The Community Service Team, initiated by Retno Lestari and Andi Salamah, conducted the “Aksi UI Untuk Negeri” (UI Action for the Nation) community service program on Tuesday (October 22nd) in Bojong Koneng Village, Sentul.
The program aims to raise public awareness of the potential benefits and cultivation of rhizomes.
Rhizomes are biopharmaceutical plants within the horticulture sub-sector. They offer a variety of uses, including as medicines, cosmetics, cooking spices, and health drinks, and are consumed or utilized from plant parts such as the leaves, stems, fruit, rhizomes, or roots.
“This program aligns with one of the objectives of the Regional Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMD) prepared by Bogor Regency, namely increasing community economic competitiveness and developing natural resource-based businesses and tourism,” said Retno at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) University of Indonesia (UI) in Depok.
This community service activity was implemented in several stages. The first stage begins with preparing the land and planting various herbs.
Participants are then trained on the benefits of various herbs for everyday needs, such as cooking spices and medicines, and taught skills such as making healthy and nutritious drinks using various herbs.
Retno Lestari, the initiator and team leader, explained that through this community service program, the community is expected to contribute to the management and development of land in Bojong Koneng Village, provide alternative educational tourism locations, and directly impact local incomes.
“We hope this program can transform unproductive land in Bojong Koneng Village, Sentul, into a center for the utilization and cultivation of herbs. Furthermore, the herb garden can become a productive intellectual and business area in the future,” Retno concluded.
In addition to the support of the UI Directorate of Research and Community Service (DRPM UI), this program can run with the participation of FMIPA UI students, the Pandu Cendekia Foundation, and Bumi Kepanduan Sentul as collaborative partners.
