Unram and UGR Collaborations Along with Students Successfully Transform Lembah Bakiq into an Environmentally Friendly Tourism Destination, Fully Supported by the Village Government!
Mataram, University of Mataram – University of Mataram (Unram) and Gunung Rinjani University (UGR) collaborated with Tegeng Karya Farmers Group and Gapura Rinjani Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) in order to empower Farmers Groups and Pokdarwis towards an environmentally friendly tourism village in North Lendang Nangka Village, East Lombok Regency.
This activity is coupled with the implementation of counseling and mentoring activities for 3 months from July to September 2024 at the Lembah Bakiq tourist site and North Gonjong Sub-Village, North Lendang Nangka Village, East Lombok Regency.
The activity was officially received directly by the Head of North Lendang Nangka Village, Muhammad Tahir. In his remarks, the Village Head received 20 students who would conduct Community Empowerment activities by Students (PMM) and greatly appreciated the collaborative activities in developing and increasing the capacity of partners (Farmer Groups and Pokdarwis).
He also emphasized the importance of community-based empowerment activities carried out by Unram and UGR in North Lendang Nangka Village to preserve the environment that is synergized with tourism activities in supporting the economic improvement of the community.
“We welcome 20 students who will conduct community service programs in our area, and we hope that the assistance activities carried out by the University of Mataram and Gunung Rinjani University in North Lendang Nangka Village can encourage increased tourist visits to Bakiq Valley tourist destinations and increase organic fertilizer production in the Tegeng Karya Farmer Group,” Muhammad Tahir.
In line with the Head of North Lendang Nangka Village, Dr. Ni Wayan Sri Suliartini, S.P., M.P., as the Head of the Service Team and lecturer of the Unram Agroecotechnology Study Program, said that the counseling and assistance carried out aimed to increase the capacity of Farmers Groups and Pokdarwis in North Lendang Nangka Village.
This assistance is expected to increase tourist visits to the Lembah Bakiq tourist attraction through the development of Edu-Agriculture, and encourage increased production and quality of organic fertilizers that support environmentally friendly agriculture in the village.
“We need to work with Gunung Rinjani University to increase the capacity of Farmer Group and Pokdarwis partners in North Lendang Nangka Village. Through this collaboration, we can share information about the development of Edu-Agriculture, ranging from increasing tourist attractiveness with honey cultivation from stingless Trigona bees, garden arrangement as a landmark, to implementation in guiding management institutions. In addition, we will also support environmentally friendly agriculture by increasing the production and quality of organic fertilizers that will strengthen tourism activities in this area,” said the Head of the Service Team.
Pande Komang Suparyana, S.TP., M.Agb., a member of the Service Team as well as a lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Socio-Economics of Unram, in his capacity as a trigona bee cultivation management facilitator, emphasized Unram’s strong commitment to supporting tourism development in North Lendang Nangka Village.
He highlighted the great opportunity to add a new attraction through the Edu-Agriculture package, where visitors can witness the trigona honey harvesting process at the Lembah Bakiq tourist site. This initiative is expected to increase the income of the local community.
Then Rini Endang Prasetyowati, S.P., M.Agb., a lecturer in the UGR Agribusiness Study Program as well as a member of the Service Team, said that assistance was also needed in terms of institutional management, guiding management in Pokdarwis, and bookkeeping administration management in the Tegeng Karya Farmer Group.
The aim is to improve the group’s skills in marketing tourist destinations, strengthen Pokdarwis institutions, and help Farmer Groups understand about the cost and profit of their organic fertilizer business through better financial management.
The implementation of PMM activities titled “Empowerment of Farmer Groups and Pokdarwis Towards Environmentally Friendly Tourism Villages” in North Lendang Nangka Village, East Lombok Regency, which lasted for three months went well. All participants have now understood the various counseling provided.
A lot of positive impressions were felt by the participants, especially when practicing landscaping, making trigona bee stups, and producing tricordema for solid organic fertilizer. All of this is a valuable experience for partners in developing tourism in the Lembah Bakiq.
The Head of Pokdarwis, Ripai, S.Pd., and the Head of Tegeng Karya Farmer Group, Suhardi, expressed their gratitude to Unram and UGR for sending their lecturers to carry out this activity. Thanks are also addressed to the Directorate of Research, Technology and Community Service of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia for funding the Student Community Empowerment program in 2024 in North Lendang Nangka Village.