Women's well-being and household benefits from seaweed farming in Indonesia

Abstract

Seaweed production in Indonesia almost exclusively comes from community-based farming activities, yet the industry has expanded at an unprecedented rate since 2010 to position the country as the major producer. We explored community perceptions of seaweed farming in South Sulawesi, using a well-being-impact evaluation (W-IE) method. Surveying 74 women from coastal villages where seaweed is a significant source of household income we found evidence of positive economic and social impacts from seaweed farming. Extra income earned from seaweed was instrumental in creation of positive change in 5 out of 10 most important contributors to well-being: transport, housing, basic needs, other needs and education. No negatives changes were linked to seaweed farming and there was evidence of increasing life satisfaction throughout villages, both by women from families who are and who are not engaged in farming, indicating positive equity aspects. This might be due to historical development of the industry in Indonesia, where production is dominated by smallholders. Future interventions that seek to further increase production by focusing on large-scale commercial ventures need to be cognisant of the potential negative economic and social impacts of moving from small-scale to large-scale enterprises, and of the consequent implications for well-being and regional development.