pengetahuanhijau.com - “This year in Lewa, we experienced a somewhat disappointing crop yield due to rodent and golden apple snail pests. A 1-hectare rice paddy yields 7-10 rice sacks (1 sack = 100 kilograms) or equivalent to 700-1.000 kilograms. On the other hand, rice paddy fields using bio-slurry have been completely spared from such pests thus enable the fields to produce the yield of up to 40 rice sacks or equivalent to 4.000 kilograms. Thanks to bio-slurry, in addition to being saved from the pests, the yields are also much higher in comparision to using the chemical fertilisers,” uttered Mr. Bernardus Missa, one of the bio-slurry business persons in Kambuhapang Village, Lewa Subdistrict, East Sumba, when acting as the first speaker in Bio-slurry Entepreneurship Training organised on June 5-6, 2017 at Elvin Hotel Auditorium in Waingapu by Yayasan Rumah Energi (YRE).
YRE is a member of HIVOS Consortium, one of the Green Knowledge grantees in Green Prosperity project supported by Millenium Challenge Account Indonesia (MCA Indonesia). Today the organisation is implementing GADING Progamme in Sumba Island. GADING (Gathering and Dissemination of Information and Green Knowledge for a Sustainable Integrated Farming Workforce in Indonesia) Programme provides direction on the development and capacity enhancement to a workforce based on a research for sustainable development by introducing hybrid agricultural approach in conjunction with optimising the resources, policies, and local economic and socio culture.
GADING Programme goes beyond embracing the workforce in agricultural sector, but also engaging in knowledge dissemination as well as skills to the practicioners, course instructur in agricultural sectors, and government agencies. It provides the framework of economic development through knowledge enhancement on ongoing local economic activities throughout these times.
The contribution of this programme both directly or indirectly affect the economic prosperity and alleviating the poverty by introducing Duckweed as potential and beneficial crop. This contribution is accomplished through various methods, including the application of Duckweed on the farm animal food cycle to accelerate the animal growth and ultimately produces healthy animals as well as develop the skills in organic farming sector. Through GADING Programme, livestock farmers may be encouraged to increase of bio-slurry use value supported by micro finance. In addition, the programme will also contribute to the mitigation of climate change by optimising waste products into renewable energy intended for hybrid farming.
“GADING Programme helps us a lot to leverage the total biogas reactor construction. People now build the biogas reactor for the purpose beyond the benefit of the gas produced, but more inclined to the benefit of using bio-slurry as the organic fertilisers,” explained Miss Arina Rupa Rada in between the activities.
Training activities which last for two days are intended to prepare bio-slurry business persons as well as the potential candidate of incentive recipients fron GADING Programme to immediately embark in various bio-slurry based businesses, starting from developing Duckweed pond, fish pond up to the sales of the bio-slurry. There are 35 participants involved originating from the locations where GADING Programme is present in East Sumba in such villages as: Kambaniru, Matawai, Mauhau, Kambajawa, Lewa Paku and Wanga, Patawang, Mutu Nggeding, Matawai Atu, Watuhadang, Umalulu, Kamanggih, Kataka, Kambuhapang, Lumbu Kore, Watupuda, and Wuku Kalara.
In addition to presenting such resource persons as Mr. Bernardus Missa, Miss Tara Amah as an active bio-slurry business persons, and Mr. Ir. Y.M. Hudioro from the Office of Marine and Fisheries of East Sumba. This activity has also presented 6 instructors which are part of instructor team from the Development Economic Study and Management Study Programme, School of Social Sciences, the Christian University of Wira Wacana (UNKRISWINA) Sumba under the coordination of Mrs. Anastasia Diana Tumimomor, SE, M.Si. to facilitate this activity.
“We do collaborate with a local university in this activity as they are the one that is competent to distribute a number of knowledge relevant with the bio-slurry business development for farmers. Previously, we have involved this team in proposal preparation activities for bio-slurry businesses as well as the candidates of incentive recipients of GADING Programme. Therefore, they have understood with the conditions of the participants,” uttered Mr. Kornelis K. Lidjang as the Organic Fertliser Officer (OFO) of YRE.
