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Politeknik Negeri Jember (Polije), in collaboration with Universitas Negeri Surabaya (Unesa), carried out a community service program in Ngusikan Village, Jombang Regency. This initiative reflects Polije’s strong commitment to supporting science and technology transformation for rural communities.
The program, led by Dr. Muhammad Kris Yuan Hidayatulloh, M.Pd. from Unesa, also involved Purbowo, S.Agr., M.P., a lecturer from Polije Campus 3 Nganjuk. The main beneficiaries were women farmer groups, empowered through training on processing leftover rice into rice crackers and rice flour.
Purbowo explained that the innovation stemmed from concern over large amounts of uneaten rice often left during community gatherings such as kenduren or buwuhan.
“Through the application of food technology, we introduce the concept of Zero Waste while also supporting SDG 12 on sustainable consumption and production,” he stated.
The participants were divided into three groups to follow sessions on socialization, production practice, packaging, product photography, and digital marketing. They also received training in using smartphones to create attractive product photos suitable for online marketplaces.
Program leader Dr. Muhammad Kris Yuan Hidayatulloh expressed gratitude for the institutional support.
“We thank DPPM Kemdiktisaintek for supporting the 2025 national competitive grant. With this support, the program has been able to run as planned,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zuhrotul Lailis Sa’adah, S.Pt., M.Agr., Coordinator of PPL BPP Ngusikan, highlighted the importance of collaboration in rural development.
“Women empowerment initiatives like this are highly valuable in helping villages develop their potential toward a one village, one product model,” she noted.
This joint effort between Polije and Unesa demonstrates how higher education institutions can contribute directly to community empowerment, rural innovation, and sustainable development.