Surviving from shocks of the COVID-19: Adaptation strategies of the Sama Bajo Tiworo small scale fishers as a response to the crisis

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed social-economic life globally with no exception to the small-scale fisher in small islands region. This paper examines how the pandemic effects to the Sama Bajo social-economic life and to observe how the Sama Bajo response adaptively to the crisis. The research has been done in July until middle August 2020 in two small islands in Tiworo Straits. By using mix methods both quantitative and qualitative research methods to collect and analyse the data from 12 key informants, the research result shows that the COVID-19 has significant impacts to the blue swimming crab fishing activity and Sama Bajo food security in Tiworo Straits. Regarding this, to cover their household consumption of daily basis and to avoid them to fall into chronic poverty, the households built four major adaptation strategies. Interestingly, because of safety first rationality, during the crisis, the Sama Bajo pre-existing social insurance tends to be more powerful.