pengetahuanhijau.com - Since 2015, HiVOS Consortium has started the mission to enhance its activities in gender-perspective renewable energy and green fodder sectors. It applies activities which intensify the utilisation of bio-slurry through BIRU Programme and developing Duckweed plants by the farmers. The purpose is to improve the utilisation of plants with high protein content for fodder and fish feed. Through GADING Project, HiVOS Consortium has provided assistance and deliver a number of trainings both for male and female farmers with the purpose of enhancing their knowledge of bio-slurry management, freshwater aquaculture, and Duckweed plant management. This is also part of an effort to improve the quality of relationship between the male and female in household industries.

As one of the form of knowledge enhancement for the beneficiaries, HiVOS Consortium synergises with Universitas Kristen Wirawacana Sumba to deliver Business Training Management and Enterpreneurship which took place at Hotel Sumba Sejahtera Auditorium at Southwest Sumba Regency, East Nusa Tenggara on June 9-10, 2017. In addition to the presentation delivered by Mama Martina and Mr. Bernardus Missa which are users and bio-slurry business persons who have experience the remarkable impact on their life, this activity has also been facilitated by the instructors at Universitas Kristen Wirawacana Sumba, as well as Ir. YM Hudioro who is the the Head of Fisheries Department of the Office of Marine and Fisheries at East Sumba Regency.

The purpose of this training is to enhance the knowledge in identifying the business and prepare bio-slurry business plan on the beneficiaries of GADING Project to each of the 25 beneficiaries in East Sumba, West Sumba, and Southwest Sumba Regencies. Following the training, participants prepare business plan which they will engage.

Following the assistance, it is known that the beneficiaries of GADING Project have the potentials to increase family income through bio-slurry businesses, fisheries, and Duckweed. Based on the facts, during April-June 2017 period, GADING Project in Sumba attempts to develop the capabilities of both male and female farmers in understanding the business considering their limited understanding to engage on bio-slurry based business.

Biogas sludge which is also known as bio-slurry is a product of biogas processing based on animal manures and water through anaerobic process in a sealed chamber. Both liquid and solid bio-slurry are grouped as organic fertilisers as the whole ingredients originate from organic materials that is fermented manures. Consequently, this makes the bio-slurry suitable to fertilise the soil and improve the cultivated crops (food, horticulture, duckweed garden, fisheries, as well as vermiculture).

During its preparation process, bio-slurry is present in the liquid and solid forms as the finished forms. Upon the outflow of the sludge outlet, bio-slurry is present in a liquid form which tends to be solid, has a light brown color or green and tend to be dark-colour, few or no bubbles at all, odourless, and do not attract insects. Once it is solidified and dried, the colour of bio-slurry turns into dark brown colour. The dried bio-slurry has a sticky texture, loamy and matte, pliable and good water retention.

Bio-slurry has numerous benefits, including soil conditioner as it contains 1020% of humic acid. Other benefits include: complete and high quality nutrients; bio activator of probiotic microbes and source of earthworm food; plant growth regulator. It also serves as organic pesticides and fungicides. Good mixture ingredient for vermicompost, bokashi compost, fungal culture media, pond fertiliser, fish feed, and eel feed.

One of a business example which may be further developed is nile tilapia aquaculture by utilising the source of alternative food (Lemna minor). Lemna minor is a general term for a watermoss from the Salvinia genus. This plant is normally found floating in a still water such as ponds, rice paddy field, and lakes, or in a slow running water with 25-45% protein content.

Although nile aquaculture is easy to carry out by utilising the potential of the environments, there are still many people who are unable to see nile tilapia as business opportunities. The reason is due to costly fish feed, and people then prefer to consume marine fish in addition to the lack of knowledge in aquaculture tehcniques. Therefore it is important to organise training on nile tilapia aquaculture. Three key elements in nile tilapia aquaculture are water management, administration of fish feed, and control of fish disease. Through good knowledge and skill, freshwater aquaculture business is in fact a promising business opportunity.

Understanding the Marketing Potential and Bio-slurry Based Business Management

All of the 16 participants were also provided with several materials relevant to entrepreneurship activities, marketing, accounting, as well as internal collaboration within the family regardless of the gender in developing the business. Entrepreneurs are individuals who are able or own their own business for economic income or in other words those who dare to develop creative businesses independently. The principles of entrepreneursip are ambition, courage, hard work, motivation, open minded for positive inputs in the forms of critiques or recommendation. Essentially, the most oustanding characteristics of entrepreneurs are not how much they earn from their business but the facts that they can be independent and it certainly provides positive effects toward their self-confidence and self-esteem.

To develop creative businesses, entrepreneurs need to identify and analyse the potetials of bio-slurry and are able to establish the business opportunity through SWOT analysis process. There are five assets of livelihood that they can explore, namely personal assets (human resources), social assets, natural resources, financial assets, as well as physical assets. The relevance between livelihood assets and business development shall be taken into consideration to determine business strategy.

