Seas of opportunity: Development of an innovative capacity building program for thriving seaweed producers

Abstract

Seaweed aquaculture supports a number of coastal communities in the Philippines, but aquaculture farmers experience declining production, stagnant markets, and lack of access to innovation. In Occidental Mindoro, these restrictions pose risks to livelihood sustainability while at the same time providing prospects for product development and capacity building. This study evaluated the knowledge, skills and training needs among 30 purposively sampled seaweed farmers in Magsaysay through a descriptive research design and structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics. Findings indicated that most farmers were of prime working age (30 - 39), were predominantly male, married, and high school educated. Community-based knowledge exchange was confirmed through their primary information sources, which included meetings and seminars (56.7%). Farmers showed a strong interest in entrepreneurship, more specifically the topic "Your Seaweed, Your Business: Learning the Entrepreneur's Mindset." Face-to-face training was the preferred modality (M=4.8) and 16 hours was considered the optimal duration. Although individual Local Authorities provide support, there are currently no formal programs. The study concludes that seaweed entrepreneurs can and are willing to respond to participatory, community-based training programs which can combine entrepreneurship, sustainability practices, and innovation. Such efforts will assist seaweed aquaculture to shift from a subsistence-oriented activity to a resilient and market-oriented activity.