ProKlim, or the Climate Village Program, is an Indonesian government initiative under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. The ProKlim program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the local level, such as sub-villages and villages, to enhance community resilience to climate change. Implementation begins at the minor level, fostering harmony among residents and sub-village before reaching the village level. Currently, the Ministry is actively promoting the implementation of ProKlim.
Efforts to Introduce ProKlim to Indrokilo Village Residents
The 2023 KKN-T Undip team, serving in Indrokilo Sub-Village, Lerep Village, West Ungaran District, Semarang Regency, initiated a multidisciplinary work program to assist Indrokilo Sub-Village in adopting ProKlim the following year. The natural potential, culture, and livelihoods of Indrokilo Sub-Village residents were the main reasons for selecting ProKlim’s assistance work program during the KKN period. The assistance process has reached the adaptation and mitigation stage.
Food Land Making
Ensuring food security in a sub-village or village to cope with climate change is crucial in ProKlim assessment. On Wednesday (02/08/2023), the 2023 KKN-T Undip team surveyed land designated for planting various crops. Land processing began on August 7, 2023, assisted by residents, involving land clearing, soil tilling, fertilizing, crop planting, and installing fences. The completed food land was handed over to the Head of Indrokilo Sub-Village, representing all residents, with the hope that the land would contribute to the food security of Indrokilo Sub-Village (08/15/2023).
“Thank you for the assistance and contributions from the KKN Undip team; hopefully, the food land we created together will benefit the residents of Indrokilo Sub-Village,” said Junari, the Head of the Village.
Adaptation and Mitigation Stage
Several successful work programs have been implemented during the adaptation stage to assist Indrokilo Sub-Village in adopting ProKlim. These include training on converting whole spices and cassava into powder for extended shelf life. Additionally, programs involve making fresh cow’s milk into yogurt and training residents in independent water filtration and purification to improve clean water sanitation in the village.
Efforts to prevent potential natural disasters have been realized by procuring land use maps and training in landslide detection tools. In the mitigation stage, the 2023 KKN-T Undip team provided training on solid waste and household waste treatment using the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) method. The program also includes the creation of eco-bricks and eco-enzymes to reduce solid and household waste.
“As we know, Indrokilo Sub-Village is prone to landslides. Training like this (making landslide detection equipment) can be useful for residents, especially those whose houses are close to the slopes, so they can anticipate and know if there is a land shift that can cause landslides,” said Sumariyadi, Head of Lerep Village, during the sub-villages meeting (12/08/2023).
Accompanying Residents to Develop Potential and MSMEs
In ProKlim, the focus extends beyond the relationship of residents with nature to enhance the readiness of local villagers in the face of climate change. The village potential motivated the KKN-T Undip students to accompany residents in developing existing MSMEs, such as rebranding coffee packaging from KWT (Women Farmers Group) Manggar Lestari for safer and export-ready packaging. The students also assisted in creating a distribution system for food land harvests, developing a marketing website for MSME products typical of Lerep Village, and aiding in the manufacture of NIB (Business Identification Number) and halal certification registration. Additionally, KKN-T Undip students provided psychoeducation to residents of Indrokilo Sub-Village about managing stress and simple ways to overcome it.
From ProKlim to Tourism Village
To maintain the balance between residents, the natural environment, and cultural wisdom in Indrokilo Sub-Village, KKN-T Undip students focused on cultural preservation by introducing folklore and the unique beauty of birth tourism in Indrokilo Sub-Village through digital media, discussions, and socialization. The goal is to instill a mindset about the importance of preserving local wisdom to maintain the original identity of Indrokilo Sub-Village. With the extraordinary potential of Indrokilo Sub-Village, there is a significant opportunity to develop it into a tourist village, similar to the success achieved by Lerep Sub-Village. The development towards becoming a tourist village also involves assistance for residents in learning English, especially in welcoming foreign tourists.
During the mentoring period for ProKlim and tourist village development, the KKN-T Undip team formed an organizational structure to drive Indrokilo Sub-Village towards realizing ProKlim’s vision. This effort is supported by Indrokilo Sub-Village’s administrator, Ms. Ina, who is fulfilling the requirements needed to advance Indrokilo Sub-Village as a member of ProKlim and achieve the status of a dreamy tourist village. (Olivia Sekar Ningrum & Alfrethanov Christian Wijaya, KKN-T Undipa at Lerep Village, 2023)
