On October 16, 2024, the RISE Foundation Communications Team celebrated World Food Day by participating in an exciting training session. We learned a lot about permaculture and digital content management with professionals. So, what exactly did we uncover? Curious? Let’s explore what we did and the interesting things we took away!
The Communication Team’s Capacity Development activity, organized by RISE Foundation, was filled with enthusiasm and energy. The activity was held to celebrate World Food Day, with two exciting workshop sessions: one on permaculture, local food, and the climate crisis, and another on content management capacity building with professionals.
The first workshop took place at Bumi Langit Institute. Led by Mas Tantra, the manager of Bumi Langit Institute, the RISE Foundation team learned about permaculture, local food, and the climate crisis. Permaculture is a sustainable and productive agricultural system that mimics the diversity and resilience of natural ecosystems.
We went on a tour to see various cultivated plants, terracing systems, and self-built irrigation systems with Mas Tantra and his team. We also saw goats, chickens, and geese that were raised there. Mas Tantra guided us in understanding the importance of living in harmony with nature.
“As humans, we have a responsibility to care for the land, water, and nature. By protecting nature, we will also benefit from it,” said Mas Tantra while showing us the terracing and irrigation system at Bumi Langit Institute.
In this workshop, we also had the chance to learn about composting. Two techniques were introduced: cold composting and hot composting, or Berkeley composting. The RISE Foundation team practiced making compost using the Berkeley method, which is a simple way to speed up the decomposition of organic waste and produce good compost in a short time.
Now, here’s one of the most fun parts! After making compost, we played and learned at the same time by creating terraces and an effective irrigation system. Our team was divided into two groups, and each was challenged to build terracing and a water system on the provided highland area.
During this challenge, we had to consider the slope’s position, the location of settlements, and the best way to keep the water flow stable. This activity was a practical lesson in understanding how humans can coexist with nature and design land that is not only fertile but also sustainable. The excitement didn’t stop there. After the activity, we enjoyed a special lunch at Warung Bumi Langit. The food served was all organic and directly sourced from the Bumi Langit Institute garden. One dish that caught our attention was nasi pecah kulit (broken husk rice).
Nasi pecah kulit is rice that is only partially hulled, so the bran layer remains intact. This layer is rich in fiber, vitamin B, and minerals, making it more nutritious than regular white rice. Additionally, it is more environmentally friendly due to its low-energy processing method.
Aside from nasi pecah kulit, we also tasted various local products such as strawberry, blueberry, and pineapple jam, as well as kefir milk and kombucha. Kombucha, a fermented tea drink, and kefir, a fermented milk, are known for their probiotic content, which is good for digestion.
As part of the World Food Day celebration, tasting these products reminded the RISE Foundation team of the importance of returning to local and organic foods for both our health and the sustainability of ecosystems. Relying on local food also strengthens food resilience amid the growing threat of the climate crisis.
After the permaculture workshop, the team returned to the RISE Foundation office for the second session, a training on Instagram content management with Gaya Lufityanti, a journalist from Tribun Jogja. In this session, we learned how to develop skills in every stage of content creation, from pre-production to production and then post-production.
This session aimed to help the RISE Foundation team enhance their digital content management strategy and effectively communicate with younger audiences, especially through social media platforms.
