Gardening Wine Can Be A Healthy And Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle

Growing wine is a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle (Adelia/VOI)

JAKARTA - Wine is not a foreign plant for the people of Indonesia, but is still considered a challenging plant to cultivate independently. Many people think wine only grows optimally in dry climate areas and adequate land area.

In fact, with the right techniques such as pruning, grafting, as well as the use of pots and iron para-para, wine can thrive even on the sidelines of city houses.

Wine also has a high economic value. The fruit can be consumed directly, used as juice, jam, and even creative culinary preparations such asulants, cakes, and sarongs. In addition, visually, this propagating plant creates a beautiful and aesthetic atmosphere, suitable to beautify the urban environment.

However, more than just the harvest, the process of planting wine has a positive psychological effect, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In that period of uncertainty, the residents of Munjul Village began to fill their time by planting wine in their yard. The new habit slowly becomes a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

The initiation of using Munjul as 'Kampung Wine' has the support of the Jakarta London School of Public Relations (LSPR). The students of the LSPR Institute of Communication and Business Batch 26 Class Excellence, through a campaign entitled 'The Sweet Munjul', in collaboration with residents of RT.009 / RW.04 to strengthen the identity of the village as an innovative urban farming area.

Through the implementation of urban farming wine, this village not only beautifies itself, but also forms a new identity, opens up economic opportunities, and revives the spirit of cross-generational collaboration.

"The Manis Munjul Festival is a tangible form of our efforts as students not only to study theoretically but to be directly involved in building and empowering the local potential of the community," said Jonathan Ezra Widjaya, chairman of the Munjul Sweet Festival in Munjul, East Jakarta on Sunday, January 22.

"In the process of being involved, we learned that local potential in Kampung Wine (Munjul) can be a source of inspiration and opportunity," he added.

This festival is a major collaboration event involving various elements of society, namely urban farmers, PKK women, local MSMEs made from wine, to students from five vocational schools in Jakarta. Workshops such as cultivation and wine grafting techniques, wine juice manufacturing, as well as social media challenges #VINEyourspotchallenge, are part of this series of educational and inspiring events.

It did not stop at the festival alone, at the previous pre-event there was also a workshop branding and social media for urban farmers. The goal is clear, namely that residents are invited to understand the importance of building brand identities and marketing their products digitally.

At the LSPR Institute of Communication and Business, all programs have been run in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Especially in the Sweet Munjul program, we associate it with SDGs Pillar 11 about cities and communities and pillars 15 regarding the land ecosystem," explained Maylaffayza Wiguna, a lecturer at the Community Development LSPR Jakarta.

"We really hope that programs can benefit the community or society, inspire more parties, and be sustainable," he continued.

This program was also greeted positively by local residents. Lukman Widodo, Head of RT.009, RW.04 Kampung Wine, said that since many residents planted wine, the village has become greener, more attractive, and even widely known.

"We hope that this program can make Kampung Wine Munjul a destination for urban agrotourism so that it can have a direct impact on the community. From the results of the workshop with our LSPR colleagues, we are aware of the importance of having an identity. We really want wine to become an icon of Kampung Munjul," he said.

Of the 15 urban farmers in Kampung Wine, 10 of them are women. The role of mothers is not only as agricultural actors, but also agents of change. Through a workshop with LSPR students, they are trained not only to plant, but also to market the results in the marketplace and build an online community.

"Since Munjul Village became known as Kampung Wine, women have been more enthusiastic about continuing to learn and not hesitate to try new things," said Komariah, Kader Dasa Wisma 09.

"The presence of LSPR students is very helpful for mothers to continue to hone their skills, especially in identity, dissemination on social media, and sales in the marketplace," he continued.

Kampung Wine is not just a seasonal green project. It is a tangible form of the collective dream of a healthier, more productive, and sustainable living space. With a wine tree that spreads over the fence of the house and a sense of togetherness that spreads to the hearts of each resident, Munjul has shown that major changes can grow from small yards.

More than just urban farming, Kampung Wine is a story about innovation, solidarity, and empowerment. He is a green oase that gives hope that the city can be friendly to nature and humans, as long as there is a will to plant, care for, and continue to study together.