Commodity Changes

The environment, whether caused by general pollution or the mud volcano, forced the Sidoarjo aquaculture farmers to adapt to change by selecting the most appropriate commodities. Four groups of farmers were found to grow seaweed

44 “karena kemarin saya melihat waktu ada pengerukkan sungai, disungai yang dialiri tambak itu, lumpur yang ada disungai tambak saya sama dengan lumpur yang ada dilapindo karena lumpur lapindo itu dibuang ke sungai Porong”

100 instead of cultivating fish or shrimp in Kupang Village. Each group consists of 15-17 members. Based on data collected in 2013, the area of the ponds that grow seaweed reached 601 hectares with a production rate of 10,233.5 tons per year of fresh seaweed. The revenue generated from this production is substantial. On average one hectare must earn between seven and ten million rupiah or equivalent to $AU700- $1000 annually. Second, the time required to grow seaweed is quite short. The farmers could harvest their seaweed after 60-90 days. There are four companies that buy the seaweed production of Kupang village. Those companies are PT. Indo Algae (Wonoayu-Sidoarjo), CV To Sari Jaya (Malang), PT Agarindo (Tangerang), and PT Indoflora Cipta Mandiri (Malang). The demand of those companies on average is 1,700 tons of dry seaweed per month, but the farmers can only fulfil about 200 tons per month (Male informant 5). This change was encouraged by the increase in river pollution.

In another case, since the mud volcano eruption, the policy to divert the water and the mud to Porong River has caused a problem for farmers who cultivate tiger prawns (Penaeus Monodon). The particles that originated from the mud volcano are smaller and heavier compared to river mud particles.⁴⁵ In addition, this mud also contains oxides, including silica, calcium, sodium and potassium, making it heavy so it easily becomes sediment.

Even though there is a lack of community confidence in the future of the shrimp culture, when the farmers were questioned about the possibility to change their profession from aquaculture to another sector, the majority of the research group did not think that they needed to change their core business to activities outside the aquaculture sector (see

Table 5.5)

45 The mud that originated from the mud volcano contains 34-53 percent of clay by weight at around 1.25-2.35 cm³ (Handoko, Rifa’i, Yasufuku, & Ishikura, 2015; Juniawan, Rumjayati, &

Ismuyanto, 2013)

101 Table 5.5 A need to change core business due to the mud volcano

Business change Frequency Percent

Strongly Agree 14 2.14

Agree 12 1.83

Neither agree or

disagree 82 12.52

Disagree 267 40.76

Strongly Disagree 280 42.75 Total eligible

respondents 655 100

Source: Fieldwork survey questionnaire data, 2013

However, when the data is examined separately for each of the three occupational categories, owner, supervisor and worker, as summarised below in Table 5.6, more than 93 percent of target group respondents disagreed, around 80 percent strongly, - they did not want to change their business from aquaculture to another sector.

The data shows that owners are less willing to change their employment compared to supervisors and shrimp workers (around 10 percent difference). Whereas the data in the control group demonstrated the supervisors are the most reluctant to changing their business compared to owners and shrimp pond workers.

Farmers do not want to change their business from the shrimp industry for six reasons. First, they are confident when facing environmental threats due to the knowledge their family holds after working in this sector for more than three generations. They believe the local wisdom and practices in shrimp culture equip their family to cope with the threat (Male respondent 2). Second, Sidoarjo shrimp farmers have been involved in shrimp production improvement programs supported by Japanese buyers represented by Alter Trade Japan since 1992 up to 2012. Within this period,the environmental friendly cultivating process had been introduced; several workshops and human resources upgrading programs had been conducted. Third, there has been government support. Government support has come from the programs of the Sidoarjo government summarised in Table 7.2

102 and Table 7.2 (cont’d) in chapter 7. This support came via the Sidoarjo Fisheries Academy (Polytechnic of Marine and Fisheries Sidoarjo). This polytechnic is under the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries of Indonesia and supports aquaculture training and development in Sidoarjo.

