The PKM-PM UGM BIJAK team, led by students from the Department of Agricultural Social Economics (Sosek), serves as the primary driver in empowering PKK housewives in Dusun Kalimundu by transforming agricultural waste—corn cobs—into briquettes with optimized calorific value. Among the five team members—Anisa Eka Zakiya, Laluna Lena, and Asyifa Nur Afanie from the Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness program (sosek), along with Salma Salsabila from Chemical Engineering and Muhammad Wildan Mustofa from Plant Protection—three-fifths have a sosek background. Under the guidance of Mrs. Hariyani Dwi Anjani, S.P., M.Sc., as the PKM supervisor, the team was able to adopt a holistic approach that integrates social, economic, and agricultural environmental aspects as the core of the program.
Dusun Kalimundu is an agrarian hamlet that consistently grows corn during the palawija (secondary crop) season each year. Rising corn production has created major socio-economic challenges, including corn cob waste piling up along roadsides, being openly burned, and discarded haphazardly, which clogs irrigation channels, leads to environmental degradation, and results in the loss of potential economic value for local communities. The sosek approach from BIJAK students provides a sustainable solution, mobilizing PKK housewives—predominantly homemakers with underutilized free time—to transform waste into high-value briquettes, while strengthening social resilience and women’s empowerment at the hamlet level. The empowerment program for PKK Kalimundu, designed with a sosek perspective to maximize local potential and social inclusion, was implemented through five sequential stages.
The program began with socialization on August 24, 2025, which not only introduced the corn cob-based briquette initiative but also assessed participants’ initial knowledge of agricultural waste’s socio-economic impacts through questionnaires. During socialization, guide leaflets were distributed as initial educational tools, accompanied by video tutorials on briquette production that highlighted economic and environmental benefits. Next, briquette-making training on August 31, 2025, involved hands-on demonstrations of the technical process—from pyrolyzing corn cobs in drums to molding and sun-drying—with sosek emphasis on local resource efficiency and community empowerment. Independent practice on September 6, 2025, allowed PKK housewives to apply skills independently with team guidance, fostering self-confidence and social collaboration.
The marketing workshop on September 14, 2025, equipped participants with sosek strategies such as pricing based on local market analysis, utilizing digital platforms like Shopee for broader market access, and attractive product packaging to enhance economic competitiveness. The program concluded with monitoring and evaluation on September 20, 2025, identifying socio-economic challenges, measuring knowledge improvement through final questionnaires, and establishing a management structure to ensure sustainability in line with sosek community development principles. “We witnessed the extraordinary enthusiasm of the PKK housewives; from simple things, they can create real change. Our sosek approach doesn’t just turn corn cobs into briquettes—it also keeps the environment clean, strengthens household economies, and benefits many people,” said Anisa Eka Zakiya, chair of the PKM-PM BIJAK team.
“We’re thrilled because we initially didn’t know how to make corn briquettes; now we can produce them ourselves with satisfying results. We hope to produce and market these briquettes to boost income for PKK housewives in Kalimundu, while building hamlet economic independence,” said Nur (training participant). All activities yielded results aligned with the sosek vision: partners’ knowledge increased from 52.38% to 100% regarding corn briquettes and their economic potential. The management structure for Briket Jagung Kalimundu (BIJAKU) was established, ensuring sustainability through inclusive community governance. The hope is that this sosek initiative positions PKK Kalimundu as a model for empowering other hamlets, driving economic independence based on previously overlooked local potentials, and contributing to sustainable agricultural development.
This initiative aligns closely with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 on Gender Equality, reflected in women’s empowerment through the involvement of PKK housewives as key agents of change at the hamlet level, thereby enhancing their roles in economic and social activities; SDG 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth, supported by transforming waste into marketable products to increase household incomes and build local economic self-reliance; and SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production, where utilizing corn cob waste for briquettes helps reduce environmental pollution from open burning and promotes sustainable recycling of agricultural resources.