Sinergi Inovasi Pengairan Lahan Kering dan Budidaya Organik untuk Membangun Pertanian Berkelanjutan di Blora

Abstract

The community service program under the Dosen Pulang Kampung (Lecturer Homecoming) scheme was implemented in Bajo Village, Kedungtuban Sub-district, Blora Regency, with a focus on the collaboration between training on dryland water management and organic farming practices. This area faces serious challenges in water availability, where almost half of the agricultural land still depends on rainfed and village/non-public irrigation, while technical irrigation only serves a small portion of farmers’ land. The training involved 50 rice, vegetable, and fruit farmers, and was designed around three main components: (1) sharing best practices of community-based water management, (2) strengthening understanding of key concepts and market opportunities for organic agriculture towards the vision of “Blora as an Organic Regency”, and (3) strengthening water management institutions to support a sustainable organic production system. The activity received strong support from the local government, as reflected in the presence and opening remarks of the Regent of Blora, as well as the symbolic handover of fruit seedlings from practitioner partners (Trubus/Bina Swadaya) as an initial step to diversify organic commodities. The effectiveness of the training was assessed using pre-test and post-test instruments. The results show an increase in the proportion of participants with a very good level of understanding from 78.95% to 86.84%, and a decrease in the proportion of participants in the fairly good category from 13.16% to 5.26%, indicating a shift in understanding to a higher level. The synergy between IPB lecturers, local government, and organic farming practitioners has proven effective in strengthening farmers’ technical and institutional capacities and represents a strategic step towards a dryland farming system that is more water-efficient, environmentally friendly, and sustainable in Blora.