Wednesday, 7/07/21, an Open Session for the Promotion of Doctor of Environmental Science was held on behalf of promovendus Harris Susanto. Harris Susanto currently serves as President Director and owner of PT. Luas Birus Utama. has successfully defended his dissertation entitled “Capitalization of Environmentally Sound Yards through Cultivation of Sambung Nyawa” in an Open Session conducted online.

The Open Doctoral Promotion Session on behalf of promovendus Harris Susanto was chaired by SIL Director Dr. dr. Tri Edhi Budhi Soesilo, M.Si. with promoter Dr. Drs. Suyud Warno Utomo, M.Si. and as co-promoters Drs. Raldi H.S. Koestoer M.Sc., Ph.D., and Dr. Ir. Moh. Hasroel Thayib, APU. Acting as the panel of examiners in the open session of this doctoral promotion included Prof. Dr. Ing. Ir. Misri Gozan, M. Tech., IPU., Dr. Achjar, S.S., M.Hum., Dr. Evi Frimawaty, S.Pt., M.Si., Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Hadi Susilo Arifin, M.S., Dipl. RLE, Dr. Ir. Listyani Wijayanti.

In the Open Session, promovendus Harris Susanto conveyed the Novelty or novelty of his dissertation that the potential area of the yard in Indonesia is 10.3 million hectares and the Gynuraprocumbens plant which has benefits: a). a source of carbohydrates, b). a source of vitamins and minerals, and c). prevent cancer, alternative medicine to help overcome diabetes and high blood pressure, have not been studied by the community and business people. This led to the idea of establishing a role model relationship between G. procumbens leaf planting and leaf salad producers to provide economic, social, ecological benefits for landowners and potentially support SDGs goals. The research method was to measure the productivity of G. procumbens plants, ecological benefits, economic benefits of the yard and invest in the salad industry with the following results: G. procumbens productivity of 4.5 kg/m2/45 days, active income of IDR 705,460.00 plus an incentive of IDR 1,000.00 per package of leaf salad sold, carbon sequestration of 578.4 g/m2/year, oxygen production of 121.5 g/m2/year, and successfully developed an upstream-downstream concept for the sustainability of environmentally sound yard utilization businesses to support the 12th goal of the SDGs.

In his explanation, Promovendus Harris Susanto stated that the ecological benefits of grafting cultivation in the yard are very broad, one of the important ones is carbon dioxide absorption. So in his recommendation, Promovendus Harris Susanto stated that it requires government support, namely the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, to promote climate-friendly yards into carbon trading schemes or even incentives in building tax payments, so that people are interested in managing yards for environmental conservation.

(Red Fira, editor Tyas, pict PW, Harris)