A STUDY ON COASTAL COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES OF BATANG REGENCY
Presented on the Ocean International Seminar
Organized by Abadurrahman Saleh Uiversity of Situbondo
East Java, Indonesia
April 26-27, 2012
By:
Kusnandar, M.Si (Pancasakti University, Tegal)
Muhamad Agus, M.Si (Pekalongan University)
Noor Zuhry, M.Si (Pancasakti University, Tegal
ABSTRACT
The study on "coastal community activities of Batang Regency" has provided information about the lives of coastal communities related to social aspects, economic, strength of social capital, the institutional existence, and local wisdom. In general, coastal communities who work as fishermen have an average income of less than Rp. 1,500,000.00. The coastal community in Batang Regency with ages over 30 years, the average educational level is elementary school.
Social conditions tend to decrease as compared with 10-20 years ago. The condition is characterized by reduced levels of participation in mutual cooperation, concern for others, and the level of trust in other people, both from within and from outside.
Local wisdom has declined as a result of the modernization era and the influence of technology. While the decline in ethics and decorum of adolescent, more due to the influence of the outside environment and the influence of information technology, both from television and other electronic media.
So reports the results of research on the "coastal community activities of Batang Regency" which describes the actual conditions of life of coastal communities through data, both qualitative and quantitative.
A. Introduction
Batang is one area in Central Java that is located in the north coast of Java. One of the potential features is the coastal and marine resources. Those potencies play an important role in the local economy, either directly or indirectly. Direct role of this sector is obtained through the increase of GRDP, food supply, employment, provision of raw materials for industry, particularly small industries, poverty reduction, employment, and improving incomes. While indirect role will be obtained through the multiplier effect in the form of input-output linkages between industries, consumption and investment, and maintain environmental sustainability. Nowadays, data on the activities of coastal communities in the district of Batang, which depends on coastal and marine resources, have not been well documented, while the data of coastal community activities is one of the databases in the management of coastal and marine development. Thus, it is the responsibility of local governments to achieve development that is planned within. However, due to the constraints and infrastructure budgets, it needs a specific strategy to the implementation of development plans. The study on coastal community activities of Batang that will be held is the form of these priorities.
1. Problems
Based on the background above, the problems formulated in the study on community activities of Batang regency are:
1) Unavailability basic information about the socio-economic characteristics of coastal communities in Batang regency
2) Unidentified socio-economic profile of the fishing community and other groups that interact with fishermen
3) Unavailability data on "social capital strengthening" to support the development of coastal and marine areas in Batang Regency
4) Unidentified power of "local wisdom" in the conservation of coastal and marine natural resources in Batang regency.
2. Objective
The objectives of this study are:
1) Presenting basic information about the socio-economic characteristics of coastal communities
2) Presenting the socio-economic profile of the fisher community and other groups that interact with fishermen
3) Assessing the strengthening of social capital in supporting the development
4) Doing some identification and preservation of "local wisdom" in the coastal village
3. Output
1) ¬Providing basic information on socio-economic characteristics of coastal communities,
2) Identifying the potency of socio-economic conditions of fishermen and other groups that interact with the fishermen.
3) Identifying social capital of coastal and marine communities in Batang
4) Identification of the power of "local wisdom" in the conservation of coastal and marine resources in Batang
B. General Description
Batang regency is one of regencies in Central Java which a part of its area is coastal. The positon of Batang is at the coordinate of 06o 51'46 "and 07o 11'47" South Latitude and 109o 40 '19 "and 110o 03' 06" East Longitude. It has boundaries are as follows:
- West : Pekalongan City and Pekalongan Regency
- South : Wonosobo and Banjarnegara Regency
- East : Kendal Regency
- North : Java Sea
The total area of Batang is 788 642 km2 or 78,864.16 hectares, with a coastline is 38.750 Km and the wide is 4 mile, so the total area of the sea is 287,060 km2.
The living tradition in Batang, especially in coastal sub districts is still fairly strong. In some sub districts, the livelihood of the population is relatively the same (working in the fisheries sector). Therefore, their pattern of life will not be much different. So the behavior of them including rural communities with more upholds a sense of kinship (togetherness).
