. The predominant soil type, ultisol, results in arid soil during the dry season.
Five UGM students, part of the Student Creativity Program in Community Service, became interested in addressing this issue and making the land in Duwet productive.
The team comprises Karina Dea Lathifa, Ulinuha Farda, Vegi Sylvia Wardhani (Animal Sciences), Wahyu Duwi (Agricultural Technology), and Andhika Valerian Meyer (Agriculture). They decided to cultivate high-quality grass as a solution.
“With a rainfall rate of 8.80 mm, it’s disheartening to see this area during the dry season, especially with the ongoing El Niño phenomenon affecting agriculture. El Niño is exacerbating drought, making the soil even drier,” said Vegi Wardhani on Monday (October 23).
Wardhani explained that the team chose a type of green forage that was deemed suitable for the land in Duwet. With this planting, they hoped to meet the needs of livestock farmers during the dry season and increase the income of the village youth group.
Due to the area’s water scarcity, Wardhani emphasized that the land required special attention. As a solution, the team applied sprinkler irrigation, an appropriate technology expected to produce high-quality grass for livestock feed.
“The Suket Duwet program focuses on increasing knowledge and skills that are expected to increase the income of Sarwo Saguh youth group and meet the livestock feed needs of the people of Duwet during the dry season by using sprinkler irrigation in partner’s land,” she said.
For Karina Lathifa, Suket Duwet is a space where youth and residents can increase their knowledge, creativity, and potential in agriculture and livestock.
This space includes workshops and discussions, ToT-based training related to optimizing the use of non-productive land, land management, crop cultivation, social entrepreneurship, and partner connections to expand marketing products and services networks.
“We hope this program will catalyze the spread of sprinkler irrigation in Gunungkidul and make land management easier in Gunungkidul,” said team leader Lathifa.
Lathifa hopes this program will produce pioneers of self-reliance in social entrepreneurship based on innovative concepts. Programs like this demonstrate how unproductive land can be utilized by applying sprinkler irrigation, leading to sustainable land management.
Author: Vegi Sylvia Wardhani
Editor: Agung Nugroho