Empowerment of PKK Through the Production of Moringa–Coriander Herbal Capsules Enhancing Community Health and Economic Value

Abstract

The diversity of local herbal industries presents a strategic opportunity for villages to improve public health while simultaneously creating new economic value. Through the empowerment of PKK (Family Welfare Empowerment group), this community engagement p rogram involved socialization, counseling, training in capsule production, mentoring, and evaluation. A total of 31 participants, consisting of PKK leaders and members, were involved in the program, which aimed to transform local herbal potential into high -value and competitive products. The program's effectiveness was measured through pre-test and post-test evaluations. In the production sector, the main challenges faced by the community partners included a lack of understanding of the benefits of local herbal plants and limited processing skills. Another obstacle was the general disinterest in consuming moringa and coriander in their raw form. The socialization sessions led to a significant increase in participants' knowledge regarding the benefits and nutritional content of moringa and coriander leaves, with scores rising from 46.74% (pre-test) to 84.17% (post-test). Meanwhile, in the counseling and simulation sessions on capsule production, participant understanding improved from 46.84% to 80.52%. These results reflect the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary educative -participatory approach in building the capacity of PKK members to utilize local herbs as practical and value-added health products. Improvements in community empowerment were also evident in the social sector, particularly in overcoming limited initial knowledge, doubts about the effectiveness of herbal capsules, and the lack of supporting facilities. The implementation of capsule production through training, mentoring, and evaluation showed a notable transformation, with scores increasing from 45.10% to 83.75%. The outcomes include increased literacy, open ness, and self-confidence among PKK members in the production of herbal capsules. This success illustrates the impact of the applied educative -participatory method. Beyond producing practical and marketable moringa–coriander capsules, the program also contributes to strengthening family welfare and promoting sustainable local economic growth.