NSLIC/NSELRED SOUTHEAST SULAWESI CHAMPIONS Seaweed development in Wakatobi district
La Taowi, the head of 'Tunas Mekar' Seaweed cultivation group and the chairperson of local cooperative in Liya One Melangka village, Wangi-wangi Selatan sub-district of Wakatobi district manages a seaweed nursery area of 20 x 100 meters along with his group members. Their average Seaweed yield per harvest (every two months) reaches 1 ton with a current selling price at IDR 18,000 per kilogram, enables them to earn an income of IDR 18 million per harvest. According to La Taowi, the revenue has been increased significantly after NSLIC/NSELRED in collaboration with the Local Government of Wakatobi district and stakeholders provided them with technical assistances in Seaweed development since 2018. In previous years, La Taowi and local Seaweed farmers were reluctant to cultivate Seaweed due to limited seedlings and unstable selling prices.
THE POTENCY OF WAKATOBI SEAWEED The hydro-oceanographic condition of Wakatobi district is still relatively natural and has great potential for the Seaweed development. Based on data from the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the total area of Wakatobi district's waters outside the Wakatobi National Park's marine conservation area which is suitable for the Seaweed cultivation reaches 9,858 hectares. However, the number of area which are currently being cultivated only around 1,000 ha that efforts to optimize seaweed production are highly encouraged to increase the income of Wakatobi district and local communities. Since 1995, the Wakatobi community has relied on Seaweed cultivation as a livelihood alternative besides catching fish and processing coconuts into copra. Seaweed cultivation and production in Wakatobi decreased significantly during 2010 to 2013 because the Eucheuma Cottonii which is mostly cultivated by farmers was damaged by ice-ice disease. Therefore, starting from 2014 many Seaweed farmers switched to use Eucheuma Spinossum type. However, when the price of Spinosum fell on the market, they switched back to Cottonii. The shortage of high quality Seaweed seeds which are resistant to ice-ice attacks, improper cultivation techniques and fluctuating market price are among the classic problems faced by many Seaweed farmers in Wakatobi. NSLIC/NSELRED initiated a comprehensive approach that is expected to help Seaweed farmers and the local governemnt in developing Seaweed as the leading commodity fostering the local economic development.
La Taowi, head of ‘Tunas Mekar’ Seaweed cultivation group regularly checks the growth of seedlings in his Seaweed nursery area in Liya One Melangka village of Wangi-wangi subdistrict, Wakatobi district.
“Since 2012, our Seaweed yields have fallen due to ice-ice disease. After technical assistances provided by NSLIC/NSELRED . and the Local Government of Wakatobi district started from 2018, our harvest significantly increased. One kilogram of Seaweed seeds used to result in 2 kg (1:2) only, but now using 1 kg seeds we can produce 6 kg on the harverst (1:6). It is such a huge help for us that now we can get stable price from the offtaker. One thing which also makes me proud is the current active involvement of women's groups from cultivation to post-harvest. They were rarely involved, only helped in nurseries.” (La Taowi, head of ‘Tunas Mekar’ Seaweed cultivation group and local cooperative in Wakatobi)
NSLIC/NSELRED INTERVENTION
RESULTS AND SUSTAINABILITY
NSLIC/NSELRED supports the development of commodities and access to market for Wakatobi Seaweed in partnership with the local government, private sector (off taker), banks, cooperatives, seaweed farmers and related stakeholders. As a pilot activity began in 2018, NSLIC/NSELRED provided technical assistances to 48 Seaweed cultivation households in four villages; Liya One Melangka, Liya Mawi, Liya Bahari and Liya Togo. It started with the development and management of a Seaweed nursery demonstration plot; the provision of quality seeds; development of the Seaweed Cultivation Technique module; training and hands-on practices of cultivation through postharvest stages, etc.; These activities were delivered in close collaboration with the District Marine Affairs and Fisheries Office of Wakatobi, the Academy of Wakatobi Maritime and Fisheries Community as well as relevant partners.
Before the project intervention, average Seaweed productivity per farmer household was around 600 kg per harvest and there was only one local cooperative that facilitated the Seaweed sale and purchase at fluctuating market prices. NSLIC/NSELRED then facilitated the local farmers to establish four new cooperatives. La Taowi, the chairperson of the Cahaya One Melangka cooperative, acknowledged that the NSLIC/NSELRED technical assistances through institutional, management and financial training greatly helped to increase the capacity of new cooperatives. Moreover, NSLIC/NSLERED also cooperated with private sector, including the Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Seaweed Cooperative and the Southeast Sulawesi Development Bank for the access to finance.
As a solution to the shortage of quality seeds which is influential on yields, NSLIC/NSELRED facilitated the farmers to access the quality seeds assistance from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries’ Seed Center in Takalar district. Meanwhile, to guarantee a more stable market price, NSLIC/NSELRED also cooperates with PT. Baruna Sumber Sejahtera (PT. BSS), a Seaweed off-taker company who were even agreed to provide farmers with F1 tissue culture seedlings around 150 kg, local seeds of 337 kg and 400 ropes. This collaboration was also strengthened with the support from the Local Government of Wakatobi which through its District Office of Marine Affairs and Fisheries provided technical trainers, buoys and ropes to use for the Seaweed demoplot where local farmers practiced new cultivation techniques with high quality seeds.
The Seaweed development have shown significant result. During a harvest festival in four villages involving the Regent of Wakatobi, Arhawi held in July 2019, total Seaweed yield reached 201 tons compared to 600 kg only in 2017. The number of farmers also increased to 89 households (including 152 women) with an average productivity of 2,100 kg per harvest per household and the total farmers' income increased to IDR 114 million from IDR 21.6 million per harvest cycle. Multi-stakeholders collaboration is crucial to ensure the impact’s sustainability. Increased access to Business Development Services Providers has strengthened the capacity of cooperatives and farmers to collaborate with Seaweed supply chain actors. NSLIC/NSELRED facilitation on the partnership between PT. BSS, local government and Seaweed farmers/cooperatives was aimed at ensuring the sustainability. Strengthening the multi-stakeholder’s commitment, the MoU between five cooperatives, PT. BSS, NSLIC/NSELRED and DKP were signed in September 2019 witnessed by the Regent of Wakatobi district, Arhawi. In accordance with the MoU, PT. BSS agreed to purchase Seaweed from cooperatives at IDR 18,000/kg. The local government of Wakatobi also allocated district budget for the seedling development in Kaledupa and Wangi-wangi subdisticts to tackle the shortage of quality Seaweed seeds, which still become a major challenges for local farmers.