<![CDATA[Horticulture plants such as vegetables and medicinal plants are crucial to support family nutrition and health. However, residents of Geger Village, (Bantul, Yogyakarta) are still dependent on market since their soil condition is not conducive for agriculture. This activity aimed to strengthen village food security through innovative training on cultivating horticulture plants in polybags using manure-based fertilizer to initiate environmentally friendly organic farming. Methods were a combination between Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), with stages including survey, selection of plant types, seedling preparation, tutorial, and hands-on practice, followed by assistance and monitoring using WhatsApp application. Of the 40 residents invited, 25 (62.5%) attended, with 84% among them being housewives. Results showed a notable improvement in participants’ knowledge and skills, with all participants successfully completed planting targets in the garden located at the backyard of Geger Village Community Hall. Compared to their past experience, participants expressed more satisfaction. They also committed to apply polybag technique in their home yards. In conclusion, this program succeeded in raising community's capacity for organic farming, in addition to empowering and strengthening the role of women in family food security. This mentorship concept has the potential to be adopted in other areas with comparable environmental circumstances and challenges.]]>
