Unlocking Nature’s Bounty: Empowering Community with The Profound Benefits of Indonesian Herbal Plants

Abstract

ndonesia is well-known for its rich biodiversity, where herbal plants are discovered in almost all regions, one of which is in the Semoyo village in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This has led to the establishment of Herbal Semoyo Garden (Hermoyo) which is planned to be an educational herbal tourist destination. Consequently, empowering the local community with adequate knowledge of herbal plants is urgently required. This study aims to increase the knowledge of the local people in Semoyo village regarding herbal plants through a mini-seminar. Respondents were selected using purposive sampling. Pre and post-tests were applied to collect data on participants’ knowledge level before and after the intervention using the mini-seminar. Data were analyzed descriptively. A number of 33 respondents were involved in this study. The intervention resulted in a good knowledge level with an average post-test score of 73.03%. Further educational programs should be conducted to strengthen the knowledge capacity of the local people contributing to Hermoyo’s development.