Unpad Excellence Center in Environment and Sustainability Studies Held Citarum Watershed Conservation Farmers Training
A total of 25 coffee farmers from Pangalengan District participated in the “Citarum Watershed Conservation Farmers Training” held by the Unpad Excellence Center in Environment and Sustainability at Sekeloa Selatan Street, Bandung, Tuesday (29/1 ) until Thursday (1/31). This event was held to improve the ability of farmers to provide value added coffee production.
The participants received training to process coffee beans into various types of ready-to-consume drinks. Thus, farmers can not only sell raw coffee beans, but can also run a business through their ability to make coffee drinks.
“So they have added value from the coffee they produce and economic advantage,” said Chairperson of the Unpad Center in Environment and Sustainability, Parikesit, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Acting as speakers at the training were a number of coffee maker practitioners (baristas). In the future, the participants will also be accompanied to run a coffee shop business in the Pangalengan area.
Parikesit explained, the participants were coffee farmers who had produced good quality coffee. The farmers have implemented coffee planting with an agroforestry system, one of which is to protect biodiversity.
Through the training, it is hoped that farmers will have an advantage over their efforts in protecting the environment. Thus, farmers have a stronger motivation to make environmental conservation efforts and to conserve natural resources.
“Here we support, strengthen, that not only to grow coffee, but also can get added value from the coffee they produce,” said Parikesit.
In addition to Pangalengan District, Parikesit hopes that similar training can be held for coffee farmers in other areas of the Citarum watershed. In addition, the material regarding business strengthening will be further deepened.
Book Launching
On the occasion, the book “Insect Pollinators on Coffee Agroforestry” was launched, which was the result of Parikesit’s research and team at the Pangalengan coffee plantation. In the book, it was revealed that the farmers in Pangalengan had conservation views.
“We made a book about the diversity of pollinating insects in the coffee plantation they manage. Evidence that their coffee agroforestry is a good habitat for hundreds of species of insects,” explained Parikesit.