An academic team from the Physics Study Program, Faculty of Engineering and Science, UPN "Veteran" East Java carried out a community service program in Pasuruan Regency. This activity focused on education and the application of appropriate technology in the form of a corn sheller machine to reduce agricultural losses during the post-harvest phase.
The program was led by Dr. Allif Rosyidy Hilmi, S.Si., M.Si., along with fellow lecturers Primasari Cahya Wardhani and Aprilia Dewi Ardiyanti, and involved students. This step was taken to address the classic constraints of local farmers who still rely on manual shelling methods or mobile services, which are considered inefficient in terms of time and cost.
Through the introduction of this corn sheller machine, the process of separating corn kernels from the cob can be done faster and with a much larger capacity. In addition to the operational aspects, the farmers were also given an in-depth understanding of machine maintenance, ranging from periodic cleaning, lubrication of mechanical components, to proper storage to avoid rust.
Not only targeting the technical aspects of farming, the service team also provided training on systematic farm business management. Farmers were taught how to do simple written bookkeeping, which includes recording harvest dates, total production costs, harvest volume, and calculating the net profit obtained.
The leader of the service team, Dr. Allif Rosyidy Hilmi, emphasized that the utilization of technology will provide optimal economic impact if accompanied by good managerial skills. Through this collaboration, it is hoped that the competitiveness of corn farmers in Pasuruan can increase while making a tangible contribution to regional food security.
