Yogyakarta – The Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), continues to demonstrate its commitment to advancing sustainable agriculture through the involvement of one of its faculty members in an industrial-scale oil palm biomass waste management project.

Dr. Nur Akbar Arofatullah, S.P., M.Biotech., Head of the Laboratory of the Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, UGM, was invited by Winrock International to participate in the Industrial-Scale Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) Composting Pilot Project Field Visit, held from 30 June to 3 July 2026 at Trubus Sentra Agrobisnis (TSA) in Paser Regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. read more

The Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) once again carried out a community service program by introducing an innovation in the use of fermented duckweed (Lemna sp.) as feed for fish and livestock. The activity was held at the Al-Dzikro Orphanage Foundation, Imogiri, Bantul, as an effort to promote food self-sufficiency while also encouraging productive economic enterprises within the orphanage.

Duckweed, or kiambang, is a high-protein aquatic plant with great potential as an alternative feed source. Through the fermentation process, the nutritional value of duckweed can be enhanced and its digestibility improved, thereby not only reducing feed production costs but also opening new business opportunities based on local resources. read more

The Community Service and Empowerment Program (KKN-PPM) Period II 2025 of Universitas Gadjah Mada was successfully carried out by one of the Agricultural Microbiology students of the 2022 cohort, Ilyasa Ilham, for 50 days from June 20 to August 8, 2025 in Silaut Subdistrict, Pesisir Selatan Regency, West Sumatra. KKN-PPM is a compulsory course that enables students to directly apply their academic knowledge within society. Through this program, students are encouraged to live among the community while making tangible contributions to both the prevention and resolution of local challenges. read more

The KKN-PPM UGM Tilik Tulakan team for the second period of 2025 has successfully completed its community service program in Tulakan Village and Bungur Village, Tulakan District, Pacitan Regency. The team, consisting of 29 students, was guided by Gilang Wirakusuma, S.P., M.Sc. as the Field Supervisor (DPL). Tulakan District was chosen because of its significant role in strengthening the agricultural sector, considered the leading sector of the region. The program, which took place from June 29 to July 2, 2025, focused on the concerns of local residents regarding declining agricultural yields due to poor soil fertility. read more

Yomita Misya, a student of the Agricultural Microbiology Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Faperta UGM), introduced “corn tempeh” as an innovation in local food development in Gedong Jetis Village, Tulung District, Klaten Regency, Central Java. This activity was part of the Community Service Program (KKN-PPM) “Tulang Tulung” Team, which focuses on addressing extreme poverty in the region.

According to the coordinator of the Gedong Jetis subunit, Aldara Fatiyah (Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, 2022), corn is the main agricultural commodity in Gedong Jetis Village.
“There are plenty of cornfields in Gedong Jetis, and the farmers are abundant as well. However, until now the harvest has only been sold as livestock feed without further processing,” she explained. read more

The Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Faperta UGM), in collaboration with Kasetsart University, Thailand, held a guest lecture open to the UGM academic community and the public. The event took place online via Zoom Meeting on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, featuring Dr. Chanita Boonmak from the Duckweed Holobiont Resource and Research Center (DHBC), Kasetsart University, Thailand, as the keynote speaker.

The topic presented in this guest lecture was “Duckweed Microbiome: Unlocking Bacterial Potential for Environmental and Food Applications”, which highlighted research collaboration funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) program. read more

A student from the Agricultural Microbiology Study Program at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) class of 2021, Muhammad Prakosa Damarsejati, participated in the Community Empowerment Service Learning Program (KKN-PPM) for the second period of 2024 in Palingkau Asri Village, Kapuas Murung District, Kapuas Regency, Central Kalimantan. This KKN activity is a mandatory program included in the intramural activities that implement the tri dharma of higher education: education, research, and community service. It provides students with the experience of learning and working in community development activities as a medium for applying and developing science and technology outside the campus, according to the needs of the region, within a predetermined work mechanism. read more

The KKN-PPM program conducted by UGM (Gadjah Mada University) provides an opportunity for agricultural microbiology student, Zikra Fathin Nabila, to broaden her knowledge of national values and diversity. This KKN program was conducted from July to August. For exactly 50 days, Zikra carried out her KKN program in Pelaga Village, a village that is very green, cool, and full of unique Indonesian potential to be proud of. Zikra learned a lot from the community there about social values, nationalism, and diversity. Actively participating in community activities in the village made Zikra proud to be an Indonesian citizen. This KKN activity also became a place for Zikra to learn a lot about practical knowledge directly in the community environment. read more

The Community Service-Learning and Community Empowerment Program (KKN-PPM) is a mandatory course for all UGM students. Through this course, students are encouraged to enhance their empathy, multidisciplinary collaboration, and direct contributions to society. The KKN-PPM UGM is conducted across 35 provinces in Indonesia over four time periods. One of the Agricultural Microbiology students from the 2021 cohort, Hafsah Dwi Nur Haliza, commonly known as Lisa, joined unit AC-002 for the second period of 2024 on Tuangku Island. The island is located in Pulau Banyak Barat Sub-district, Aceh Singkil Regency, Aceh Province. Following the recommendation from the Aceh Provincial Bappeda, UGM students from unit AC-002 were directed to carry out their KKN on Tuangku Island, which is part of an archipelago directly bordering the Indian Ocean. read more

In August 2024, Muhammad Misbahul Anam, a student of the Agricultural Microbiology class of 2021, completed his Community Service-Learning and Community Empowerment Program (KKN-PPM) for the second period of the 2023/2024 academic year in Sugian Village, Sambelia Sub-district, East Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara. The KKN took place from July to August. This KKN activity is one of the compulsory courses that students must participate in. The KKN serves as a platform to apply what has been learned in lectures directly to the community. For Misbah, as the microbiology student is often called, KKN encourages students to connect directly with the community, pushing them, who may have previously been confined to laptops, books, and classroom activities, to immerse themselves in the community, interact directly with residents, solve existing problems, and engage in the surrounding social life. In some scenarios, students may even become involved in those problems, requiring them to solve the issues they face while considering local culture so that the solutions provided by the students can be accepted by the community. The KKN lasted for 50 days. Although it sounds short, Misbah feels that the time was sufficient to provide the experience of living and working directly within the community. read more