Indonesian Women Adapt Ancient Seaweed Traditions to Fight Climate Change
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📰 The quick summary: Indonesian women seaweed farmers are adapting their centuries-old traditions to overcome climate challenges while sharing their techniques with tourists and coral conservation groups.
📈 One key stat: Indonesia produced approximately 9 million metric tons of seaweed valued at more than $1 billion in 2021, making it one of the world’s largest seaweed producers and a significant contributor to global food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.
💬 One key quote: “More frequent storms and unpredictable rainfall patterns are disrupting our practices,” Ibu Mitri says. “When there is more rain, a larger portion of the crop dies, and we have to remove the damaged seaweed from the lines more quickly and more often.”
1️⃣ The big picture: On Indonesia’s Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan islands, women have maintained seaweed harvesting traditions for generations, passing knowledge from mother to daughter. These practices have survived colonization, pandemic disruptions, and development pressures. Now climate change poses a serious threat as increased rainfall, storms, and new viruses damage seaweed crops. Despite these challenges, the farmers are finding innovative ways to preserve their heritage while adapting to changing conditions. The women have begun sharing their cultivation knowledge with tourists and collaborating with NGOs on coral restoration projects, using their traditional techniques to support marine conservation.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: Women seaweed farmers are successfully transforming challenges into opportunities by sharing their knowledge with tourists through ecotourism initiatives, creating additional income streams while preserving cultural practices. Their traditional cultivation techniques have proven valuable beyond their industry, with coral restoration teams adopting modified versions of their methods to rehabilitate damaged reef systems. The seaweed industry continues to expand across Indonesia, with women now leading 40% of Indonesian seaweed startups. This female leadership in sustainable ocean industries positions these knowledge-holders perfectly to capitalize on growing global demand for seaweed as a sustainable alternative for biofuels, fertilizers, plastics, and food systems.
3️⃣ What’s next: Seaweed farmers will continue adapting their methods to withstand increasingly unpredictable weather patterns caused by climate change. Partnerships between local communities, tourism operators, and conservation groups will likely expand to create more sustainable economic opportunities. As global demand for seaweed products rises, these women-led initiatives could become models for sustainable marine resource management throughout Southeast Asia.
Read the full story here: Mongabay – Indonesian women sustain seaweed traditions in a changing climate