On the first day, the activity is focused on sharing the experience relevant to bio-slurry businesses by Mr. Bernardus and Mrs. Martina to all participants who are biogas users although not all of them have engaged in bio-slurry businesses.
“Early since 2017 I have sold liquid bio-slurry as much as 4,000 litres with a sales price of Rp 10,000/litre. I used the money to pay my children’s college tuition fees. Additionally, I also sell crops by using bio-slurry, for example chilli plant at Rp 50,000/pot as well as germinating dragon fruit at Rp100,000/polybag. By using bio-slurry, I do feel like income is automatically delivered to my household.” That is the experience shared by Mr. Bernardus.
Mrs. Martina has her own story. “This year my paddyfield yields a 1-ton of rice, 200 kilograms of bran, and several chickens through bartering activities. When bio-slurry buyers do not have cash in hand, then they may barter the bio-slurry with whatever they have in stock. Even vegetable can be a bartering commodity. I use the profit I earned from the sales to pay for my children’s college tuition fees,” uttered Mama Martina passionately.
In one of her slide presentation, Mrs. Martina also explained several matters which support her bio-slurry business opportunities, that is the policy of the Minister of Agriculture on 5:3:2 ratio of fertiliser’s use, lower government’s subsidy on chemical fertilisers, the difficulties in finding subsidised fertilisers in the market, and the increasing demand of fertilisers within the community to improve soil productivity. Bio-slurry may be exchanged with other commodities while it is also readily available in the market and easily processed. Additionally, there are relationship already established with various parties to facilitate the marketing efforts.
As for the Minister Agriculture’s policy on 5:3:2, Mama Martina explained that there are recommendation made by the Minister of Agriculture himself to utilise organic fertilisers with the ratio of 500 kilograms of organic fertilsers, 300 kilogram of NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium) fertilisers, and 200 kg of urea fertilisers in a 1-hectare total land area. Organic fertilisers may be in the forms of compost, bokashi, as well as bio-slurry.
In the meantime, Mr. Hudioro of the Office of Marine and Fisheries shared a material on the application of Duckweed in supporting the fisheries sector. One of the focus of GADING Programme is to introduce Duckweed as a potential and beneficial plant for cattle, fish feed, pigs, and so forth.
On the second day, the activity is focused on delivering the material by the UNKRISWINA team on entrepreneurship, SWOT analysis, marketing concepts, businesss accounting, and business planning as well as simulation of completing business plan forms.
According to one of the facilitators, Mr. Lusianus Heronimus Kelen, SE, M.Sc this is an incredible activity. “What we share here in general has been practiced by these bio-slurry businesses. We only share few of the practical knowledge which they may apply to improve their business productivity. We only understand bio-slurry during a field visit for the preparation of business proposal yesterday, even the university student engaging as an enumerator as well as our fellow college instructor immediately turn the knowledge into the material for thesis and college instructor’s research. This collaboration has brought in many inspiration for us in the university,” uttered Mr. Sinyo.
Meanwhile, one of the participants from Lewa, Mr. Leksi Lukas Lomi said that the materials presented during the activity are very useful. Various new information obtained especially on the development of fish pond as he will put his focus on this business in the future. “Back then when I constructed the biogas where I had to cover some of the costs, I felt that the sacrifice was so remarkable, but once I used the biogas, I felt that there were greater added values. Other than the gas produced by the biogas reactor, I also obtained free organic fertilisers for my paddy field. Today, I even receive the support through the development of Duckweed as well as fish ponds,” he explained to me.
Several days earlier, we just celebrated the Environmental Day, hopefully there will be more and more eco-friendly businesses developed such as this one. Let us save our earth through green entrepreneurship.
(Source: http://www.pengetahuanhijau.com/berita/datangkan-uang-ke-rumah-dengan-bio-slurry)