Empowering Women in Aquaculture through an Entrepreneurship Training

Women in Indonesia are stepping up as pivotal players to drive change in the aquaculture sector and foster economic resilience in their communities. On September 25-26, 2024, the AgResults Indonesia Aquaculture Challenge Project, in collaboration with WWF-Indonesia, conducted an intensive entrepreneurship training program for women’s groups in Brebes Regency. The training, which was delivered by MICRA Indonesia, focused on enhancing women’s entrepreneurial skills.

A total of 46 participants from Bangsri and Krakahan Villages, comprising women who are directly or indirectly involved in aquaculture processes, took part in the training. The session equipped them with essential entrepreneurial skills, encouraging them to initiate family business activities that can boost household income. By improving family finances, these women will be better positioned to increase investments in aquaculture, including in the adoption of technology and technical assistance (TA).

This training supports broader efforts by the AgResults Indonesia Aquaculture Challenge Project, a Pay-for-Results prize competition that incentivizes businesses across Indonesia to deliver aerator and auto-feeder technologies, as well as technical assistance, to smallholder farmers. By encouraging technology adoption and involving the private sector, the project aims to increase aquaculture productivity and strengthen the livelihoods of farmers. Sustainable aquaculture will help ensure continued productivity and stable incomes over time.

In her opening remarks, Project Manager Lead Nur Ahyani said, “This training is aimed at enhancing women’s capacity for entrepreneurship. We hope that this training will help the women here initiate entrepreneurial activities to improve household finances.”

To ensure comprehensive understanding, the training combined theory with hands-on practice. This approach enabled participants to grasp concepts easily and practice applying their new skills immediately. Ice-breaking sessions fostered a relaxed atmosphere and camaraderie among participants.

The participants were divided into six groups that each were required to create a business plan. Various creative business ideas emerged, ranging from lontong sayur (rice cake and vegetable stew), shrimp pepes (steamed shrimp), white tofu chips, salted eggs, balado salted fish, to nasi sayur (vegetable rice). The curriculcum covered essential topics such as entrepreneurial skills, business planning, product specification, marketing strategies, and risk management.

To attend this entrepreneurship training, which was structured as an advanced course, participants were required to have attended a financial literacy training that the AgResults PM held in December 2023.

Setiawan Nugroho, the sub-district head of Bulakamba, who was present at the entrepreneurship training, expressed his appreciation for both events. “We thank WWF-Indonesia for once again providing benefits to the community, especially in Bulakamba and Tanjung Sub-districts,” he said. “Last year, WWF also held a financial literacy training, and of course, we still have much to learn and will make the most of this training.”

The entrepreneurship training serves as a tangible example of AgResults’ efforts to empower women in the aquaculture sector. The hope is that after this training, women will be empowered to develop more initiatives and innovations, contributing to local economic growth and strengthening the resilience of smallholder farmer families.

“Brebes is an area with a relatively high level of extreme poverty,” said Rina Septivia, a representative from the Fisheries Agency of Brebes Regency. “We, as women, should have the same access as men to receive education and contribute to generating income for our families. The women here must succeed.”

Recognizing the important role that women do and should play in business activities, the PM hopes that these discrete measures to strengthen women’s financial and entrepreneurship skills will help advance gender inclusion in Indonesia’s aquaculture sector.

The Indonesia Aquaculture Challenge Project is part of AgResults, a $152 million collaborative initiative between the governments of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the World Bank Group that uses prize competitions to incentivize the private sector to overcome market barriers and create lasting change. Under AgResults’ Pay-for-Results model, these competitions encourage actors to achieve predetermined results thresholds and quality for monetary prizes.