Two Biology students Class of 2019 who are members of the “Organic Sheet Mulch” team under the guidance of Dwi Umi Siswanti, S.Sc., M.Sc. won a bronze medal on March 21, 2023 in an international scientific work competition. The team chaired by Vykra Aulia Firdiana with one member, namely Fatika Soraya Taufik took part in the Agritech Research and Entrepreneurship Innovation (AGREETION) competition which was held in cooperation with several organizations at the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, University of Brawijaya, including the Agritech Research and Study Club (ARSC), Agritechno Business Center (ABC), Agricultural Industrial Technology Student Association (HIMATITAN), Agricultural Engineering Student Association (HIMATETA), and Agricultural Product Technology Student Association (HIMALOGISTA). This competition takes place from 1 February 2023 to. 21 March 2023 and was successfully attended by 243 teams from three countries (Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines).
The big theme that was carried out in this competition was “Development and Innovation on Sustainable Agro-Based Industry Technology to Achieve Human Welfare” with 4 sub-themes. In this competition, Vykra and Soraya compiled a scientific work on the sub-theme “Green Agroindustry and Bio-economy” entitled “Organic Mulch from Sewage Sludge and Banana Pseudostem Waste to Reduce the Impact of Drought Due to El Nino Phenomenon on Horticultural Crops to Improve Human Welfare”. The problem behind the preparation of this scientific work is the statement by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) regarding an increase in drought up to three times worse due to an increase in the El Nino index which is predicted to occur in mid-2023. This has the potential to further increase puso (parched) due to drought which has long been a problem for farmers despite the low El Nino index.
In this scientific work, sewage sludge and banana leaf waste are used as organic mulches which are able to maintain soil water content during the drought phase so that soil moisture is maintained. The organic materials contained in this mulch innovation also add to the role of mulch as a supplier of additional nutrients to the soil to support optimal plant growth. The use of these two materials is an effort to utilize biowaste and create a green agroindustry. The hope is that this innovation can be used as a reference in anticipating and reducing puso due to drought