Contributing factors to the empowerment of fishpond farmer of post Tsunami Aceh

Abstract

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami have significant implication to a destructive damage community fish farming in Aceh. The recovery has done during the rehabilitation and reconstruction process. This study aims to identify the degree of fishpond farmer's empowerment of post-tsunami and its contributing factors. The study employs quantitative and qualitative approaches through a questionnaire survey and interview with 51 respondents. Data analysis used descriptive analysis to measure empowerment degree and multiple linear regression analysis to identify determinant factors. The study finds that about half of the respondents are at a moderate level of empowerment degree, more than a quarter is at a high level, and the rest is low. Statistically shows that social network, motivation, innovativeness, resources availability, and characteristics of the economy have a positive correlation and significant to empowerment degree of the fishpond farmer. Meanwhile, information tools and extension mechanism are not significant. Therefore, the role of extension and initiatives are necessary to encourage and enhance the quality of empowerment by enabling and improving the capacity of the agent of change.