Bogor Farmers Develop Digital Hydroponics with University Assistance

The Almadera farming community, located in Perum 2 Housing Complex, Parung Panjang Village, Bogor Regency, is now transforming towards modern agriculture. Through assistance from the Mercu Buana University (UMB) Community Service (PkM) team, local farmers are developing hydroponic vegetable cultivation integrated with digital business management. This empowerment programme was realised thanks to funding support from the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology through a community empowerment grant scheme (Contract Number: 01-1-4/014/SPK-PKM/V/2026). The initiative was taken to overcome the constraints of limited land and the low economic value of harvests previously faced by residents. Before the intervention, community members only utilised their yards for conventional farming. Wahyu Hidayat, a representative of the farming group, acknowledged that the old method resulted in inconsistent harvests and made it difficult to market products widely. “We used to just plant simply in the yards. The harvests were not consistent, and we also did not understand how to manage a business or market products more widely,” Wahyu said. The UMB PkM team, chaired by Novika Chandra Fertilia alongside lecturers Yopi Lutfiansyah and Bethriza Hanum, and involving students Muhamad Heriyanto and Bertolomeus Yohannes Siregar, implemented the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) system. In addition to physical infrastructure, the team provided comprehensive training on business governance in the digital era. Wahyu added that the training offered a new perspective for the farming group. “We not only learned to plant, but also understood how to manage a business professionally. We are more confident in developing our business going forward,” he said. The head of the UMB PkM team, Novika Chandra Fertilia, hopes this programme will spark economic independence in Parung Panjang Village. By switching to a modern system, the community is expected to produce high-quality vegetables that are competitive in the digital market, thereby directly impacting family income.