Movement Seaweed Farmer in Nusa Lembongan
Since 2015, seaweed farming in Nusa Lembongan has begun to disappear. The loss of community interest in growing seaweed is caused by several factors: unfavourable weather in previous years, ice – ice disease that is increasingly attacking, the interest of young farmers to farm is very less because the opportunities in tourism are huge. The rise of tourists visiting Nusa Lembongan – Nusa Ceningan impacting the most community to take part in the tourism business, building lodging, villas, restaurants, marine tourism services, etc. There is nothing wrong with tourism developing in Nusa Penida, only the natural resources of seaweed farming have provided the livelihoods of the people since 1980s and sending their children to university to no longer exist. Young people and parents who are still productive doing tourism business for their main economy, even though depending on tourism are very vulnerable to political, environmental and social issues. Still fresh in our minds the problem of garbage that fills the seas in Nusa Penida makes many travel agencies and foreign governments forbid their citizens going to Bali, read: This news.
Since January 2018, thanks to funding support from GEF-SGP Indonesia under the umbrella of the Wisnu Foundation, the seaweed development program has been carried out in Lembongan and Banjar Semaya – Suana Village, Nusa Penida District. Initially there was only one seaweed demonstration plot supported by the DKPP of Klungkung Regency in 2017, through the Kalimajari Foundation which received support from GEF-SGP and the Wisnu Foundation to develop kultur jaringan and red sacul seaweed for testing in Lembongan. The growth of kultur jaringan seaweed and red sacul are fascinating in the Lembongan region, but not good as in Banjar Suana region. Since then, this type of kultur jaringan and red sacul was developed continuously in Nusa Lembongan.
“From only 4 farmers who develop seaweed in Nusa Lembongan, currently (until November 2019) there are 64 farmers who have planted and the results have been selled, and even then there are still other farmers – including those from Nusa Ceningan who are preparing pegs for new plots “, said Mr. Suarbawa, a motivator of seaweed farming in Nusa Lembongan and Banjar Semaya Nusa Penida. “At the moment I see a happy smile for the elderly who were previously unable to work in the tourism sector and now they have been able to provide money for their grandchildren from the results of tying seaweed,” he said.
The movement of seaweed farming in Nusa Lembongan – Nusa Ceningan has growth again and has sent 50 tons of seaweed to Banjar Semaya – Suana village Nusa Penida to plant by community independently (farmers buy it for seed needs). The impact of seaweed activities has raised the economy in Nusa Lembongan from the agricultural sector and as a support for farmers in Banjar Semaya. The sea conditions in these two villages are indeed very different, based on the results of the Kalimajari Foundation research, the sea temperature in the Nusa Lembongan Strait in one day ranged from 25.8 – 26, 2 degrees Celsius, while in Banjar Semaya waters ranged from 28.8 – 29.5 degrees Celsius This condition causing the growth of seaweed is not good in Banjar Semaya, especially in the famine seasons in April – December. Our note is where the projects has high interest by local community will growth rapidly, depends of process of the assessing the right activities and the right target of the community, so that an activity has a very significant impact.
