FMIPA UI Distributes Free Environmentally Friendly Compost Fertilizer to Jatijajar Depok Residents

The Research and Community Service Unit of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI) distributed free compost fertilizer processed from the Parangtopo FMIPA UI laboratory biodigester to 25 residents of RT 04/06, Jatijajar Village, Tapos District, Depok, on Friday (6/23/2023).

The activity entitled "Parangtopo Peduli Waste to Energy Laboratory" is part of the FMIPA UI community service program in order to carry out the Tri Dharma of Higher Education. Residents involved in the fertilizer distribution program are fostered by the Indonesia Berseru Association. Residents in this activity are dominated by housewives who are being educated to cultivate vegetables such as tomatoes, mustard greens, chilies, and spinach independently.

The fertilizer was handed over by Gamma Abdul Jabbar, M.Sc. as the Team in Charge of the Biodigester Laboratory Field to residents through Mr. Wahyudi as the Head of RT 04/06, Jatijajar Village, Depok.

He said that a total of 50 bags of fertilizer were distributed with each bag weighing 3 kg. The distribution of this fertilizer, continued Gamma, began with the initiation of urban farming activities in the RT 04/06 area, Jatijajar Village, to support soil loosening on land owned by residents of the Indonesian Berseru Association, using environmentally friendly compost fertilizer so that the soil functions optimally for planting various types of productive plants.

"The compost produced is a product of anaerobic processing from a mixture of dry leaves and organic waste. So this compost does not use other materials other than those produced from nature," said Gamma to the FMIPA UI Public Relations team.

Gamma added that the potential of biodigester fertilizer produced from organic waste processing in the UI Campus environment had previously been tested on plants in an experimental garden created in the Parangtopo Laboratory area of ​​FMIPA UI, for the cultivation of eggplant, peanuts, pakcoy, and water spinach, both conventionally and with a hydroponic system.

"From the results of the experiments conducted, it is also seen that the plants tested showed a good response to several treatments carried out," he said.

The composting process in the Parangtopo Laboratory, FMIPA UI, is carried out using the Fixed Dome Digester Compose technology anaerobically. From the study that has been conducted, it was found that the best ratio between organic waste, dry leaf waste, and animal waste is 5:5:2. Based on the results of the analysis, there are no hazardous chemicals that can pollute the environment, and the threshold for the fertilizer category has been largely met.

He hopes that the fertilizer distributed can help meet the fertilizer needs of residents of RT 04/06, Jatijajar Village, Tapos District, Depok, in the process of learning to cultivate vegetables, so that residents are more motivated in producing vegetables with superior quality that can be felt both individually and in groups.

Mr. Wahyudi as the Head of RT, expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the FMIPA UI team for the distribution of compost fertilizer processed from the Parangtopo FMIPA UI laboratory biodigester. He said. According to him, these environmentally friendly fertilizers are very useful and helpful for residents who are just starting to learn to cultivate vegetables.

"This assistance is very useful and very helpful for us, this organic fertilizer is not only environmentally friendly but also very good for loosening the planting medium," he said.

News source : https://sci.ui.ac.id/