On November 20, 2018 a preliminary meeting was held on collaborative research cooperation related to Biochar at the Dean’s Meeting Room of Faculty of Agriculture UGM. This meeting is a follow-up to collaborative project proposals that have been prepared previously. This collaboration was followed not only by academics but also by the private sector as a material provider (biochar).
The team involved in the Biochar research collaboration was the Department of Soil of Gadjah Mada University represented by Dr. Benito Heru Purwanto, M.Agr. along with several Department staff; Syah Kuala University Soil Science Study Program represented by Prof. Dr. Ir. Darusman, M.Sc .; Agrotechnology Study Program at Udayana University represented by Dr. Ir. Anak Agung Wife Kesumadewi; Andalas University Department, represented by Prof. Dr. Ir. Herviyanti; Ghent University Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, represented by Prof. Stefaan De Neve; and Bambu Nusa Verde represented by Marc Pieter.
The agenda of the preliminary meeting consists of 4 (four) points, namely:
- Review of the content of the project proposal
- Emphasis on the method to be used
- Activity during the project runs
- Achievement of this collaboration
This research collaboration project emphasizes the role of Bamboo as biochar. As well known, biochar can improve the micro pore distribution in the soil. So that, biochar is very useful in improving soil quality and the environment and is also beneficial in terms of carbon sequestration. The selection of Bamboo plants as material from biochar is because Bamboo is commontly found in Indonesia. It hopes that this supply of Bamboo can be an alternative to wood charcoal which has been widely known as biochar material.
The research collaboration project is a multi-year project where the target of completion of this research collaboration is 3 years. In this preliminary meeting, it was also explained that the main objective of this research collaboration is to increase the “impact” in which “impact” was seen not only from the scientific side but also from the social side. Then, as a closing, at the end of the preliminary meeting it was scheduled to eat together at one of the restaurants in Jogja which is expected to be a place to increase the familiarity between team members.
