A number of Unsri Palembang faculty members are teaching urban agriculture in a residential complex

The faculty members conducting this community service activity were led by Chair Prof. Ir. H. Benyamin Lakitan, M.Sc., Ph.D., with members Dr. Ir. Andi Wijaya, M.Sc., Ir. Siti Nurul Aidilfitri, M.Si., and Fitra Gustiar, S.P., M.Si.
The event was attended by dozens of members of the general public, women from neighborhoods around the Jakabaring area, and students from the Faculty of Agriculture at Unsri Palembang.
On that occasion, Unsri lecturer Prof. Benyamin introduced the development of optimizing small backyard plots for urban farming to the community in the capital city of South Sumatra Province, aiming to improve community food security through a “3-in-1” approach—three activities in a single plot of land.
The “3-in-1” backyard land optimization is a technology for growing vegetables and fish to provide additional sources of vitamins and protein for urban residents with limited land.

“Development in Palembang has led to increasingly limited land available for agricultural cultivation; therefore, we need to address this by developing land optimization strategies for urban farming,” said the professor, who previously served as Secretary of the Ministry of Research and Technology in 2007.
Urban land, whose area continues to shrink due to the rapid construction of buildings for various activities, must be managed by optimizing existing land to accommodate multiple activities within a single plot.
Backyard plots—whether small or limited in size—can be used for more than just a single activity, such as building a fish pond, growing vegetables, cultivating medicinal plants (a “living pharmacy”), or growing fruits.
Instead, these activities can be expanded, and limited land can be optimized by using part of the area—where the fish pond is located—for fish farming, such as catfish, tilapia, and betok, while the space above the pond is also utilized for growing vegetables, herbal medicines, and chili peppers using floating raft technology that utilizes used bottles and bamboo—materials easily found in residential areas.
Furthermore, this “urban farming” practice is now being developed through a three-tiered approach in a single location (3-in-1): the land with fish ponds is used for fish farming, while the space above is utilized for growing vegetables and chili peppers using floating raft technology; trellises are also installed to support the cultivation of climbing vegetables like oyong and fruits such as grapes and melons.

“Development in Palembang has led to increasingly limited land available for agricultural cultivation; therefore, we need to address this by optimizing land use for urban farming,” said the professor, who previously served as Secretary of the Ministry of Research and Technology in 2007.
As the amount of urban land continues to decrease due to the rapid construction of buildings for various activities, this challenge must be addressed by optimizing existing land to accommodate multiple activities within a single plot.
Backyard plots—whether small or limited in size—can be used for more than just a single activity, such as building a pond for fish farming, growing vegetables, medicinal plants (a “living pharmacy”), and fruits.
Instead, these activities can be expanded, and limited land can be optimized by using part of the area—where the fish pond is located—for fish farming, such as catfish, tilapia, and betok, while the space above the pond is also utilized for growing vegetables, herbal medicines, and chili peppers using floating raft technology that utilizes used bottles and bamboo—materials easily found in residential areas.
Furthermore, this “urban farming” practice is now being developed using a three-tiered approach in a single location (3-in-1): the land with fish ponds is used for fish farming, while the space above is utilized for growing vegetables and chili peppers using floating raft technology; trellises are also installed to support the cultivation of vegetables like oyong and fruits such as grapes and melons, which grow as vines.