Singaraja- Sinabun Village, Sawan District, Buleleng Regency is one of the villages in Bali which is well-known as a center for producing woven fabrics. In its development, this village was initiated as a weaving tourism village. Academics at the Ganesha University of Education (Undiksha) took a role in realizing this idea. One of them is by preparing supporting human resources which is realized by training and mentoring for silkworm cultivation which starts on July 15, 2022.
This program is a stage of the Higher Education Excellence Applied Research Scheme (PTUPT) and Fostered Villages initiated by academic Dr. rer. nat. I Wayan Karyasa, S.Pd., M.Sc., with Dr. Made Agus Wijaya, S,Pd.,M.Pd., and I Gede Putu Banu Astawa, S.T., M.Ak..
Silkworm cultivation training is centered at the Artha Dharma Weaving in Sinabun Village, which is managed by a partner, Ketut Rajin. This activity which was attended by a number of residents presented trainers and assistants from the Research Center for Applied Zoology of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Dra. Lincah Andadari, M.Si., and Herman Sari.
The Chief Executive of PTUPT and the Fostered Village, I Wayan Karyasa explained that the silkworm training and mentoring program is in the framework of the assisted village for community service and a series of PTUPT, which is about making silk thread that is anti-bacterial which will be used as a multifunctional biomaterial. “Therefore, we introduced the community to the first silkworm cultivation training which brought in experts or researchers from BRIN,” he explained.
In this training, residents were not only introduced to the process of hatching silkworm eggs, the process of rearing them and producing cocoons. More than that, they were also invited to witness a series of experiments in eight treatments for silkworms. “Because here people will see the experiments. We provide different feeds. The ends of the silk threads will be anti-bacterial and will have their own color because the color will be given to them later. So there is no need to dip again,” he explained.
Direct community involvement in the experiment will be a new model of community empowerment. Society no longer just accepts existing technology but can follow a series of processes. This is also a space for growing critical thinking and increasing innovation. “Our goal is to educate the public. So lecturers and researchers don’t need to be afraid of failure but let’s experiment together with the community. This will create an innovative environment,” he said.
Furthermore, Karyasa said that the silkworm cultivation training could not be separated from the challenges faced by woven craftsmen, namely it is still difficult to find silk cloth and the price is even lower. This problem is considered to require alternative sources of raw materials that are cheaper and more sustainable. “So the craftsmen here are very interested. In our program in 2020, Indonesian SMEs Rise, we have donated ear devices. This requires the availability of cocoons,” he said.
In addition, the need for a national cocoon is very large. However, only about 5 percent has been fulfilled. This is considered to be a great opportunity for the community to cultivate. It is hoped that this opportunity will be glimpsed by the people of Sinabun Village and other villages. “For cultivation, it requires feed in the form of mulberry leaves. We can still plant this, cheap and easy. It takes 28 days to harvest cocoons,” he added.
The Head of Sinabun Village, Nyoman Sumenada enthusiastically welcomed this training. He hopes that silkworms can be developed and cultivated in his village in order to meet the raw materials for woven fabric production and add to the community’s economy.
Meanwhile, trainer and assistant from BRIN, Lincah Andadari said that judging from the condition of the area, the potential and interest of the people of Sinabun Village, silkworm cultivation is optimistic to be carried out. “For that, we are very happy and will fully support it. And hopefully, this collaboration between Undiksha, BRIN, as well as artisans and the community in Singaraja will continue and be successful,” she hoped.
She conveyed that the tips for successful silkworm cultivation are actually very simple, that is, be diligent and maintain according to the SOP. “This cultivation also knows no age because anyone can do it, the important thing is to be painstaking, SOP is followed, I’m sure it will be successful,” she concluded.
This activity was opened by the Secretary of the Community Service Center for Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM) Undiksha, Putu Indah Rahmawati, Ph.D. He stated that LPPM welcomes technology transfer activities to the public, especially those with financial prospects. “I see this has financial prospects, there are economic and business opportunities that can be absorbed by the community from silkworm cultivation,” she said.
She hopes that more and more Undiksha lecturers will be present in the community in the context of transferring knowledge through community service programs. “We hope that lecturers with a very high level of knowledge and expertise can be conveyed to the community through community service. So that his knowledge is beneficial for the people around him and in Bali in particular,” she added. (hms)