Fourth, most of the people involved were over school age and they were too old to change their type of work. Fifth, other sectors they could enter would not provide a similar income level to the aquaculture sector. The average income in aquaculture is higher that the regional minimum wage in Sidoarjo. Sixth and last is the geographical location. Most people who work in the aquaculture sector, stay or reside near their workplace. When they are forced to change jobs, this often requires moving far from their residence.

Due to shrimp farmers’ resistance to changing employment, they instead seek to adapt to changing environmental conditions. One adaptation is changing cultivation from Penaeus Monodon (Tiger Shrimp) to Penaeus Vannamei (White leg Shrimp). A successful Penaeus Vannamei cultivator in Sidoarjo explained that the characteristic of Penaeus Vannamei is quite different compared to Penaeus Monodon. Penaeus Vannamei can live in most areas of the pond (bottom or floating in the middle and also in the top of the pond), and so avoid contaminated mud and water.

Secondly in terms of disease resistance, Vannamei is more resistance to diseases compared to Penaeus Monodon (Tiger Prawn).

103 Table 5.6 The perspective of shrimp farmers by occupation status about having business outside the aquaculture sector

I have changed my business from

aquaculture due to the mud volcano.

Owners Supervisors Workers Total

Target group Control group Target group Control group Target group Control group Target group Control group

f ^Percent F ^Percent F ^Percent f ^Percent f ^Percent F ^Percent f ^Percent f ^Percent

Strongly

Agree 4 4.65 1 2.04 3 2.29 0 0.00 6 2.60 0 0.00 13 2.90 2 0.78

Agree 4 4.65 2 4.08 0 0.00 0 0.00 1 0.43 2 2.06 5 1.12 2 0.78

Neither agree

or disagree 2 2.33 0 0.00 1 0.76 2 3.28 7 3.03 11 11.34 10 2.23 37 14.51

Disagree 29 33.72 24 48.98 21 16.03 41 67.21 11 4.76 79 81.44 61 13.62 142 55.69

Strongly

Disagree 47 54.65 22 44.90 106 80.92 18 29.51 206 89.18 5 5.15 359 80.13 72 28.24

Total eligible

respondents 86 100 49 100 131 100 61 100 231 100 97 100 448 100 255 100

Noted: Target group (mud affected water source); Control group (Non mud affected) Source: Fieldwork survey questionnaire data, 2013

104 Another advantage of cultivating Penaeus Vannamei is that this shrimp has a short period from seeding period until harvest compared to Penaeus Monodon. In addition, the market of Penaeus Vannamei is wider compared to the tiger prawn due to the prices. Per kilograms prices, Penaeus Vannamei is cheaper and has more diverse markets. Penaeus Vannamei cultivation technique is simple and it can be cultivated in extensive models that combine it with other commodities such as Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia - Ikan Nila) in one pond. The efficiency of this polyculture technique is in its feeding management. When the farmer feeds the Nile Tilapia, the shrimp also consumes the food. Furthermore, informant 5 also explained that the slime of the Nile Tilapia contains a bacteria that can control pathogens hazardous to Penaeus Vannamei. He also claimed that he sent the sample of the Nile Tilapia slime to the Research Center for Brackish Water Aquaculture (Balai Besar Perikanan Budidaya Air Payau-BBPBAP) in Jepara to be analysed. This research centre confirmed the theory put forward by informants 5 and 2.⁴⁶

The assumption of informant 5 about the slime of the Nile Tilapia is parallel to the research that is conducted by Zeng et al. (2009) which found that the skin of tilapia is rich in glycine (35.6 percent). The amount of amino acids, proline and hydroxyproline, in acid-solubilised collagen (ASC) extracted from the skin of Nile tilapia is 210 residues per 1000 residues. Which means that the skin (slime) of Nile Tilapia could be used for wound healing medicine.

Last but not least, the advantage of cultivating white leg shrimp (Penaeus Vannamei) is that it can be cultivated in high density.