Category: News

Published: Tuesday, 09 April 2019 18:29

by Rebecca Tan

16th February- 2nd March 2019, Gombak – eMpowering Youths Across ASEAN Programme (EYAAP) was conducted by EcoKnights alongside with Frangipani Organic Farm and 10 participants selected by ASEAN Foundation on Building Community Resilience through Circular Economy and Waste Management Practices (Integrated Organic Farming). The project was fully sponsored by Maybank Foundation and was implemented for two weeks (16th February- 2nd March 2019) at Frangipani Organic Farm, Gombak, Selangor.

The main objective of the project was to increase awareness on food waste management in Malaysia and how it can be used in integrated organic farming to create a circular economy for the people. Throughout the two weeks, the ASEAN Youths learned about Integrated Organic Farming and also the importance of food waste segregation through both theory and practical sessions. They also conducted community engagements by speaking at schools, approaching the general public at a night market and restaurants, volunteer engagements as well as conducting tours for visitors during the open day at the farm. Food waste was also collected from a mini mart and a restaurant which had previously agreed to collaborate by separating their food waste from their general waste and recyclables to be used as compost.

The project was a success, exceeding pre-set targets in various aspects. More than 610 kg of food waste was collected which exceeded the team’s original target by 500%. The team also produced an educational outreach module about food waste and Black Soldier Fly (BSF) suitable for future school awareness-raising programmes. Through its community outreach efforts, the team engaged and conducted surveys with a total of 283 people, consisting of two school visits (total 90 students), 24 people at the night market, 25 youth volunteers, and 144 people from the Open Day. This number surpasses the team’s original target by more than 100%. Furthermore, there was a strong social media engagement as EcoKnights’ Instagram engagement increased by 0.33% within two weeks. The team also engaged with Traxx FM (National English Radio) and Bernama (National News Agency).

Overall, the team successfully implemented a project under the Environmental Diversity theme in Gombak, Malaysia and exceeded original targets within two weeks. This project will be continued by EcoKnights using the modules developed with a broader goal of addressing waste segregation and composting using black soldier fl