UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga continues to make contributions through community service. Students were assigned in groups to conduct the 67th Community Service Program Learning with Community (KKN BBK) in remote areas. One of the groups with ten students held an excellent program for making alternative fertilizer from the waste bank in Pojok Village, Wates Sub-district, Kediri, East Java.
The group leader, Astandi Dinoryan, a student from the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), explained that they held programs that cover issues in health, environment, economics, education, and community empowerment. The program was held on Saturday, January 28, 2023.
“Hopefully, the program will accommodate the farmers in cultivating the manufacture of fertilizers since chemical fertilizers are expensive and rare. The fertilizers can be sold to the market,” he said.
The fertilizers-making program was chosen because the locals who work as farmers and breeders have not been optimal in managing animal manure.
The program featured a farming practitioner, Derry. He introduced a decomposer product to feed on dead plant materials. The decomposing product was shared with the farmers for free.
The fertilizers were made of decomposing products, animal manure, and banana trunks. All the ingredients were mixed and soaked for three to five days. The soaking water can be used to fertilize the plants and green the vegetables.
Another program of the waste bank was also held for elementary students. They were taught to separate organic and inorganic waste in prepared plastic bags.
After that, the collected waste will be sold to the waste collector, resulting in waste with economic value. Besides, the program also supports a stable, clean, and comfortable environment.
Astandi believed that peoples still have a low awareness of economic literacy. Therefore, the team also held dissemination on financial planning and branding marketing, which were conducted door-to-door. The programs were expected to make MSMEs more sustainable and minimize losses. They also gave a guideline on how to use social media for product branding.
Author: Mutiara Rachmi Karenina
Editor: Binti Q. Masruroh
