First Hand Experience in Contributing to the Resilience of the Community Garden

In times of economic downturn and climate crisis, it is the challenge for urbanites to deal with obstacles and shortfall in urban settings. With the increasing costs of living, mostly everyone of us have no other choices but to tighten our belt in order to prolong our sustenance. Community gardens play important roles in making sure that no one is left behind in starving in their community. The Central 19 Community Garden in Petaling Jaya, Selangor led by Ms Penny Lim established in the 2020 to serve this very purpose. 

The Department of Student Affairs at UTAR's Sungai Long Campus once again organized a Gardening Gotong-Royong event with the collaboration of the Community Service Society (CSS) at the community garden. This is a second initiative by the DSA since July 2023. The primary objectives of this event were twofold: to foster an appreciation of urban biodiversity and its role in regulating local and global climates among the university community, and to nurture a sense of social responsibility for the preservation of flora and fauna in both urban and rural environments. Additionally, the event aimed to provide participants with an opportunity to explore urban wildlife through a collaborative gotong-royong effort with a local community garden in urban settings. A total of 27 volunteers, consisting 6 university staff members and 21 students, actively engaged in various gardening activities throughout the day. 

The day's efforts were marked by a series of tasks aimed at enhancing the condition and aesthetics of the garden. All the volunteers spent their morning time and energy under the hot weather to clear weeds from the garden plots, thereby contributing to the health of the green space. "Snake gourd" and "kacang botol" were uprooted to make way for new plantings and to improve the garden's layout. The garden hut (pondok) and storeroom underwent a thorough cleaning to ensure an organized and tidy gardening environment for future endeavors. All soils from the pondok were meticulously distributed to individual plots, providing essential nutrients for plant growth. Further, volunteers were actively managed the weeds in the backyard, fortifying the garden's health and beauty. The maintenance of equipment, particularly the white tongs, ensured their readiness for future gardening activities. The event also included a communal lunch session, where participants shared their experiences and strengthened the sense of community and camaraderie among all those involved. Most of them were the first-time taking part in the gardening that morning. Hence, it is a whole new experience for them to involve in the gardening in the city. 

In short, the Gardening Gotong-Royong event not only achieved its objectives in promoting an appreciation for urban biodiversity and instilling a sense of social responsibility but also forged strong community bonds and personal growth among the students and staff. This collaborative effort by students and staff, together with their interaction with the local gardening community, underscored the significant impact of such initiatives on fostering environmental stewardship and community spirit. The Department of Student Affairs (DSA) and the Community Service Society (CSS) look forward to continuing and expanding similar initiatives in the future, making meaningful contributions to the local environment and the holistic development of our university community members.