UNS— Lecturers from the Faculty of Agriculture (FP) of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, as part of the Community Partnership Program (PKM), have donated a complete set of barista equipment to coffee farmers in Plangkrongan Village, Poncol District, Magetan Regency, East Java. The PKM FP UNS team visiting Plangkrongan Village included the team leader, Dr. Ir. Agung Wibowo, S.P., M.Si., Prof. Dr. Ir. Suwarto, M.Si., Dr. Eny Lestari, S.P., M.Si., and Putri Permatasari, S.P., M.Si.

The donation was handed over by the FP UNS team to the Makmur Farmers Group in the presence of the Head of Plangkrongan Village, Wawan Setyobudi, on Sunday (9/6/2024). The handover took place during a meeting attended by dozens of members of the Makmur Farmers Group. The event also included a session on coffee cultivation and coffee processing techniques provided by officers from the Plangkrongan Agricultural Extension Center (BPP), as well as a talk on social media marketing to promote coffee around the Telaga Sarangan tourist area.

Dr. Ir. Agung Wibowo, S.P., M.Si., the head of the PKM FP UNS team, expressed his gratitude that UNS could provide the barista equipment, including an espresso extraction machine, to the coffee farmers in Plangkrongan Village. He noted that the donation process involved a rigorous selection process, making it even more commendable that it was approved.

The PKM, titled “Downstreaming and Partnership in the Development of Home Coffee Industry in Plangkrongan Village, Poncol, Magetan,” aims to support coffee farmers in Plangkrongan Village as their transition to learning coffee processing. The goal is for the community to become more engaged in coffee farming, thereby promoting Plangkrongan Village as a significant coffee-producing area in Magetan.

“Moreover, this area is also known for producing durian, which further supports the development of this village as a tourist destination,” Dr. Agung said to uns.ac.id on Wednesday (12/6/2024).

Jumiran, the head of the Makmur Farmers Group, mentioned that coffee farming is a new venture for farmers in Plangkrongan Village. Therefore, the equipment donation from UNS is very useful for the farmers in processing and serving coffee to create an authentic taste. “We hope this assistance will be beneficial for us,” he said.

Wawan Setyobudi, the Head of Plangkrongan Village, expressed his gratitude to FP UNS for donating the barista equipment to the Makmur Farmers Group. He emphasized that this donation would help establish Plangkrongan Village as a coffee-producing area in Magetan. The barista equipment is also expected to attract young people to engage in coffee farming.

“Many young people, including here, are not interested in working in agriculture. This initiative is hoped to draw their attention, as coffee is becoming a trend everywhere,” Wawan explained.

After the handover of the barista equipment and the sessions on coffee cultivation and social media marketing, the team was then taken to the local coffee plantations in the Gunung Tambal area.

HUMAS UNS

Editor: Dwi Hastuti