By: Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Norhashila Hashim
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MALANG, May 17 – The Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), has conducted a knowledge transfer programme on the hydroponic system in collaboration with students from the Department of Biosystem Techniques, Faculty of Agriculture Technology (Departemen Teknik Biosistem, Fakultas Teknologi Pertanian), Universitas Brawijaya (UB), Malang, Indonesia.
The programme, through the Service Learning Malaysia-University for Society (SULAM) approach applied in the ECV3011 Engineer and Society course, is an effort to meet this challenge and progress towards the goal of sustainable development.
The SULAM project branded as BAEPONICS 1.0 was recently conducted at SDN Taji, Jabung District, Malang Regency, Indonesia.
The term BAE is an abbreviation for Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering, which incorporates the involvement of students in the field of agricultural engineering from both universities, UPM and UB. Meanwhile, PONICS is an abbreviation for hydroponics.
UPM representatives led by Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Norhashila Hashim consisted of three lecturers: Dr. Muhammad Hazwan Hamzah, Dr. Diyana Jamaludin, and Dr. Anas Mohd Mustafah, and a technical officer, Mohd Sabri Hassan.
Meanwhile, 10 UPM students also participated in the programme led by Shathiskumar Puru Shothaman and UB students led by a lecturer, Mr. Zaqlul Iqbal, with 11 students.
The project also received sponsorship from a local company, KMB Resources Sdn. Bhd.
SDN Taji, which accommodates a total of 66 students, is in the Taji village, situated on the slopes of Mount Bromo with an altitude of 1200 m above sea level. Most of the population are farmers, and their major commodities are cabbage, carrots, chillies, apples, cassava, tomatoes and many more. It is also well known as a coffee producer.
To date, the Taji villagers still practise traditional farming methods by exploring lands on hilly terrains. Through smart farming methods in the early stages, the new generation could be made more aware and interested in using modern technology in agricultural production and at the same time, the agricultural industry's future can be changed.
Apart from school students, teachers also benefited from the programme, which is in line with UPM mission, which is to make meaningful contributions towards wealth creation, nation building and universal human advancement through the exploration and dissemination of knowledge.
Meanwhile, the hydroponic system introduced at the Taji village was one of the smart farming methods and strategies for ensuring the sustainability of food production. It offered a more efficient food production, reducing the use of energy, space and agricultural inputs.
The knowledge transfer project began with a talk on the introduction of smart agricultural technology, followed by a demonstration of a simple hydroponic concept built from waste materials such as mineral water bottles and ended with the development of a more organised hydroponic system. - UPM
