Community Service Team from Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) conducted a community service program in Erorejo Village, Wadaslintang Sub-district, Wonosobo Regency. The program was led by Dr. Rindra Yusianto, S.Kom., M.T., and it focuses on implementing the concept of Smart Agro-Tourism,

The team, comprised of Dr. Herwin Suprijono, Amalia, and Dr. Iswoyo from Udinus, empowered both the fishery and agricultural sectors in the village. The service was conducted by providing means of production to a group of fishermen known as Widosiger.

At an event hosted in Erorejo Meeting Hall recently, Dr. Rindra Yusianto explained that these means of production were the results of the research and community service conducted by the team to empower the said village.

“We gave them two fish stalls, a coffee roasting machine, a coffee grinder machine, and a brown sugar maker machine. These means of production are expected to serve as sustainable sources of income for the fishermen,” he uttered.

Rindra explained that the fish stalls were products of his team’s research and innovations. The fish stalls are designed specifically to fulfill the necessity of the locals and the nature potential of the village.

“With the fish stalls, the fishermen will not only depend on fish products earned from the karamba floating nets, but they will also be able to gain more income by renting the stall to tourists,” he added.

In addition, Rindra mentioned that the fishermen would be taught how to process robusta coffee and brown sugar, the most featured commodities in the area. The training aims to ensure the fishermen can develop local potential-based businesses, allowing them to improve the village's economy.

“Hopefully, by learning new skills, the fishermen will be able to be more independent, instead of depending on one source of income,” he said.

This community service program also involved students from several faculties at Udinus, including the Engineering Faculty, the Economics and Business Faculty, the Health Science Faculty, and the Computer Science Faculty. These students were Fadia Zulfia Kanaya, Dimas Permadi, Tatgh Herawan Santoso, Wifaqul Azmi Al Khoida, Bagas Kara, and Faiz Afrizal Adisaputra. They took part in this program through a scheme known as the Independent Campus Program (MBKM).

“In addition to learning off-campus, students also earned the opportunity to collaborate with both the fishermen and the local government. This program helps students understand the necessity of the locals, as well as contribute a tangible action with their knowledge,” Rindra revealed.

The involved students also gained recognition for the courses relevant to this community service program. Fadia Zulfa Kanaya, one of those students, revealed her involvement in this program. With a solid collaboration between the campus, students, and the public, this community service program is expected to serve as tangible proof of how academic innovation can directly impact public welfare.

“This is truly a priceless experience. We learned how to implement the theories we learned on campus into practice, as well as saw how impactful our involvements are to the public,” Dr. Rindra uttered.

Wagino, the Chief of the Erorejo Village, appreciated the efforts provided by the Community Service Team at Udinus. He stated that the means of production and training programs offered by the campus had significantly impacted the fishermen’s income.

Their income saw an increase from Rp. 1.7 million to Rp. 2 million per month on average. Wagino also hoped for similar programs to be more routinely hosted in the future.
On that occasion, Wagino also added that this increase in income was among the most welcoming changes from the program. Furthermore, Wagino also expressed his gratitude to Udinus for supporting the local fishermen with this community service program.

“We aimed for our village to be among science technoparks guided by Udinus by 2030. This is an important point in our Mid-Term Village Development Plan, valid until 2026,” Wagino said, accompanied by Eti Sri Mulyati (the Head of the Rahayu Women’s Farmer Association).

The community service program is funded by the Directorate of Research and Community Service, under the supervision of the General Directorate of Research Strengthening and Development at the Ministry of Education, Research, and Technology. This program aimed to support the economic independence of the locals within Erorejo Village by implementing the Mid-Term Village Development Plan focusing on local economy empowerment.