SEPANG: A chance provided by the operator of a smart farm called Metrosfarm, has brought significant meaning to Izuddin Mastuki, 41, a homeless man once caught up in crime.
Izuddin, known as Che Din, told Bernama that his life has completely transformed—from being lost and feeling excluded from society to becoming a farmer at the smart farm, working alongside 13 others with similar backgrounds.
"When project leader Ariff Hishamudin Hussin chose me to be trained as an IoT (Internet of Things) farmer, I accepted it with an open heart and felt deeply moved because there are still people willing to give a second chance and trust someone like me.
"I never expected to have this opportunity; I see it as a lifeline," said the Johor native.
Since starting work at the smart farm earlier this year, Izuddin completed a three-month course to learn the ins and outs of smart farming, focusing on leafy vegetable cultivation and managing IoT systems in agriculture.
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"The vegetables have been harvested many times, and I feel proud and satisfied. I went from being homeless to producing tangible results in agriculture," he said.
He added that he intends to make full use of the knowledge imparted by the Metrosfarm team and the Sepang District Agriculture Department and hopes to run his own farm in the future, contributing positively to his family and society.
"God willing, I will do my best to repay them. For me, the knowledge shared is far more valuable than money. Knowledge never depletes and only grows, while money will eventually be spent," he said, adding that he also receives a monthly allowance of RM300.
Recounting the origins of Metrosfarm, Ariff Hishamudin said the idea was sparked during a charity programme distributing food packs to the homeless in collaboration with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in 2015.
"I thought, why not give them skills and knowledge so that they don't just rely on aid to survive but can use those skills to earn a living, especially since they are still physically capable," said the 30-year-old Muar native.
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The Bachelor's Degree in Social Sciences holder from Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, said this idea has materialised with the creation of a 0.2-hectare greenhouse in Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi here, which houses 47 seedling tables with over 14,000 small vegetable pots, including varieties like red coral, green coral, and red oakleaf lettuce.
He said the IoT-based farm, which has been in operation for nearly two years, has successfully trained 14 homeless individuals, comprising eight men and six women aged between 40 and 50. The farm's success includes supplying lettuce to several supermarkets in the Klang Valley and exporting to Singapore since May.
"One table can yield between 15, 20 and 30 kilogrammes (kg) of red coral, red oakleaf and green coral lettuce," he said, adding that the selling price for a kilogramme of green coral and red coral lettuce is between RM5 and RM10, while red oakleaf is priced between RM14 and RM16.
Regarding future plans, Ariff Hishamudin said he and his team aim to establish an IoT-concept greenhouse for retired civil servants, targeting a production of five tonnes of leaf celery per month.
"We approached the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security last year and are currently awaiting feedback," he said, hoping for government support in terms of funding and training to realise the project for national food security.
Meanwhile, IoT developer Rano Paimin, 45, explained that the greenhouse is equipped with an IoT system designed and built using their expertise, which includes water and fertiliser irrigation systems, 16 fans for ventilation, and a water tank that can be monitored and controlled via their custom system.
"We use the Telegram app to receive notifications on water or fertiliser shortages. In the future, we plan to enhance the system using artificial intelligence (AI), which can provide weather forecasts and fully automate greenhouse operations," said the Kuching native.
– BERNAMA
TAGS: homeless, IoT, smart farm, lettuce, AI, vegetables