On Sunday, 8th October 2023, the Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat – Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (PkM-MBKM) Faculty of Biology, UGM 2023, 5 undergraduate students of Faculty of Biology, UGM class of 2020, namely Arba’ Ramadhani Artik, Arneta Yuvita, Ester Dewanti Yovita Wardani, Fadiah Sri Rahayu, and Zidni Meirizka Utami supervised by Dr. Ardaning Nuriliani, S.Si., M.Kes. and Ms. Nurini Aru Sudarsi as the partner mentor have carried out the socialization activities to the residents in Pajangan, Wedomartani Village, Ngemplak, Sleman, Yogyakarta. The theme of the socialization was “Improving the Community’s through Optimizing of Vacant Land”. This program aims to engage the community to improve the economic condition of the family by utilizing vacant land in the yard area of the house to plant vegetables, fruits, herbs, and several medicine and functional plants or also called “TOGA”. In this activity, we invited Mr. Panggih Dwi Atmojo, S.T. as a speaker. He is an alumnus of the Faculty of Engineering, UGM who is currently active as an agro economic practitioner as well as the founder and owner of Agro Edukasi Caping Merapi Yogyakarta which is located at Kenayan, Wedomartani, Ngemplak, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region. The given presentation discussed topics about food gardening, including vegetable garden cultivation, as well as rising fish, chickens, and other small livestock to meet daily food needs. He also discussed about urban farming, which is the method of farming in the city or on limited land. In addition, the speaker also emphasized that the use of vacant land as a food garden can provide various other benefits, such as the community can provide traditional medicine independently, add decoration to the garden, provide refreshing activities through gardening, obtain healthier food that is free from chemical fertilizers, and produce biofertilizer which can be obtained through composting, eco lindi, and manure systems. This can also serve to overcome the problem of handling organic waste.

This socialization was attended by around 20 residents and received a very positive response, even some residents were very enthusiastic and directly involved in the discussion session together with the speakers.

On Monday 7 August 2023, a group of waste management tour participants coordinated by SONJO, a humanitarian movement focused on aiding communities visited The Faculty Of Biology UGM. The group, consisting of 25 participants, arrived at the Faculty of Biology UGM around 9:30 AM and was promptly received by the Dean and the faculty members. This visit to the Faculty of Biology at UGM was part of a series of visits that had previously taken place at the Faculty of Dentistry at UGM.

During his welcoming speech, the Dean of the Faculty of Biology UGM, Prof. Dr. Budi S. Daryono, M.Agr.Sc., expressed gratitude for the participants’ visit. “The issue of waste actually originates from humans themselves, so it’s up to humans to solve it,” Prof. Budi stated. Furthermore, Prof. Budi elaborated that the Faculty of Biology UGM engages in daily waste management across a substantial area, including organic waste from the Biology Forest. Over time, the Faculty of Biology has made discoveries in waste management, such as expediting compost production.Following this, a video demonstrating the waste management procedures carried out at the Faculty of Biology at UGM was played.

At the conclusion of the event, participants were taken to the field to witness the waste management processes firsthand, which included:

1. Composting and maggot cultivation
2. Production of POC/Biofertilizer and ECO enzymes
3. Vermicomposting process

The waste management tour participants are scheduled to continue their visit for a period of 3 days until Wednesday (8/9/23), with participants from hospitals and religious boarding schools.

Yogyakarta, August 24, 2023 – The Faculty of Biology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) was enlivened by the visit of 15 alumni from the Class of 1969. The purpose of this visit was to celebrate nostalgia and strengthen the bonds of camaraderie.

The warm welcome of these alumni was led by Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc., the Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Bambang Retnoaji, M.Sc., as the Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, and Dr. Eko Agus Suyono, M.App.Sc., as the Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, Collaboration, and Alumni, in the Biologi Tropika Auditorium of the Faculty of Biology UGM. This visit became an extraordinary moment to build networks among the alumni and the academic community of the Faculty of Biology.

Dean Budi Setiadi Daryono expressed, “We are honored and delighted to welcome back the alumni of the Class of 1969 to our campus. Their visit is a tangible testament to the enduring spirit of the Faculty of Biology UGM within our alumni.”

Furthermore, the Vice Deans provided explanations about academic developments, research, and new facilities at the Faculty to the alumni. The visit also included a campus tour, visiting Room IV, one of the classroom spaces that is still active and used to reminisce about the beautiful moments during their studies and share interesting stories. A highlight of the visit was the tour to Biomart, where the alumni could observe innovative products derived from waste processing at the Faculty of Biology UGM.

The Faculty of Biology UGM has produced various sustainable and environmentally-friendly products, such as compost fertilizer from leaf litter, probiotic fertilizers, and Liquid Organic Fertilizer (LOF). The enthusiasm of the alumni was evident as they witnessed the tangible contributions of the Faculty of Biology UGM in addressing environmental challenges, which have recently garnered attention in the city of Yogyakarta.

The visit of the alumni from the Class of 1969 to the Faculty of Biology UGM today serves as evidence that the academic spirit and camaraderie remain deeply ingrained in every facet of the development of the Faculty of Biology UGM.

Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, responded to the waste emergency situation in Yogyakarta following the closure of the Piyungan Final Disposal Site (TPA), which has been the main landfill for final disposal in the Yogyakarta Province (DIY) area. Based on a circular letter from the Regional Secretariat of the DIY Government, the Piyungan Regional TPA will no longer receive waste services as of July 23, 2023 to September 5, 2023 due to the fact that the amount of waste is full and exceeds capacity. Universitas Gadjah Mada through the Faculty of Biology and the Faculty of Dentistry responded by following up on waste management at UGM internally where the coordination of organic waste management is carried out by the Faculty of Biology while the coordination of inorganic waste management is carried out by the Faculty of Dentistry.

As of Thursday, 27 July 2023, Dean of the Faculty of Biology UGM, Prof. Dr. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc., has coordinated with the Chancellor of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Prof. dr. Ova Emilia, M.Med.Ed., Sp.OG(K)., Ph.D., and Director of DPKM (Directorate of Community Service) Universitas Gadjah Mada, Dr. dr. Rustamaji, M. Kes. It has been agreed that the Faculty of Biology will manage internal organic waste from Universitas Gadjah Mada in the form of leaf and twig litter. The collection of organic waste will be coordinated at each unit point in all UGM areas to be enumerated first and then sent and managed by the Faculty of Biology to become organic compost. Meanwhile, organic waste in the form of food scraps, fruit and vegetables will be managed by the UGM Argotechnology Innovation Center (PIAT).

The management of leaf litter and twigs in the Faculty of Biology has been going on for a long time in the Biology Garden Area, Faculty of Biology. The chopped organic waste will be processed into compost and then supplied to consumers in collaboration with PT. Pagilaran. The establishment of the Waste Management Center as a response to the closure of the Piyungan TPA will then be coordinated with Soenarwan Heri Purwanto, S.Si., M.Kes. and the waste management team from the Faculty of Biology.

This waste management initiative is a form of commitment from the Faculty of Biology UGM to contribute to the sustainability environment, especially in UGM’s internal environment. It is hoped that this management program will be useful in the long-term settlement of internal waste at UGM in particular and in the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) in general.