Salamatul Hifdiyah: Unlocking the Potential of the ‘Tree of Life’ for Sustainable Development

Growing up in a village in Pasuruan Regency, East Java, where early marriage was common, Salamatul ‘Salma’ Hifdiyah often saw young women give up their aspirations to marry at an early age. Concerned about their limited opportunities, she wanted to help create a future in which women could pursue their ambitions.

That commitment became the foundation of Salma’s journey as a social entrepreneur. In 2021, while studying at Politeknik Negeri Malang, she co-founded Soygoo, a social enterprise that empowers women by engaging housewives in Malang City, East Java, in producing innovative soy-based snacks.

In 2024, Salma expanded her work by joining Legend Tren Internasional as Head of Program and Marketing. The social enterprise empowers lontar (palmyra palm) farmers by developing products from the tree, often called the ‘tree of life’ because almost every part of it can be used.

Seeking to make these products more sustainable, Salma recognised that innovation needed to extend beyond processing and marketing to include cultivation, soil health and agricultural practices. This realisation led her to participate in the Australia Awards Short Course on Climate-Smart Agriculture for Healthy and Sustainable Food Production, delivered by The University of Queensland in 2025.

As the youngest participant and the only representative from the private sector, Salma saw the Short Course as an opportunity to connect her practical experience with scientific knowledge and new perspectives.

‘At Legend Tren, we have mostly focused on product innovation using lontar harvests. The Short Course theme at the time provided a great opportunity for us to learn more about cultivation processes and plant health, so that lontar trees, which can live for hundreds of years, can be sustainably maintained,’ Salma said.

From Soil Science to Practical Innovation

The Short Course encouraged Salma to look beyond individual challenges and consider how environmental, economic and social factors interact.

‘From learning how to measure social impact to gaining knowledge in statistics, I learned so many new things from the Short Course. I also became more aware of the importance of looking at problems holistically,’ she said.

Open discussions with academics and fellow participants exposed her to different perspectives, strengthening her ability to question assumptions and consider alternative solutions.

One particularly influential experience was a site visit to Mulgowie Farm in Queensland, where participants explored the importance of soil health and soil quality in agricultural production.

Salma was struck by the attention Australian farmers paid to soil conditions, including pH levels and the appropriate types and quantities of fertiliser. The experience inspired her team at Legend Tren to develop organic fertiliser using lontar sap, turning an agricultural resource into a potential solution for improving soil health.

For Salma, the experience showed how scientific knowledge could adapt to local conditions and deliver practical benefits for farmers.

Sharing Knowledge with Farmers and Young People

Salma applied these lessons through her Award Project, which promotes intercropping in lontar plantations by introducing arrowroot cultivation. The practice aims to improve soil health while providing farmers with an additional source of income.

The project combines arrowroot planting with organic fertiliser developed from lontar sap. It also includes knowledge-sharing activities for dozens of lontar farmers in Tuban, East Java, helping them explore more sustainable agricultural practices.

During the training sessions in December 2025, Salma discovered that some local farmers were familiar with intercropping arrowroot, a practice once used by their great-grandparents.

‘It was interesting to hear from the locals that intercropping with arrowroot had been practised by their great-grandparents, but the practice disappeared over time. This shows how remarkable the local wisdom of past generations really was,” she added.

The experience reinforced Salma’s belief that sustainable development requires collaboration between scientific research, local knowledge and the communities directly affected.

She also recognised that long-term change would require engaging the next generation. At the end of 2025, she initiated the Youth Innovation Challenge: Climate-Smart with Edu Wisata Lontar Sewu in Gresik Regency.

The challenge brought together university students from various institutions, including Universitas Diponegoro, Universitas Gadjah Mada, President University, BINUS University, and Universitas Trunojoyo Madura. It encouraged young people to develop creative ideas for making local food healthier and more sustainable.

Her commitment to extending the benefits of her work beyond a single organisation also led to her selection as one of 100 project leaders from nearly 5,000 applicants worldwide for UNESCO and Nestlé ‘Youth Impact: Because You Matter’ Global Youth Grant Scheme.

Through LONTARVERSE, her project empowers lontar farmers and translates indigenous knowledge into practical solutions for climate action. It also includes educational activities in primary schools in Tuban to introduce children to the benefits of the lontar tree.

Meanwhile, Salma has applied the knowledge she gained from the Short Course, including social impact measurement and Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), to Soygoo, helping improve profit margin calculations and guide more sustainable product development.

Building Research Partnerships for a Sustainable Future

Salma's work has also opened opportunities to strengthen Legend Tren's research and development capabilities.

Founded in 2019, the enterprise initially lacked a dedicated research team. Recognising the need for stronger technical expertise, Salma drew on the professional relationships she developed during the Short Course to explore collaboration with Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

Through fellow participants working at BRIN, she was connected with its Research Centre for Applied Microbiology to explore the potential of processing lontar sap into bioethanol.

In November 2025, Legend Tren CEO Muhammad Najih Islahuddin signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the research centre, establishing a foundation for further collaboration.

‘Lontar sap can contain very high alcohol content and has strong potential to be processed into bioethanol,’ Salma said.

The initiative reflects her approach to problem-solving: recognising organisational limitations, building relationships across sectors and connecting local resources with scientific expertise to explore new opportunities.

From a Childhood Dream to Global Ambitions

Beyond its impact on her agricultural work, the Short Course has helped Salma expand her professional networks and explore opportunities for Legend Tren in Australia. Contacts at The University of Queensland, including course leader and agribusiness professor Ammar Abdul Aziz, have helped her consider pathways into the Australian market.

Her immediate priority is to introduce the products and familiarise Australian consumers with their potential benefits.

‘I want Legend Tren products to reach the global market because it would be a shame if products with so many health benefits were not known by more people,’ she said.

The opportunity to visit Australia also fulfilled a childhood dream. As a junior high school student, Salma had written down her wish to photograph the Sydney Opera House, which she remembered simply as a ‘seashell-shaped building’.

‘The Short Course also reignited my motivation to continue my studies and pursue a master’s degree in Australia,’ she added.

For Salma, further study would be another step towards strengthening her capacity to develop practical, evidence-informed solutions for Indonesian communities.

From supporting women in her home region to helping farmers adopt more sustainable practices, Salma has demonstrated how curiosity, collaboration and determination can turn local challenges into opportunities for development.