From MTOT to Eco-Enzyme: TTU–Pesisir Selatan Turn Knowledge into Action
Pesisir Selatan, August 13, 2026 — The knowledge exchange between Timor Tengah Utara (TTU) Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, and Pesisir Selatan Regency, West Sumatra, reached its third and closing day. After spending the first two days learning No-Till Mulching (Mulsa Tanpa Olah Tanah, MTOT), also known as Sawah Pokok Murah (SPM), which the TTU delegation had been introduced to, it was now Pesisir Selatan's turn to learn about the Eco-Enzyme practice developed in TTU.
The session combined discussion with hands-on Eco-Enzyme production, led by the Head of the TTU Regency Agriculture Office together with local farmers and extension workers. Participants from Pesisir Selatan followed each stage directly, from getting to know the raw materials to the processing steps, so that what they learned would not stop at theory but could be applied in the field.
Enthusiasm ran high throughout the practical session. Participants raised a wide range of questions to make sure they fully grasped each stage, including how to use and further develop the product once fermentation was complete.
The session revealed that TTU Regency's Eco-Enzyme programme has been running for around six years, developed as an approach to household waste management that also puts organic material to use in support of more environmentally friendly farming.
The programme is linked to efforts supporting several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goals 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 17.
To date, around 70,000 liters of Eco-Enzyme have been distributed through a network that has grown to 22 regencies and 75 groups nationwide, reaching even beyond Indonesia's borders.
Eco-Enzyme is made by fermenting organic material — fruit, sugar, and water — for a minimum of three months. The formula introduced during the session used a ratio of 1 kilogram of sugar, 3 kilograms of fruit, and 10 liters of water.
The resulting fermented product can be put to a range of uses, including an agricultural aid, natural fertiliser and pesticide, livestock-related applications, and a decomposer for organic waste management.
During the third day's hands-on session, participants also produced Eco-Enzyme starter solution, organic NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium) fertiliser, and Bokashi (Bahan Organik Kaya Akan Sumber Kehidupan, Organic Material as a Rich Source of Life) compost, all of which can be used once fermentation is fully complete.
The three days of knowledge exchange then turned to drafting a Follow-Up Action Plan (Rencana Tindak Lanjut, RTL) so that both regions could put what they had learned into practice.
In Pesisir Selatan Regency, Eco-Enzyme will begin trials on farmland in Nagari Sungai Gayo Lumpo as part of efforts to boost agricultural productivity and add value to farming enterprises.
The local farmers' group, represented by Darmini, committed to learning and further developing Eco-Enzyme production practices at the farmer level.
For their part, TTU Regency's agricultural extension workers will bring home what they learned about MTOT/SPM from Pesisir Selatan to develop in their respective assigned areas. TTU has already prepared three sites as an initial step toward applying the method.
In this way, the knowledge exchange does not end with the three-day visit. Both regions are now taking each other's innovations home to test, adapt, and develop according to local conditions.
Closing the series of activities, the Head of the Agriculture Office expressed appreciation and gratitude for the collaboration between TTU and Pesisir Selatan. The knowledge exchange, they said, has delivered mutual benefit, particularly by opening space for farmers and extension workers to become familiar with new approaches to more environmentally friendly agricultural development.
The collaboration is expected to yield not only the adoption of new technologies or methods, but also a growing spirit of innovation among farmers and local governments alike.
The MTOT/SPM and Eco-Enzyme exchange demonstrated that every region holds knowledge and experience that can serve as a source of learning for others.
The series of activities closed with the symbolic handover of certificates to representatives of the Pesisir Selatan Agriculture Office, the TTU farmers' group, the Pesisir Selatan farmers' group, and GIZ, as a form of appreciation and a way to strengthen cross-regional cooperation.
At the same event, the TTU delegation presented three books on Eco-Enzyme to the Pesisir Selatan Regency Agriculture Office as learning material and reference for further development.
The three days of TTU–Pesisir Selatan knowledge exchange ultimately arrived at one key conclusion: innovation gains meaning when knowledge is carried home, put into practice, and translated into action that benefits communities.
From Pesisir Selatan, TTU brings home lessons in MTOT/Sawah Pokok Murah. From TTU, Pesisir Selatan brings home knowledge of Eco-Enzyme. Together, they become the capital for building agriculture that is more efficient, adaptive, environmentally friendly, and sustainable.
The activity was attended by a delegation from the TTU Regency Government, GIZ SDGs SSTC, the Pesisir Selatan Regency SDGs Secretariat, the Pesisir Selatan Regency Bapperida (Regional Planning, Research, and Development Agency), Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (LP2M), the Sungai Gayo Lumpo Nagari Women Farmers Group (KWT), the Wali Nagari and village officials, and local farmers.