Through the elaboration of business plan, participants are expected to be able to understand the importance of business plan as a reference in running a business. Additionally, it is important to have the ability to prepare the plan with a standardised system and transform it in a creative manner to suit the business needs. Analogically, business plan is like a compass which enable a business to grow and proceed the way it is expected by the entrepreneurs as it is composed of a combination of observation, mapping, and formulation of various elements relevant to business development. Understanding the dream of a business as well as mapping the potentials and opportunities are the starting point in planning a business. Good understanding on the administration management and business management are certainly necessary.

In a business, market survey is mandatory in order to maintain current business existence. Through market survey, entrepreneurs will be able to formulate survey results into feedback in conjunction with establishing market strategy.

Why do we have to conduct market survey? Marketing needs information on: customer needs, marketing environment and competition. Marketing manager does not need extraneous information, but needs the best information. Information collected in market survey normally are information on product/services available in the market, triggering factors in consumers in selecting the products, needs and desire of the customers, competitors’ presence and characteristics. Survey results are assets for improved business development. In marketing strategy, participants need to find out on the methods to formulate marketing strategy for bio-slurry based products by turning marketing mix as materials to establish marketing strategy. Marketing itself may be defined as a process where individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through product creation and exchange as well as values with other parties. Through the right marketing plan, it is expected that entrepreneurs may achieve their desired goals.

Marketing mix is a group of tactical controlled marketing tools to produce the desired responses in the target market. This mix is normally called 4P that is product, price, place, and promotion. By understanding these four aspects, then entrepreneurs may identify the strategic measures which they may take to develop the business.

Another crucial element to understand is accounting. The fact is that there are still many entrepreneurs who fail to notice the importance of proper accounting. In fact there are complete record on accounting regarding finance such as cashflow (inbound/outbound); daily, weekly, monthly revenues; record of business purchases. No matter how small a business is, it is crucial to maintain proper accounting thus one day when the business is fully established, everyone will be accustomed to the tasks.

Understanding on business and market opportunities as well as improvement on human resources are only some parts of the business. Gender equality may also need to be applied in various aspects of the life including in entrepreneurship. Gender is defined as segregation of positions. Male and female duties have been defined by the community in accordance with male and female characters which are considered appropriate in accordance with norms, traditions, belief, and customs. This is unlike the definition of differences in the form, characteristics, and biological functions of male and female which determine the differences of their roles in passing down the generation. It is necessary to establish good cooperation in developing the business. Even household industries need cooperation between husband and wife, between male and female. Basically there is equal chance between male and female to succeed in any business.

As a business opportunity, bio-slurry has provided a real proof in improving the community standard of living of the businesses. This is discovered in Mrs. Margaretha D. Gole’s expression which has started bio-slurry business. Several challenges at the initial stage of the business have been overcome, even today she still attempts to enhance the community awareness in her surrounding on the importance of bio-slurry. For Mrs. Margaretha, this is not an easy task as most community members are used to chemical fertilisers. However, having identified all the benefits of bio-slurry, Mrs. Margaretha is committed to continuosly engage in bio-slurry campaign to the community. To those who are not yet convinced, Mrs. Margaretha provides her bio-slurry product free of charge so they will try the product in the hope that the farmers will experience the difference between bio-slurry and chemical fertilisers they normally use. Through the use of bio-slurry, Mrs. Margaretha’s economy has improved through higher yield of her farms. She even managed to send her children to school through the income earned from the sale of her farm produce as well as sale of the bio-slurry to those who are already convinced on the benefit of bio-slurry.

Meanwhile, Mr. Yohanis Bulu who is the Village Head of Tematana Village East Wewewa Subdistrict who also attended the training appeared to be very enthusiastic and repeatedly expressed his appreciation on the attainment of bio-slurry business persons. What makes the Village Head to the opportunity is the fact that all the needs to engage in a creative business is already present among the community. It is easy to find and sometime is considered a waste. The passion of the Village Head is also evident in his promise to contribute through the village fund to develop this business. According to him, in addition to environmentally friendly, the benefits of bio-slurry are incredible.

In the meantime, the representative of West Sumba Regency, Pige Rade, is equally enthusiastic. Although he just started the business, he has demonstrated a great enthusiasm inspired by the resource persons and business persons who have experienced the benefits themselves. He admitted, that this training has convinced him to continuously explore this business opportunity.

Upon the conclusion of the training, the activity will be followed up with a series of assistance to prepare a bio-slurry based business plan carried out by the famers, especially the women to add the household income. In addition, capturing this business opportunity is one of the smart moves to preserve the environment.

(Source: http://www.pengetahuanhijau.com/berita/menangkap-peluang-usaha-berbasis-bio-slurry)