Diah Fitria Widhiningsih Shares Global Knowledge and Networks Through a Community Library

For Diah Fitria Widhiningsih, better known as Fitri, advancing her education goes hand in hand with improving literacy among young people in her hometown of Sleman, Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY).

In 2018, the same year she began her career as a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Socio-economics at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), she established a community library called Bercak Pustaka.

Fitri’s passion for education was inspired by her father and grandfather, who used any extra income they had to help children from financially struggling families to attend school.

Her parents advised her to step outside her comfort zone and try new things to improve her skills. In one of these challenges, a young Fitri was encouraged to call several hotel receptionists to improve her English.

This year, she has taken on the highest challenge in education, embarking on a PhD at the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia, through the Australia Awards Scholarships (AAS). Fitri said it took four attempts to win the scholarship.

“One of the reasons I was so determined to apply for the AAS is because of the extraordinary network of alumni,” said Fitri, naming alumni I Made Andi Arsana, a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Geodetic Engineering at UGM, as one of her inspirations.

She has been able to hit the ground running at UQ, thanks to the Introductory Academic Program (IAP) for AAS recipients.

"During one session in IAP, each individual was given a personal mentor who provided guidance in creating the introduction for their research proposal. This preparation has been immensely beneficial for my PhD studies," Fitri said.

"I hope that through my studies, I can contribute to strengthening research collaboration between UGM and Australia."

Learning Entrepreneurship while Chasing a PhD

Fitri’s connection with UQ actually dates back to 2021, when she collaborated on research into strategies to minimise banana diseases, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

Since 2019, she has been developing innovations in processed banana waste as part of a community service program run by UGM with locals in the Gunungkidul area of Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY).

Her PhD research will also examine banana growers, but she doesn’t want her time in Australia to be solely focused on research.

One new interest she has discovered is UQ Ventures, an initiative that aims to help the UQ academic community maximise their potential in entrepreneurship through networking, mentoring, workshops, and funding competitions.

It began when she met Mayumi Komukai, the Ventures Program Officer, and then David Widjaja, the founder of DWC International Pty Ltd and Vice Chairman of the Australia Indonesia Business Council.

"Discussions with Mr David sparked my ambition to export processed banana waste products developed by the local community in DIY. He gave us an idea of what we need to prepare if we want to export food to Australia," said Fitri.

Along with three Masters students from the Agribusiness and Data Science programs at UQ, Fitri formed a team called Bananza, which aims to develop innovative products from banana waste, including chips made from banana trunks and roots and ice cream made from banana peels.

"Bananza also collaborates with the PKP UGM program to provide training on processing banana waste into food for women's groups in Gunungkidul," Fitri explained.

In May 2024, the Bananza team, led by Fitri, won a grant of $AU1,000 after receiving the award for 'The Most Creative and Changemaking Idea' at the Sustainability Pitching Event held by UQ Ventures.

"In addition to research, Bananza agreed to allocate the funding to finance training for women's groups in DIY on processing banana waste, to help them export their products to the Australian market," said Fitri, who plans to soon market Bananza products through Independent Grocers of Australia.

While deepening her entrepreneurship skills, Fitri also attended the Climate Resilient Agriculture workshop at UQ, organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and attended by 60 students from Darwin, Sydney, and Adelaide.

"I received training on systems thinking, which is how to view a problem holistically and analyse the interconnections between each part. I firmly believe this knowledge will be useful not only for my studies but also in running a business," Fitri explained.

Winning a Gold Medal at the 10^th World Water Forum

Fitri’s habit of always taking on new challenges has continued as she pursues her PhD in Australia. One day, she found out through social media about the Young Water Sustainability Leaders 2024, an international competition in the 10^th World Water Forum held in Bali in May 2024.

There were 1,000 participants, including academics, experts, and policymakers from various countries, competing to present their research, ideas, and works on water resources.

Fitri was hesitant to enter because she had no specific nor in-depth knowledge of water research, but she decided to take the leap.

“I like to push myself to go beyond my comfort zone. I also wanted to gain new experiences, expand my network, and also promote my community, Bercak Pustaka,” Fitri stated.

Fitri’s courage paid off as she won first place for her presentation on Mini Tentative Research for Kids (Mini T-ReKs), a program which she runs at Bercak Pustaka. Mini T-ReKs teaches children critical thinking on various issues, from waste management to water conservation, through education combined with music and dance.

Shortly after securing the gold medal, Fitri held an online discussion through Bercak Pustaka to share her insights on water conservation with youths and teachers from DIY and Lombok.

Although she is now far from her hometown in Sleman, Fitri remains committed to contributing to the wider community through the library. Occasionally, she shares tips on becoming an AAS awardee.

"Besides focusing on my studies, I also want to continue expanding my network, which I can leverage for the community service activities I do at Bercak Pustaka," Fitri concluded.