Mataram, University of Mataram — Smallholder livestock farmers in Nyerot Village, Jonggat District, Central Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), have long faced challenges in maintaining proper livestock housing sanitation. Traditional livestock sheds with limited organisation and inadequate drainage have made it difficult to properly channel and manage animal faeces and urine, while opportunities to process the waste into compost have remained largely untapped. As a result, stagnant waste and unpleasant odours have affected the cleanliness of livestock housing and posed risks to the health of farmers and the surrounding residential environment.

The issue has become a focus of the Professor for Impact Programme at the University of Mataram (Unram) through the programme “Adoption and Dissemination of Feed Processing and Livestock Waste Management Technologies to Improve Farmers’ Economic Welfare in Central Lombok Regency.”

The programme is led by Prof. Dr. Yusuf Akhyar Sutaryono, Ph.D., together with an interdisciplinary academic team comprising Prof. Dr. Ir. Syamsul Hidayat Dilaga, M.S.; Prof. Ir. Dahlanuddin, M.Rur.Sc., Ph.D.; Dr. Ir. Hermansyah, M.Si.; Prof. Dr. Djumardin, S.H., M.Hum.; Dr. Ir. I Wayan Yasa, S.T., M.T., IPM.; and Prof. Dr. Ir. Maskur, M.Si.

Bringing together expertise from different disciplines, the programme takes an integrated approach that goes beyond livestock productivity to address livestock housing sanitation, waste management, and the strengthening of farmers’ livelihoods through locally available resources.

The programme was implemented in partnership with the “Pantang Mundur” Livestock Farmers’ Group, involving 24 farmers and 62 cattle as beneficiaries. The interventions focused directly on challenges faced by the farmers, from improving livestock housing facilities to turning animal waste into useful resources.

From Poor Drainage to Cleaner Livestock Housing

One of the key changes focused on the disposal system for animal faeces and urine. The Unram Professor for Impact team improved livestock housing facilities, particularly the drainage system, allowing waste to flow more effectively and be collected in designated areas.

The improvements have created a cleaner, healthier, and more comfortable environment for the cattle. Stagnant waste and unpleasant odours that previously resulted from inadequate drainage have also been reduced.

For the farmers, the changes go beyond physical improvements to the livestock sheds. Better-organised sanitation enables them to manage animal waste more effectively while creating a more suitable environment for livestock production.

When Livestock Waste Becomes a Resource

The transformation does not stop with improved sanitation. Farmers are also being encouraged to manage cattle faeces as a resource rather than simply treating it as waste.

Faeces that were previously discarded are now collected and processed into composted manure with practical and economic value. Meanwhile, cattle urine can be processed into liquid organic fertiliser. This approach applies the principles of a circular economy, turning livestock waste into resources that can be reused.

For the “Pantang Mundur” Livestock Farmers’ Group, this waste utilisation also creates opportunities for additional income through the use and sale of compost. Improved sanitation therefore goes hand in hand with efforts to maximise the resources already available around the livestock sheds.

Chair of the “Pantang Mundur” Livestock Farmers’ Group, Abdurrahman, said that the support from Unram closely addressed the group’s needs, particularly in improving livestock housing cleanliness and waste management. Improvements to the drainage system have helped members manage cattle waste more effectively while creating a more suitable environment for livestock production. The sanitation improvements have also brought visible changes to the way the farmers manage their cattle.

The transformation demonstrates that improving farmers’ livelihoods is not solely dependent on livestock sales. It can also come from making better use of resources available around the livestock housing. Through this approach, farmers are not simply raising cattle but developing an integrated farming system that connects livestock, the environment, and agriculture.

From the Livestock Shed, Responding to Sustainability Challenges

The improvements in livestock housing sanitation and waste management are closely connected to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The improved drainage and livestock waste management support SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation by strengthening sanitation conditions and reducing the risk of pollution caused by uncontrolled disposal of urine and faeces.

The processing of cattle faeces into organic fertiliser contributes to SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production by applying circular economy principles and turning waste into useful products with economic value.

The utilisation of livestock waste as fertiliser also supports SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth by creating opportunities for additional income and strengthening the sustainability of smallholder livestock businesses. Improved livestock management is expected to further support farmers’ productivity and income.

Meanwhile, better livestock waste management contributes to SDG 13: Climate Action by reducing the environmental impacts associated with livestock activities and supporting more sustainable livestock production systems.

Through the Professor for Impact Programme, Unram demonstrates how practical innovations at the livestock-shed level can generate tangible changes for local communities. What began as a challenge in sanitation is developing into a more integrated smallholder livestock system, one that is cleaner, healthier, more productive, and capable of generating additional economic value.

The experience shows how technology, when aligned with community needs, can turn waste into an opportunity and transform the livestock shed into a starting point for a more sustainable local economy.