Kulon Progo, May 9, 2025 — The Center of Excellence (CoE) FabLab Sekolah Vokasi Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), in collaboration with the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) UGM, held a dissemination event to share the outcomes of their community-based research and engagement activities. The event took place at the Conference Room of the FRC Building, Sekolah Vokasi UGM, and marked a continuation of the successful Fab Camp Challenge program—an incubation platform for interdisciplinary student ideas and local community innovation.
This collaborative program integrates technological approaches with socio-cultural insights to address pressing environmental challenges in the Anthropocene era, while strengthening community involvement in developing contextual and practical sustainable solutions.
With the theme “Voices from the Community: A Healthy Environment in the Anthropocene Era,” the program targeted four villages in Kulon Progo—Bugel, Mlarangan Asri, Beji, and Klewonan (Triharjo)—each with distinct ecological characteristics and environmental challenges. The initiative engaged diverse community groups including housewives, youth, village officials, and local innovators, with strong support from Bapperida Kulon Progo (the Regional Planning, Research, and Innovation Agency) and other relevant technical departments.
Prof. Dr. Sabine Troeger, a visiting scholar from FIB UGM, emphasized the importance of transdisciplinary approaches in understanding the complex relationship between humans and nature. Using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods, the research highlighted community-led innovations such as organic farming greenhouses in Bugel, solar panel initiatives in Mlarangan Asri, maggot-based organic waste processing in Beji, and waste banks in Klewonan, all of which demonstrate active citizen participation in responding to environmental change.
FabLab SV UGM contributed through technical assistance, tool design, and capacity-building efforts. Their innovations included user-friendly technologies such as the Maggot Box and renewable energy systems, aiming not only to promote environmental sustainability but also to unlock opportunities for local entrepreneurship and green economy development.
“We believe that integrating social innovation with appropriate technology creates sustainable impact—especially when communities are engaged from the beginning,” said Dr. Eng. Yosephus Ardean Kurnianto Prayitno, S.T., M.Eng., program coordinator from Sekolah Vokasi UGM.
The outcomes of this initiative will be compiled into policy recommendations to support community-based regional development and serve as a reference for refining future community engagement and research programs grounded in real-world needs in the Anthropocene context.
Beyond dissemination, the event also served as a collaborative learning platform, strengthening ties between interdisciplinary students and local communities. This initiative further reinforces UGM’s role as a “university for the people,” committed to addressing contemporary challenges through science and technology that prioritize social and environmental sustainability.