Head of Agrapana’s BSO, Susilo Eko, explained that this hydroponic education program was designed as an effort to promote more efficient agricultural innovation on limited land. The activity also introduced the world of agriculture to younger generations in order to build awareness of future food security.

“This activity was carried out as an implementation of Agricultural Engineering knowledge in a way that is more engaging and easier to understand, so that it is not only studied by university students, but can also be applied by the community,” said Eko.

The educational session was delivered by 14 students from HIMAREKTA “Agrapana” ITB and 16 students from Skhole ITB. In addition to benefiting the community, the activity also trained students to communicate what they have learned directly so that it can be more easily understood by various audiences.

The participants then took part in a vertical hydroponic cultivation practice session led by Susilo Eko.

Beyond plant cultivation, hydroponic media can also serve as a learning tool for children at the community learning center. For example, hydroponic installations can be placed in dark areas and in areas with good sunlight exposure to demonstrate the effect of light on plant growth. This hydroponic simulation is also expected to be applied by parents at home, so that it can help create food self-sufficiency with relatively healthier food sources.

Reporter: Azka Zahara Firdausa (Bioengineering, 2022)