Mountain climbers and nature enthusiasts are sure to be familiar with Sembalun Village. It serves as one of the gateways to Mount Rinjani. Sembalun boasts beautiful natural landscapes, with stretches of farmland surrounding the mountain’s foothills. Its fertile soil makes Sembalun a producer of various horticultural crops, including potatoes, onions, beans, and coffee. The majority of the Sembalun community relies on farming.
Agricultural land requires good irrigation to achieve optimal yields. Unfortunately, during the dry season, farmers in Sembalun Village often experience water shortages. This hinders them from achieving good harvests.
Responding to this challenge, the community service team (Pengmas) of the Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI) consisting of three students, namely Bismi Yasinta Maharani, Muhammad Aqmal Danish, and Windya Fajira, and under the guidance of lecturers from the Department of Biology, Dr. Ratna Yuniati as team leader and Dr. Retno Lestari, introduced a simple technology called Cocofloor, this technology aims to overcome the problem of lack of water supply.
“Cocofloor is a mixture of coconut fiber waste and sago water, molded into a carpet, then placed under a layer of soil, ready for planting. The nutrients in coconut fiber can enrich the soil and also retain water longer, eliminating the need for daily watering. It is very suitable for implementation in Sembalun Village when the water supply rotates due to the dry season,” said Dr. Ratna Yuniati.
Previously, the team had conducted outreach regarding Cocofloor as a water absorber on Saturday, August 6, 2022 in Sembalun Village, Sembalun District, East Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara.
Residents were very enthusiastic about the new technology introduced by the Community Service team and participated in conducting experiments on making Cocofloor.
“This cocofloor will be a significant aid to agriculture in Sembalun. Generally, in Sembalun, some areas have easy access to water, while others have difficulty accessing it. This area typically relies solely on rainwater and can only harvest once a year. Irrigation is difficult, but the cocofloor, which can retain sixteen times more water than garden soil, will be a good solution for agriculture in Sembalun,” said Andobi, a farmer in Sembalun Village.
