The prolonged dry season has a significant impact on the agricultural sector. Various types of plants cannot grow nor produce well due to minimal water supply. Many sources of irrigation also run dry.

However, one village in Lamongan still gets good production. Melon plants planted by farmers received fertilizer treatment from the Department of Agricultural Microbiology with assistance from the Directorate of Community Service, especially through Student Community Service (KKN) activities.

“I was told by the farmers that their melons have grown big, although the conditions are very dry. They are very happy, it never happened before,” said the Director of Community Service UGM, Prof. Ir. Irwan Dwidya Prijambada, M. Eng., Ph.D. when interviewed on Tuesday (29/10).

The farmer claimed to get far better results compared to previous years. In the dry season, he usually has to water the plants twice a day, in the morning and evening, but the plant produces smaller and fewer fruits.

However, after getting this assistance he only needs to water the plants once a day and get greater results.

These farmers’ plants, he said, were treated with special fertilizers containing Basilus and Mycorrhizae. This treatment has also previously been applied to chilli plants in Cangkringan which has provided great benefits for agricultural production.

UGM’s collaboration with farmers in Lamongan, he explained, began when one of the farmers met him last year and invited him to see the agricultural conditions in his village. After identifying the problems faced by farmers, UGM introduced fertilizer interventions through lecturers who were sent to the village.

“We started by sending staff, and then continued by placing KKN students there,” said Irfan.

He added, the assistance program for farmers would be continued and improved in the coming years by including coaching activities for the production process and introducing seeds developed by the UGM Faculty of Biology, as well as the product marketing process to attract markets so that they could directly buy products from the farmers.

“Our students can teach how these farmers can sell products through e-commerce, use the internet and social media so people know about products from this village,” he said.

Source: https://www.ugm.ac.id/id/berita/18646-ugm-bantu-petani-tetap-panen-meski-musim-kemarau

Five students of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) made an innovation in the form of concrete composite from plastic waste.

“Concrete composite is made from melted plastic mixed with sand,” said Putra Makmur Boangmanalu to reporters in a press conference on Tuesday (29/10) in Public Relations and Protocol Office UGM.

Putra developed the product together with fellow students Stephanus Satria Wira Waskitha, Vidiskiu Fortino Kurniawan, Nicolaus Elka Yudhatama, and Reza Yustika Bayuardi, who were concerned by the large amount of plastic waste in the country. The number of plastic production has increased twentyfold between 1964 and 2015 and reached 322,000 million tonnes

“Concerned by the plastic waste problems, we thought of making concrete composite as an effort to reduce plastic waste which could be applied directly applied to the community,” said the Chemistry student.

Putra explained that to get the concrete composite, they used polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles. The plastic was shredded with a plastic shredder and then heated at 410-580° Celcius for 30 minutes. The melted plastic was then mixed with fine sand and later formed in a mould measuring 5cm x 5cm x 5cm. The material was dried for seven days.

“The melted plastic is used to replace cement,” he said.

Elka added the concrete composite product had higher compressive strength than of those sold in the market, which is 15,52 MPa. Meanwhile, the compressive strength of M15 concrete or products on the market is 15 MPa after being dried for 28 days. “This means that the plastic concrete composite is stronger than the average concrete,” he said.

People can make this composite by themselves as it does not require complex heavy tools. The concrete composite can also be used as paving blocks.

“What is still homework for us is how to produce the composite in a more competitive price,” said Vidiskiu.

He explained regular concrete brick costs Rp2,500 each while the plastic concrete composite ranges between Rp3,500-Rp4,000,” he said.

This product has been applied in Sepanjang village, Karanganyar city, Central Java, during the Student Community Service program. The students also won a gold medal during the 2nd World Innovation Technology Expo (WINTEX) 2019 international competition, organized by the Indonesian Invention and Innovation Promotion Association (INNOPA) from 9-12 October 2019 in Jakarta.

Source: https://www.ugm.ac.id/id/berita/18641-mahasiswa-ugm-sulap-sampah-plastik-menjadi-komposit-beton