ENG
INA
The Doctoral Program in Environmental Science Promotes the Development of a Community-Based Agroecological Creative Economy in Pajahan Village. University General
To fulfill one of the Three Pillars of Higher Education—Community Service—the Doctoral Program in Environmental Science, Graduate School, Udayana University, conducted a community service activity themed “Sustainable Gardens, Sustainable Tourism: Opening Opportunities for Community-Based Agroecology Creative Economy” on Thursday, May 7, 2026, held in Banjar Banyusari, Pajahan Village, Pupuan Subdistrict, Tabanan Regency. Pajahan Village was selected as the location for this community service initiative because it is a hilly area with abundant potential for coffee plantations and tropical crops. However, the community still faces challenges in optimizing the added value of their agricultural products and developing a sustainable tourism sector.
In his remarks, Prof. Arthana, Head of the Doctoral Program in Environmental Science, stated that this community service initiative aims to empower farmers and local communities through agroecological and creative economy approaches, with the goal of establishing a sustainable, community-based tourism village. Additionally, it is hoped that this initiative will enhance farmers’ understanding of diversifying agricultural products (coffee, salak, durian, and coconut) into high-value processed goods; provide motivation and practical knowledge for managing homestays, small-scale villas, and educational tourism packages; and foster sustainable partnerships through the development of village cadres.
This community service event was attended not only by faculty members, students, and staff but also invited the head of the Tabanan Regency Tourism Office, the Pupuan Subdistrict head, the Pajahan Village head, Su-Re.Co, and the residents of Pajahan Village. The Head of the Tabanan Regency Tourism Office, represented on this occasion by Ni Putu Adi Muliani, SST.Par, S.Sos, MM, as Head of the Tourism Destinations and Industry Division, expressed gratitude in her remarks to the PDIL Unud for selecting Pajahan Village as the location for the community service initiative. “To ensure that Pajahan Village can be designated as a tourism area, the first step that needs to be taken is to immediately form a Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis),” she added.
The event also featured a presentation by Prof. Arthana on the processing of coffee, salak, durian, avocado, and coconut into value-added products (chips, dodol, coconut oil, and agritourism packed lunches), as well as the benefits of organic coffee produced without excessive chemical fertilizers. This was followed by a presentation by Prof. I Made Sudarma, a lecturer at PDIL who also serves as chair of the Bali Provincial Watershed Coordination Forum, who discussed initiatives to inspire residents through coffee tasting, roasting workshops, trekking through historically significant transmigration plantations, and the sale of mountain ornamental plants. It was also mentioned that a single farmers’ group could take turns serving as guides, cooks, or homestay managers without requiring significant capital. The final presentation was by Su-Re.Co, which opened opportunities for Japanese NGOs to participate in the development of Pajahan Village.
Meanwhile, the director of the graduate school, Prof. I Nyoman Suprapta Winaya, S.T., M.A.Sc., Ph.D., stated in his remarks that the role of academics is to guide and help facilitate the community’s aspirations; the success of the desired program ultimately depends on the support of the entire community and relevant stakeholders at the village, subdistrict, and Tabanan Regency levels. At the end of the event, a certificate of appreciation was presented to the Village Head of Pajahan, represented on this occasion by I Wayan Murdiasa (Secretary of Pajahan Village), along with a memento in the form of two livestock feed grinders, a donation from the community service participants—namely, the faculty members, students, and staff present at this event (DK).
UDAYANA UNIVERSITY