No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The residue of thermal power plants is known as coal fly ash and has been considered solid waste pollution worldwide. The characteristic of coal fly ashes showed that it contains several components that could be utilized in several fields. One of the potential utilization is in the agricultural application. This study analyzed the characteristic of two different types of coal fly ashes and their effect on the soil. The x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis resulted that SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO dan MgO are the five major components in the soil, and both coal fly ash, CFA A and CFA B. This XRF analysis result concluded that coal fly ashes have great potential to be a substitute for silica fertilizer. Then, the effect of the coal fly ash addition also was studied by the moisture content and nutrient (N, P, and K) content characteristics in the soil and the soil-ash mixture. The findings indicated that the addition of 125 grams of coal fly ash A had a greater impact on the soil compared to fly ash B when 250 grams of soil was used.

Although Mount Merapi is the most active volcano in Java Island, many people still opt to stay there, with most of them working as farmers. This study aimed to analyze the food security of farmers living in the Mount Merapi area. A total of 303 farmers from four different surrounding areas in Mount Merapi were randomly interviewed, and the factors that affect their food security were determined. The findings indicated that Glagaharjo has the highest mean score for food availability variable; it seems effected by the farmers that have livelihood diversification such as sand miner. With regard to food utilization, rice and vegetables are commonly consumed. Farm size has a significant effect on food availability and food utilization. Effort to increase the farm size is less likely possible, therefore other effort such as controlling the number of family member through family planning program can be implemented to support food security in the study area. People, especially farmers, who live in the hazardous areas in Mount Merapi seem to be unwilling to leave their current lives.