A team of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) students from the Biogama Marine Study Group (KSK Biogama) has developed innovations in processing Ulva seaweed into food products to improve the economic welfare of residents in Kemadang Village, Gunungkidul Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region.
To implement this program, the student team coordinated with local village officials, including the head of Kemadang Village, the women’s group coordinator, and representatives of the Sayuk Rukun community group.
Aisya, representing KSK Biogama, explained that Kemadang Village has significant potential for developing Ulva into value-added food products with economic benefits.
Beyond supporting household economies, the women of Sayuk Rukun also play a key role in promoting tourism development in the Sepanjang Beach area through seafood processing and sales.
“This synergy is expected to provide tangible benefits in the form of enhanced skills, independence, and entrepreneurial capacity among local women, thereby strengthening the economic foundation of the village community,” Aisya stated in a press release on Monday (Sep. 1).
In addition to introducing and discussing the program in general, Aisya noted that the coordination activities also addressed the program timeline, the readiness of village resources, and the extent of support from the village government.
“This coordination serves as an initial forum for building two-way communication with the community and village stakeholders so that the activities can be carried out in a more structured, participatory, and sustainable manner,” she said.
The head of Kemadang Village, Sutono, welcomed the empowerment program initiated by UGM, which he believed would generate both economic and social impacts for local residents.
“We warmly welcome this initiative, especially since the potential of Ulva in our area is quite large but remains underutilized. We hope this program can help residents, particularly women’s groups, increase the value of marine products while opening up new business opportunities,” said Sutono.
Appreciation was also expressed by Suwarni, chair of Sayuk Rukun. Suwarni highlighted that this collaboration provides an opportunity for members, particularly young women, to voice their aspirations as they play a central role in the production and marketing of processed seafood products in the tourism area.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya Arifadi
Photographs: Wikipedia and KSK Biogama