Yogyakarta, July 2025 — The Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (DTPB), Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), continues to demonstrate its commitment to fostering student innovation through the 2025 Student Creativity Program (PKM). Three proposals submitted by DTPB student teams successfully secured funding from the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education (Kemendikbudristek), underscoring the department’s academic community’s capacity to address agricultural and societal challenges through scientific and applicable approaches.
The first funded proposal, under the PKM-Exact Sciences Research (PKM-RE) scheme, is titled “Optimizing Microgreens Production with Microalgae: Biometric Modeling and Fluorescence to Support Healthy Food in the Free Nutritious Meal Program.” The team is led by Les’ Aullian Achmad Argito (TPB 2023), with members Achmad Tijani (TPB 2023), M. Fajar Ridho Ilham (TPB 2022), Nisrina Rahma Ardihapsari (Biology 2024), and Dina Eka Apriliawati (Plant Protection 2023), under the guidance of Ardan Wiratmoko, S.T.P., M.Sc. This innovation aims to develop a microalgae-based microgreens production system that is efficient, nutritious, and supportive of Indonesia’s healthy food initiatives.
The second proposal, submitted under the PKM-Social Humanities Research (PKM-RSH) scheme, is titled “Ngarit Jembar Nalar: Mapping the Agricultural Economic Potential in Southern Java through a Socio-Historical Approach Based on Local Wisdom for Sustainable Development.” This project is led by Rendy Dwi Nugraha (TPB 2023) and supervised by Dr. Muhamad Khoiru Zaki, S.P., M.P., Ph.D. The proposal combines social, historical, and cultural approaches to identify and develop sustainable and inclusive agricultural models in Java’s southern regions.
Meanwhile, the third funded proposal, also under the PKM-RE scheme, is titled “Recombinant Genetic Engineering of Kluyveromyces marxianus for Biodegradable Plastic Production Based on Banana Peel Waste in Support of Zero Waste.” The team consists of Syrin Alia Zahra Main (TPB 2023) and Muhammad Tegar Prakoso (TPB 2023), offering a biotechnological solution to reduce organic waste and develop environmentally friendly materials.
Additionally, under the PKM-Community Service (PKM-PM) scheme, Muhammad Fajar Ramadhani and Salma Putri Nabila, both from TPB 2024, participated in a proposal titled “Empowering Youth Organizations through Jamblangan Grow+ (JGrow+) Innovation Based on Farm Waste to Increase Productivity in Jamblangan Village.” This initiative focuses on utilizing agricultural waste to empower rural youth and promote sustainable farming practices.
These achievements reflect the strong collaboration between students and academic advisors at DTPB FTP UGM in producing innovative solutions that address real challenges in agriculture and community development. The proposals demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach, integrating science, technology, social insight, and empowerment into impactful problem-solving.
All of these accomplishments align with UGM’s commitment to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
