The Islamic Economics Master Program, Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), organized an outreach activity aimed at strengthening sharia financial literacy among vegetable farmers in Windusajan Hamlet. The activity was held on Thursday, November 6th 2025, at LPPM PM3, Pesantren Masyarakat Merapi Merbabu.
This outreach program aimed to improve farmers’ understanding of financial management based on sharia principles to be more sustainable and equitable, particularly on the economic challenges they have long encountered. The participants, who were vegetable farmers, took part enthusiastically and actively engaged in discussions about financial issues encountered in their daily lives.
The Chief of the Community Service Team, Dr. Duddy Roesmara Donna, explained in his presentation that the socio-economic conditions of farmers still encounter various fundamental problems. He emphasized that the financial literacy is a key factor in improving farmers’ welfare.
“Most farmers still depend on debt, have relatively low levels of education, and face high social expenditures within their communities. These conditions often result in suboptimal household financial management,” said Dr. Duddy.
Through this outreach program, participants were introduced to the basic concepts of sharia finance, including healthy debt management, family financial planning, and alternative sharia-based financing that is more just and ethical. The material was delivered in a simple and contextual manner to be easy to understand and directly applicable for the farmers.
This activity is expected to serve as an initial step in building farmers’ financial awareness based on sharia values, while also strengthening the role of higher education institutions in supporting communities through sustainable community service initiatives.
Author: Surono