However, except the Batang sub district, the behavior of the people is a fusion of rural and urban communities, where people have entered the sector of trade, service, and industry. It is also influenced by the number of population is more dense than other coastal sub district.
There are 12 coastal village observed in the research, namely: Karangasem Utara, Klidang Lor, Klidang Wetan, Depok, Ujungnegoro, Karanggeneng, Ponowareng, Kenconorejo, Kedungsegog, Sengon, Kuripan, and Kedawung.
C. Socio-economic Characteristic
The area of each village in the study site is varies, based on the Table 1 is known that the Kedawung village have the widest area and Klidang Lor is the narrowest. Whereas based on demographic condition, the village of Karangasem Utara has the highest population. Based on ratio of total population and village’s areas (density), population density of Karangasem Utara’s village is the highest (4.987people/km2), while the Kedawung village is the lowest (307 people/ km2). Based on religion, majority of population in the location of study are the Moslem and this percentage attain 99.5%. So it can be said that based on religion, population in the study site is Muslim in general.
Table 1. The area, population, density and believes in Muslim for each village.
The educational level of respondents is dominated by elementary school and then junior school. There is correlation between the educational level and the job of respondents. Caused educational level commonly is low, it can be assumed that the respondents only be able to work in the informal sectors. The result of the study is shown that the most of respondents work in informal sector (Figure 2.), such as fishermen, labor, farmer and merchant. Whereas civil servants or employees is only a little.
These conditions have impact to income of respondents. In this case the income of respondents is low. Based on the study was known that average income about 1 to 1,5 million rupiahs. Although a number of family member contribute to get income, it is not significant effect (Figure 3 and 4)
The condition of respondent's residence is good, generaly the ceramic floor, the walled wall and the roof tile. Almost the residences of respondents use electricity to lighting because electricity has entered to all villages in the study site.
Source of water used to drink and cooking by respondents mostly well water (66,2%) and the rest use the water from the Drinking Water Company. The largest water consumption from the Drinking Water Company is found in the villages of western region of the study site (Karangasem Utara, Klidang Lor and Klidang Wetan). In this location, the wells water is not fit for drinking or cooking. In detailed, the need water for drinking and cooking in the study site is presented in the Table 2. Whereas the need water for bathing, washing and toilet has pattern is not similar with for drinking and cooking.
D. Strengthening on Social Capital
1. Groups and Network
Although there are many groups in the study site, not many people are involved in group activities. This is caused by first, respondents busy in work as a result of the increasing needs of everyday life, and second, the existence of the organization (institution) in each village. So generally the activities in the group tend to be done only if there is free time (Table 3).
Table 3. Community Involvement in Group Activities
Source: Primary data (2012)
The groups of religious and farmers/fishermen are the groups that followed by the respondents, but the amount is less than 50% of the total respondents, while the next group which followed the respondents although in small amounts is a group of traders, youth and social gathering. Thus the group has not yet played of role to people's lives.
2. Trust and Solidarity
Average of the community’s trust level on the majority of the people who live in the neighborhood is classified high (82,7%). This value is consisted of a number of 26,4% respondents strongly agree and 56,3% agree (Table 4). However, in terms of "vigilance in intercommunicate with people in the neighborhood of respondents', as much as 72.7% of respondents (48.6% agreed and 24.1% strongly agreed) felt must be vigilant in intercommunicate with people in the neighborhood of respondents.
Judging from the willingness of respondents to helping each other when necessary, it seems almost all of the respondents felt that the neighbors will always be willing to help if needed (86.8%: A = 55.2% and SA = 31.6%).
Table 4. Trust and solidarity of community
Source: Primary data (2012)
Caption : SA = Strongly Agree, A = Agree, N = Neutral, NA = Not Agree, and SD = Strongly Disagree
Trust of respondents to the people in the community who have the same ethnicity (Table 5) average is still quite high (61.14%, SP = 7.05% and P = 54.09%). However, confidence of respondents to the different ethnic communities is smaller than the same ethnic. Respondents more give answer neutral (N) because they don’t know, whether to believe or not to others. Respondents still believe the people who work as shops keeper.
Table 5. Respondent's trust to the people who have a different social status.
