Pemanfaatan Lahan Kosong Desa Berbasis Pangan dan Tanaman Obat Dalam Mendukung Ketahanan Pangan

Abstract

The utilization of vacant land and home gardens in Kampung Dosan, Pusako District, Siak Regency, remains suboptimal, despite the potential to develop them as sources of food and household medicinal plants. This community service activity aims to optimize available land use through the cultivation of food crops and family medicinal plants, while also enhancing community knowledge, skills, and participation in independent land management. The activity employed a participatory approach comprising five stages: preparation, outreach and education, implementation and practical work, mentoring, and evaluation. Community members were directly involved in preparing planting media (using polybags), planting, and plant maintenance. The cultivated plants included galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, Catharanthus roseus (often referred to locally as 'katarak' flower), red ginger, tomatoes, eggplants, and chili peppers. The results indicate that the community gained experience and skills in preparing planting media, planting, and maintaining crops using simple methods that can be replicated on their own land or in their home gardens. The use of polybags offered an alternative way to optimize available space for cultivating food and medicinal plants. This activity demonstrates that direct community involvement can support the sustainability of independent land use and contribute to strengthening household food security. To ensure program sustainability, continued mentoring through the harvest period and the recording of crop yields are necessary to allow for a more concrete measurement of the activity's impact.