As a maritime country, Indonesia can take advantage of improving economic quality by absorbing the concept of blue economy. According to the World Bank, the blue economy is the environmentally sound utilization of marine resources to support economic growth, prosperity, and livelihoods while preserving marine ecosystems. There are various sectors included, such as fisheries, renewable energy, tourism, water transportation, waste management, and climate change mitigation.
In the fisheries sector, fishermen are the main target in implementing the blue economy concept. Marine resource supply chain management is an insight and knowledge that they need to understand to maintain the usefulness of the marine ecosystem.
Seeing the benefits of the blue economy for fishermen, the Vocational Education Program of Universitas Indonesia (UI) through a community service team consisting of Hadining Kusumastuti, S.Sos., M.Ak, CA, CMA, CRMP; Dr. Diaz Pranita, M.M.; and Mila Viendyasari, S.Sos., M.Si., provided financial literacy training to fishermen on Tidung Island, Kepulauan Seribu.
The head of the community service, Hadining Kusumastuti S.Sos., M.Ak, CA, CMA, CRMP revealed that the utilization of the blue economy concept in this community service can be useful for all aspects up to the equalization of the national fisheries economy.
The community service program implemented emphasizes the concept of blue economy. In addition to being beneficial for maintaining ocean health, the blue economy can also open up opportunities for investment, employment, and equitable distribution of national economic growth because the distribution of fisheries economic growth tends to the eastern region of Indonesia, thus helping to improve the standard of living of people in the region. The team hopes that this community service activity can build awareness of stakeholders in the Thousand Islands to immediately encourage tourism improvements as soon as possible.
Financial issues that often plague fishing families also require attention so that the blue economy can run optimally. That is why financial literacy training for fishermen’s families in Tidung Island is also provided as part of the solution.
When fishermen are financially literate, they can carefully calculate the potential income from fishing and what expenditure items are prioritized. Financial literacy is expected to be an example for other islanders to implement good financial management. This also determines the economic stability of the Thousand Islands community, especially Tidung Island, so that when the blue economy concept is running well, the community is ready to enjoy the results and also has an impact on a more organized tourism culture.
To build the blue economy, surveys and observations together with related agencies on several Thousand Islands islands have been carried out. Important findings that need to be corrected immediately to support the blue economy are the cleanliness of the sea and the cleanliness of the lodging environment. Trash is still seen piled up and scattered, and the quality of clean water is not evenly distributed, so stakeholders and also the community must work together to solve these problems.
This community service activity carried out by UI Vocational School is supported by the UI Directorate of Community Service and Empowerment. From this activity, a research entitled “Financial Literacy of Fishermen Families as Part of Blue Economy Development in Thousand Islands” will be developed and integrated.
The Director of UI Vocational Education Program, Padang Wicaksono, S.E, Ph.D., supported the implementation of this community service activity. “The utilization of the blue economy concept can be a breath of fresh air that will revive tourism, as well as change the mindset of the community in order to manage tourism better and responsibly. I hope this program can continue, so that it becomes a benchmark for the water industry sector in other regions in order to increase economic growth in Indonesia,” Padang explained.
