IPB Students Teach Locals about Agroforestry through Agrovill
The term agroforestry is not yet a widely known concept amongst locals. Whereas agroforestry is a certain type of farming technique which allows the people to grow crops in the forest to fulfill their need for food but at the same time not cut down any tress. Coming from the problem on the concern of Indonesian forests, 5 students of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) alongside a supervising proffesor Lufthi Runiarsyah did a dedication towards the local community through an activity called Agrovill (Agroforestry Village). They consisted of Muhamad Yusuf, Rina Agustin Murdianti, Syifa Paxia Rinaldi, Liviana Makrufah, and Karima Fauziah Muharam. All of which came from the Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University.
The idea began from Yusuf’s passion towards agroforestry studies. As a forestry student Yusuf felt the need to directly do a field activity with the local community so that they would be able to find a solution. “In our dedication activity towards the local community which we call Agrovill, we chose Sukamakmur Village as our target area,” he explained. Sukamakmur Village, District Ciomas, Bogor became the main target of implementation of Agrovill due to the fact that most of the locals in the area were farmers. Many of the yards that the locals owned had the potential of being used to produce independent food to fulfill the daily needs through horticulture and verticulture.
“Our main consideration on choosing Sukamakmur Village was due to the reason that the people of this village do not know much about agroforestry eventhough it would be very beneficial to applicate. We saw a large oppurtunity due to the fact that the people were very enthusiastic with our farming activity which leads to the need of introducing the cultivation of forest plants as another source of potential,” said Yusuf as the Head of Agrovill.
Agrovill came as a revolutionary program to develop Sukamakmur Village to become more independent and capable of taking care of the surrounding nature and environment. Agrovill gained funding from the Ministry of Research and Technology General Direcotrate of Higher Education (Kemenristek DIKTI) to implement theri program and educate the community of Sukamakmur on agroforestry.
Through that funding, Yusuf along with his teammates went to the village as many as five times while doing various programs such as socialization, giving seeds to the locals, planting simulation, and the creation of a agroforestcenter. Not to forget to become closer to the locals, the Agrovill team created a cooking competition for the harvested goods.
Yusuf and his colleagues hope that the community specifically that of Sukamakmur will stay consistent in taking care and implementing the agroforestry system in their surrounding environment, not only to their yards but also in their farms and gardens.
“Besides that we also hope that through Agrovill, the community will not only benefit by consuming it for themselves but also benefit by using this as a source of income to sell the products that they have grown as a form of business. The success of the community of Sukamakmur Village in the implementation of Agrovill can become an example to other villages, therefore all communities will become more independent and rich in the means of fulfillment of personal feed,” Yusuf stated as a closing statement. (AVR)
