The community service team of the Faculty of Agriculture of Unisma provided counseling and training in making organic fertilizer. Through this counseling on livestock waste management, the faculty invites the residents of Codo Village, Wajak, Malang Regency, to protect and maintain the quality of the environment.
The head of the community service team, who is also the Dean of Faculty of Agriculture, Dr. Ir Nurhidayati MP, said that her party was deliberately providing counseling and training in making organic fertilizer from rabbit manure.
The team from faculty of agriculture consisted of the dean and lecturer Ir Abd Basit MP and 7 students. The team is targeting Codo Wajak Village, Malang Regency, with an area of 403.5 hectares of agricultural land.
According to her, the agricultural land constitutes 66% of the total area. Judging from that number is a potential area for the development of agriculture and animal husbandry. Moreover, those areas have fertile soil which potentially accelerate the development of agriculture and the livestock sector in the region.
Recognizing the importance of environmental quality for agriculture, animal husbandry and daily life, the Faculty of Agriculture team provided counseling to farmers about the role of organic fertilizer to maintain soil fertility and quality.
Nurhidayati then explained that the application of organic fertilizer into the soil could reduce soil density because the land will be more crumb and loose and easily processed. Furthermore, the soil is more fertile and healthier because of the increased activity of microorganisms in the soil because of the provision of organic material.
“The next activity is the practice of making liquid fertilizer from rabbit feces. Materials needed are rabbit droppings, EM-4 and molasses with a composition of 30 kg of solid compost material, 50 liters of water, EM-4 300 ml and Molasses 300 ml. “The compost material is wrapped in gauze and then tied and dipped in a drum and then added 300 ml EM-4 and 300 ml molasses, and water to fill up the drum,” she explained.
She explained that the ingredients were fermented for 1 week. After that the liquid is taken and sprayed on plants and soil with a dilution of 1:10. “The application of liquid fertilizer can increase plant growth and yield and increase plant resistance to pests and plant diseases,” she concluded.
