The capacity building program for service-based student organizations carried out by the Plant Clinic is an initiative designed to increase student participation in community development, especially in the agricultural sector. The program not only emphasizes on developing students’ knowledge and skills, but also focuses on community empowerment through a participatory approach. This program has been implemented from July 19, 2023 to December 2023.
Meeting with young farmers who are members of Sasarengan Ngariung Petani Muda (SaUng TaMu) is one of the important agendas in this program. In the meeting, the formation of the core management and the person in charge of each activity was carried out. The establishment of this organizational structure is expected to improve coordination and sustainability of the program in the future. The main concept of this activity is to form a greenhouse which is used as a horticultural plant nursery business entity for the assisted farmer group.
Socialization activities are one of the core of this program, where the concept of regeneration of young farmers and the importance of implementing LEISA (Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture) and the creation of greenhouses in village farms are introduced. This socialization is carried out through the Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) method, which emphasizes participatory learning, where the community is not only the recipient of information, but also actively participates in the learning process. In this socialization, experienced resource persons were also invited to provide additional insights and enrich the discussion.
Not only stopping at concept and socialization, this program also includes the development of digital-based modern agribusiness. Through the PLA, young farmers are involved in the planning and implementation of modern agribusiness systems that integrate digital technology.