With regard to respondent's trust on Government officials, the levels of confidence of respondents in the study sites are comparable (evenly). Especially respondents from Sengon, Kedungsegog, and Klidang Lor tend not to trust the local government officials.
Meanwhile, the level of trust of respondents to the officials of the Central Government was relatively higher than local government. Only respondent from the Klidang Lor village who answer did not believe.
Confidence of respondents to the police reasonably well (SB = 4.77%, and B = 38.57%). People from Sengon, Kedungsegog, and Klidang Lor not trust the police, while Ujungnegoro and Karangasem Utara answer neutral.
All respondents in the villages of the study believe to the teachers and doctor (nurse). Level of trust of respondents to others is relatively high, including against people who have backgrounds social, economic, and cultural (exception to the political party and unknown people).
In general, participation in activities of mutual aid responders was high (Table 6). Almost all respondents stated always participate, but respondents from the village of Ujungnegoro, Klidang Wetan, and Karangasem Utara.
Reduced levels of participation in the three villages indicated that they would participate only if there is free time.
Type of participation (respondent) in mutual aid activities generally is power. Very few of the people who participated in the form of money (funds) or suggestions / facilities.
Table 6. Participation (respondent) in mutual aid activities.
Source : Primary data (2012)
3. Collective activities and Cooperation
Collective’s activities related to religious are an activity that is often followed by the respondents (Table 7). Generally, respondents answered often or always follow the activities (> 60%). The village located close to urban areas (such as: KLidang Wetan and Karangasem Utara) give answer sometimes or never attend religious activities. This is because they are busy with their daily work. Relation to the activities of clean of village / neighborhood, generally, respondents tend not to follow.
Table 7. Collective’s activity of coastal community.
For activities related development public facility, more respondents answer “rarely” and/or “never” follow. For siskamling activities (siskamling = Environmental Security of Village), people tend to not follow unless the respondents from village of Sengon, Kedungsegog and Karanggeneng.
Respondents tend not to follow the activities of IHC (Posyandu) held in each village. It is caused that generally this activities attended by mothers who have toddlers, while respondents in this study are generally men.
Almost all the respondent was not involved in monitoring activities of fish resources, whereas in general they are users of fish resources.
Respondents generally did not have the opportunity to participate in sports activities. This is reflected in the respondents' answers where more respondents answered never.
The same conditions as above are enthusiasm of responders to participate in Youth activities. This activity is not considered a priority (important).
Based upon the above, it can be concluded that the overall collective activities are still considered only religious activities. Other collective activities likely never or rarely followed.
4. Self-actualization
In the organization, the decision making process in the entire village is generally based on deliberation (79,68%), and so do in the case of election of leader (65,42%).
Although the independence in the organization is relatively good, the respondent's participation in the public sphere is still limited. The majority of respondents (average 81.10%) only participate by attending meetings residents, while other activities such as meeting or contacting politicians, by phone, email, SMS, or letter is very small followed (Table 8).
The community less willing to participate in demonstrations, but respondents from Kedungsegog and Sengon village having answers almost balanced. Almost all of the respondents did not want to report the local problems to the mass media. Only some of them are willing to report to the village government / police / court.
Table 8. Self-actualization.
E. Local wisdom
Local wisdom is the potency in the coastal villages, but not all local wisdom institutionally implemented in the village. Local wisdom in the study site are: marine alms, "alms earth" and legenonan (NYADRAN DESA).
F. Discussion
Based on the data analysis, it is known that they are not prosperous condition. It can be seen from the household income is relatively small. The small revenue is as a result of their low levels of education. While education levels are closely related to the quality of human resources.
Community group and its activities is the social capital that can improve their bargaining position. Unfortunately, people have not been able to leverage the potential of social capital possessed. They have not been actively involved in group activities. Thus the community's social capital is low.
To improve the socio-economic conditions of the community, local government should fix the "community empowerment". Program is a program that is "appropriate" and "right on target".
G. Closing
The level of education of coastal communities Batang generally low, consequently there is the quality of human resources is also low. Coastal communities have not been able to explore the potential optimally. so that the socio-economic life of the people is still low and needs to be improved.
Need to be considered that the public has the ability to access social capital contained in its environment.
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