Innovation of Household Organic Waste Utilization into Eco Enzyme and Liquid Organic Fertilizer among Malay Women in Ulu Gedong Subdistrict, Jambi City, Indonesia: Inovasi Pemanfaatan Limbah Organik Rumah Tangga Menjadi Eco Enzyme dan Pupuk Organik Cair pada Ibu-Ibu Suku Melayu di Kelurahan Ulu Gedong Kota Jambi

Household organic waste dominates Indonesia’s municipal waste stream and is largely disposed of in landfills, contributing to odour, leachate, and methane emissions. Recent national data report 68.7 million tons of waste in 2022, with food waste as the largest fraction, indicating the strategic role of household organic waste management. This community engagement program aimed to introduce simple eco-enzyme and liquid organic fertilizer technologies based on anaerobic fermentation of kitchen waste and to strengthen the capacity of Malay housewives in Ulu Gedong Subdistrict, Jambi City. A participatory approach was implemented through coordination with local authorities, baseline needs assessment, interactive counselling on waste and eco-enzyme concepts, hands-on training using a 1:3:10 formulation of sugar:kitchen waste:water supplemented with EM4 bioactivator, a ±30-day fermentation and monitoring period in several 5-L jerrycans (total volume ≈25 L), product harvesting, limited application trials, and evaluation using observation and a Likert-scale satisfaction questionnaire. The fermentation produced a brownish-golden liquid with a sweet-sour “tape-like” aroma and no foul smell; the remaining pulp was used as compost, thereby minimising residual organic waste. Sixteen participating women demonstrated improved understanding of waste types and reported behavioural change in simple waste segregation, as well as increased intention to continue eco-enzyme and liquid fertilizer production at home. Questionnaire analysis showed very high satisfaction (100% satisfied; 94% willing to join similar programmes). A women’s Recycling Group was discussed as a follow-up strategy for sustainability, but has not yet been formally established within this cycle. The findings indicate that low-cost fermentation technology, combined with participatory learning, can serve as an effective entry point for strengthening community-level organic waste management and seeding future women-led green entrepreneurship.