Komunikasi Partisipatif dan Aksi Kolektif dalam Program Smart Fisheries Village (Studi Komparasi Desa Kawali dan Desa Bangsring)

Abstract

ASY KHOFSAH. Participatory Communication and Collective Action in Sustainable Fisheries Village Development. Supervised by SARWITITI SARWOPRASODJO and SITI AMANAH.

The marine and fisheries sector makes a substantial contribution to Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP). However, this contribution has not been accompanied by proportional improvements in the welfare of coastal communities, which continue to experience structural and cultural poverty. Although the government has implemented various development programs, their outcomes have remained suboptimal because these initiatives have largely relied on topdown approaches that are insufficiently aligned with local needs. Consequently, there is a need to promote participatory development grounded in local priorities and community needs.

Kawali Village in Ciamis Regency, West Java Province, and Bangsring Village in Banyuwangi Regency, East Java Province, represent successful examples of participatory development. Their achievements demonstrate that development initiatives oriented toward local needs can enhance program sustainability. Drawing on the experiences of these two villages, this study aims to examine the catalysts that influence participatory communication; the process by which it is established; the formation and implementation of collective action; and the influence of social capital on collective action. The study also compares these variables across the two villages, which differ considerably in their geographical, socio-cultural, and marine and fisheries systems.

This study employed a quantitative approach strengthened by qualitative analysis. Quantitative data were collected through surveis involving 85 respondents in each village, while qualitative data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 28 key informants, field observations, and document analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), Multi-Group Analysis (MGA), and Importance–Performance Map Analysis (IPMA). Qualitative data were analyzed using NVivo 12.

The findings indicate that government support is the primary catalyst, positively and significantly influencing participatory communication in Kawali Village, whereas leadership communication is the principal catalyst in Bangsring Village. These differences were confirmed through MGA, which revealed statistically significant differences in the catalysts of community dialogue between the two villages. Such variations are shaped by differences in development trajectories, socio-cultural characteristics, and institutional structures. The results further show that the fisheries extension workers' role has a significant negative effect on community dialogue in Kawali Village, whereas no significant effect was observed in Bangsring Village. Innovation decision-making was not found to have a significant influence on community dialogue in either village.

Interestingly, differences in developmental catalysts did not result in distinct patterns of participatory communication or collective action. Kawali Village, which evolved through a government driven approach, might be expected to exhibit a more consultative form of dialogue due to the influence of government policies and facilitation. In contrast, Bangsring Village, which developed through a community driven approach, might be expected to foster a more deliberative dialogue rooted in community initiative and local leadership. However, the findings reveal that both villages have developed deliberative forms of dialogue characterized by collective deliberation (musyawarah), social learning, and consensus-building. The principal distinction lies in the catalysts that initiate community dialogue rather than in the dialogue mechanisms or the forms of collective action produced. Group members actively participate in operational activities, whereas participation in strategic decision-making remains relatifly limited, particularly regarding engagement with external stakeholders, resource mobilization, and participatory evaluation. Strategic decisions continue to be dominated by group leaders, thereby limiting members’ involvement in developing external networks and participatory evaluation processes. In Kawali Village, participatory development generated innovations such as the Nila Rangu tilapia variety, which enhanced aquaculture productivity, increased the income of women’s groups through fisheries product processing, and stimulated the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises beyond the direct beneficiary groups. In Bangsring Village, participatory development contributed to successful marine conservation, lobster aquaculture, marine ecotourism, and various local economic enterprises, collectively generating employment for approximately 1500 people.

This study demonstrates that participatory communication within the Smart Fisheries Village (SFV) Program can be established through two distinct catalytic pathways: a government driven approach in Kawali Village and a community driven approach in Bangsring Village. Despite relying on different catalysts, both pathways successfully foster community dialogue that stimulates collective action and generates social change. To optimize community dialogue and collective action, this study proposes strengthening strategies based on the findings of the Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA). Enhancing participatory communication should focus on improving the quality of deliberative dialogue throughout the innovation adoption process, while reinforcing the role of government within government driven contexts and strengthening leadership communication within community driven contexts. Collective action can be further enhanced by optimizing formal, informal, group-based, and interpersonal dialogue platforms, alongside strengthening social capital to broaden community participation in strategic decision-making. The community dialogue and collective action model developed in this study provides a practical reference for participatory development initiatives in marine and fisheries communities with characteristics comparable to those of Kawali and Bangsring Villages. Furthermore, the findings offer opportunities for future research to validate and refine the proposed model across marine and fisheries communities with diverse socio-cultural and institutional characteristics, thereby extending its applicability and generalizability.