On Saturday (October 22, 2022), the 2022 Community Service Team of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Indonesia (FFUI), chaired by Prof. Dr. apt. Berna Elya, M.Si., held a community service and empowerment activity in Sukajaya Village, South Sumedang Regency. The theme of this activity was Community Empowerment and Training in Job's Tears Cultivation.
Job's tears are a common plant in Sukajaya Village. However, due to a lack of public information, widespread cultivation and utilization of Job's tears have not yet been implemented in Sukajaya Village. This is the basis for the FFUI Community Service Team to initiate empowerment and training in Job's tears cultivation. The training consists of two stages: educational materials and practical training on Job's tears cultivation.
This community service activity, funded by the UI 2022 Directorate of Community Service and Empowerment Grant, is in collaboration with Padjadjaran University (Unpad) by involving resource persons who are agricultural experts, and collaborating with the International Islamic University Malaysia in the form of support from natural material experts, Prof. Dr. Alfi Khatib. The provision of training materials ranging from the benefits, seeding, planting, fertilization, and maintenance of job's tears was carried out online on Saturday (20/8/2022) by resource person Dr. Fiky Yulianto Wicaksono, SP., MP. from Unpad who is an expert in the field of job's agriculture and cultivation. In the educational session attended by 35 residents of Sukajaya Village, he said that job's tears cultivation is very easy to do because job's tears are tolerant to drought and adaptable to various altitudes. This potential is certainly very good if utilized as a village business so that it can improve the economic level of the community.
Furthermore, Dr. Fiky also mentioned that Job's Tears plant has better nutritional content compared to other cereals. This can make Job's Tears an alternative to rice. In addition to being a functional food, Job's Tears can also be used as a traditional medicine for various diseases. "Traditionally, Job's Tears has been used as a treatment for cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis, and so on," said Dr. Fiky when delivering training materials. In addition to processed products, Job's Tears plant can also be used as ornaments and green fodder for animal feed. Several Job's Tears processed products have been reported, such as Job's Tears porridge, traditional cakes, bread, pastries, and Botanical Jewelry from Job's Tears stone.
Handover of Hanjeli seeds and fertilizer from the FFUI Community Service Team to the Head of Sukajaya Village
As part of a series of training activities for Job's Tears (Handy Job's Tears) cultivation, on Saturday (October 22, 2022), the FFUI Community Service Team conducted hands-on training on planting and fertilizing Job's Tears (Handy Job's Tears) seeds in Sukajaya Village. The training was attended by farmers in Sukajaya Village and several village community teams. Instruction and training on planting and fertilizing were provided by Dr. Fiky, along with the FFUI Community Service team, which included lecturers, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and educational staff.
The event began with the handover of Job's Tears (Handy Job's Tears) seeds and fertilizer by the FFUI Community Service Team to the Head of Sukajaya Village, Mr. Sukana. The seeds and fertilizer will be used by farmers to empower Job's Tears (Handy Job's Tears) cultivation in Sukajaya Village, South Sumedang Regency.
Job's Tears Seedling Planting and Fertilization Practices
The Head of South Sumedang District, Dra. Marlina, M.Si., who also attended the event, also stated that this event was very good for providing knowledge to the community regarding Job's Tears (Handy Job's) cultivation and was very much in line with the Sukajaya Village program to provide alternative food sources to fulfill the nutritional needs of the surrounding population. "I hope that with this event, Sukajaya Village can become one of the places producing Job's Tears (Handy Job's) plants with the best quality," added Mrs. Marlina.