PT Petrokimia Gresik (Persero), an Agroindustrial Solutions company and member of the PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) holding, developed the Gerakan Masyarakat Budidaya Ayam dan Ikan Lele Asri (GEMBALA) Lestari Bumi program for communities across eight villages/sub-districts surrounding the company. The program implementation was marked by the symbolic handover of assistance in Kroman Village recently, aimed at supporting food security and community economic independence through the application of a circular economy.
The Corporate Secretary of Petrokimia Gresik, Nuril Huda, stated that all GEMBALA assistance has been distributed to the eight recipient villages/sub-districts. The program integrates layer chicken farming, maggot cultivation, catfish farming, crop cultivation, and organic waste management within a mutually supportive ecosystem.
“We designed the GEMBALA program not merely to provide cultivation infrastructure, but to build an ecosystem capable of delivering added value to the community. Through a circular economy approach, available resources can be reused to produce food while opening up income potential,” said Nuril.
Overall, Petrokimia Gresik provided program support for GEMBALA valued at approximately Rp102 million. This support includes layer chicken coops, maggot breeding enclosures, fish ponds and hydroponic setups, biopores, planter bags for chili and tomato cultivation, as well as operational support of Rp2.5 million for each recipient village/sub-district. The program managers also received training, mentoring, and ongoing assistance.
In the initial stage, each manager received 12 layer chickens, with the potential to be increased to 24 chickens based on evaluation results. With 12 layer chickens, egg production is estimated to reach 220–290 eggs per year, with potential additional income ranging from approximately Rp489 thousand to Rp1 million per month, depending on the productivity and management at each location.
“Empowerment can begin on a simple scale. What matters most is that the community possesses the knowledge and ability to manage and expand these activities independently,” Nuril explained.
The circular economy concept in GEMBALA is also applied through the processing of approximately 50 kilograms of organic waste per month assisted by Petro Gladiator, as well as the cultivation of around 500 grams of maggots utilized within the farming ecosystem. This management is then integrated with chicken farming, catfish farming, and crop cultivation so that resources can be utilized more efficiently and valuably.
Moving forward, several GEMBALA locations are also planned to develop into educational spaces for kindergarten and elementary school children to introduce cultivation practices, environmental management, and circular economy concepts from an early age. The development of this educational function also has the potential to deliver added value to the community through visitations or study tours.
Petrokimia Gresik will continue to provide assistance so that the program can develop in accordance with the potential of each region and deliver sustainable benefits to the community.
“We hope GEMBALA can serve as an example that community empowerment can go hand in hand with circular economy principles. From waste we process, from available land we produce food, and from this process we create economic opportunities. Ultimately, the community is expected to become increasingly independent and capable of sustaining program benefits into the future,” Nuril concluded.
Attachments
| File | Type | Size | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63 GEMBALA FINAL | 127 KB | Download |
