UNAIR NEWS – Keputih area in East Surabaya has natural border in form of a river, where the area on the riverbank is overgrown with wild plants and poorly maintained. If the culture of medicinal plants was done well, it could have overcome unused land problem by the river.
For that problem, Dr. Junairiah, S.Si., M. Kes., with a team of lecturers from the Department of Biology, Universitas Airlangga held a community service in Keputih, East Surabaya. It lasted for almost two months on from August 4 to September 29, 2019.
According to Dr. Jun, the culture of medicinal plants was done vertically. Verticulture is an alternative culture method that can be used to deal with these problem.
She also said that the solutions are in terms of cultivation, production, and management aspects. The aspects of cultivation include training on making pots and verticulture shelves, training on planting medicinal plants, training on plant maintenance.
“The production aspect includes training in making products from medicinal plant ingredients. The management aspect includes training on financial management, “she added.
Dr. Jun explained, the activity was carried out in two stages of activity. The first phase was carried out on August 4, 2019 through a training in making pots and verticulture shelves and planting medicinal plants.
“The activities carried out included pretest, giving material in the form of lectures and question and answer about training on making verticulture pots, and training on planting with verticulture techniques. The activity was closed with a post-test, ” she explained.
For the second stage, she continued, was done on September 29, 2019 on training in making products from medicinal plants and simple bookkeeping training on herbal medicine sales. At that stage, it was concluded with an evaluation on making and planting verticulture pots and the manufacture of herbal products.
With the event, Dr. Jun hoped that the participants can apply for the cultivation of medicinal plants and process them into herbal products. So, it can increase income of the families.
“Hopefully the participants can apply the knowledge for the cultivation of medicinal plants and process them into herbal products so they can increase income of their families. It is also done by PKK women in Tlogo Mas, Malang Lowok Waru Sub-district, which cultivates vegetables using verticulture techniques, ” she stated. (*)
Author : Asthesia Dhea Cantika
Editor : Binti Q. Masruroh
