Mataram, Universitas Mataram – Universitas Mataram (Unram) again held Unram Mengabdi (Unram serve the public) n 2022 in Senaru Village, Bayan District, North Lombok Regency, on November 18-20, 2022. The annual activity at the end of each year is held to disseminate the results of lecturers’ research through integrated community service activities across faculties. This activity is centred in the Senaru Forest Area (KDTH), known as the Unram Education Forest.

According to Indriyatno, Chairman of the Unram Mengabdi, the selection of the Senaru Village location is to jointly utilize the potential and bring KDTH Senaru closer to the people of Senaru Village as the closest community. This area was previously a forest damaged by the exploitation of companies holding industrial plantation forest concessions, and the Forestry Department has collaborated with Unram to carry out reforestation since 1996/1997, and the Ministry of Forestry granted the Universitas Mataram the KDTH management permit in 2004.The lecturer at the Department of Forestry said, “The location at KDTH Senaru was chosen to honor the work of the late Dr. Parman, who was then the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and made the area a center for Agarwood (gaharu) development based on community management.”

Unram Mengabdi 2022 activity was attended by 75 lecturers, education staff, and Unram students under the coordination of the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) of Universitas Mataram. For three days, Unram Mengabdi participants provided counseling and training, tree planting, and cycling track making in the Unram Coffee Plantation Platform area. Unram Melayani activities began with an opening ceremony in the form of apples with the team, the Senaru Village Government, and the community around the area on the Coffee Garden Platform, on Saturday morning, November 19, 2022.

After the opening ceremony, the planting of agarwood, durian and cocoa trees began. From Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, counseling and training on local food development (uwi and gembili), cultivation of plantation crops (coffee and chocolate), animal husbandry (feed and reproduction), and identification of medicinal plants (Eucalyptus) were carried out. In addition to activities based on agriculture and animal husbandry, tourism development activities are also carried out in the form of mapping tourism potential in the KDTH Senaru area and mapping cycling paths. Then, for the development of local architecture, where Senaru village has a traditional village that is preserved and becomes one of the cultural tourism destinations, the Unram Mengabdi Team provides training on earthquake-resistant buildings and bamboo preservation technology.

The Head of Senaru Village, Raden Akria Buana, welcomed the activities of Unram Melayani 2022. “As a tourist village bordering the forest area, the role of Unram academics and students is very important for the development of Senaru Village, which last year received the Indonesian Tourism Village Award from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy,” said Raden Akria Buana. The same thing was conveyed by the Bayan Sub-District, which explained that the natural and cultural wealth of Bayan District is still not widely used, so the role of universities is needed to conduct studies and research, followed by implementation in villages in Bayan Kecamataan in particular.

Prof. Muliartha Aryana, Secretary of LPPM Unram, revealed that Senaru Village has potential natural and cultural potential, such as Sindang Gile waterfall, Tiu Kelep waterfall, hiking trails to Mount Rinjani and Segara Anak Lake, agricultural and plantation potential, as well as Sasak traditional houses and culture that are still preserved. “Senaru Village is one of the tourism villages that has received the ADWI award, this natural and cultural potential must also be complemented by developing processed food for souvenirs, making crafts for souvenirs, and strengthening the institutionalization of tourism-conscious community groups,” said Muliartha. “In the future, Unram will help the development by placing KKN students, both regular Thematic KKN, and MBKM KKN in the form of Projects in the Village, as well as conducting research and community service by lecturers, the point is that we want to make Senaru Village a Desapreneur in addition to a sustainable Tourism Village,” concluded Muliartha.

The people of Senaru Village also enthusiastically welcomed the Unram Mengabdi 2022 activities. Even though Senaru was hit by heavy rains, counseling and training activities carried out in several locations, were still attended by the people of Senaru Village. On Sunday night, a cultural and suave Event was held with the community at the Senaru Village Office, On that night, a performance of the drama Cupak Gurantang was held by the local art sekaha. The show, which tells that the truth will always prevail against this godliness, successfully entertained the participants of Unram Mengabdi, the people of Senaru Village, and even foreign tourists who were on vacation in Senaru Village.