BALI SEAWEED FARM
BALI SEAWEED FARM LEMBONGAN IS MARINE ALGAE FARM AT SEA SHALLOW WATERS IN NUSA LEMBONGAN ISLANDS
Bali Seaweed Farm is a farm where locals grow algae in the waters of Nusa Lembongan and cultivate it for their livelihood. This algae farm extends almost along the entire coastline in the area. The scenery here is very beautiful, especially when looking at the activities of the seaweed farmers who work every day in the sea to take care of their algae plants. However, these farms are high-risk as they are vulnerable to bad weather and high tides that can wash the algae away. Farmers’ daily activities include land cultivation and monitoring using small boats out to sea.
If you visit Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan, here’s what you need to know:
- Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan Location
- Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan History
- Eucheuma Cottonii in Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan
- Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan Planting Process
- What You Can See at Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan
- How Get to Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan
Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan Location
The location of this seaweed farm is located on Nusa Lembongan Island, Nusa Penida District, Klungkung Regency. This small island is famous, and to reach it, you need sea transportation, such as speedboat. If you depart from Bali, you need to go to Sanur Harbor to take a speedboat to Nusa Lembongan Island. The distance from Kuta, or the city center, to Sanur Harbor is about 30 minutes by road, and from there, the speedboat ride takes about 40 minutes. After arriving at Nusa Lembongan Port, you will still need land transportation to reach the seaweed farm. You can rent a car or motorbike at the harbor, and from there to the location of the seaweed farm takes about 20 minutes. Arriving at the location, you will be presented with a view of the sea filled with seaweed and can witness the activities of farmers in maintaining this famous seaweed farm. This experience is mesmerizing and provides a deeper understanding of seaweed farming in Bali, which is unique to Nusa Lembongan Island. With the beautiful scenery on offer, this experience can also enrich your knowledge of seaweed farming.
Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan History
The history of seaweed farming in Nusa Lembongan began with a businessman from Surabaya who came to the island in 1984. The businessman introduced seaweed farming in Jungut Batu Village. Since then, many local residents have been interested in becoming seaweed farmers, and the industry began to boom around 2010. Nusa Lembongan became famous as a producer of the highest-quality seaweed. In 2016, many seaweed farms failed due to bad weather and also because the tourism industry in Nusa Lembongan began to grow rapidly. This led many seaweed farmers to switch professions to the tourism sector, as it is considered more profitable than seaweed farming. Nevertheless, there are still some farmers who remain in this field of agriculture. Since tourists’ interest in seaweed farming in Nusa Lembongan is huge, the seaweed farms that are still in operation have become one of the tourist destinations on the island. The government also helps farmers maintain Nusa Lembongan’s reputation as a famous seaweed producer.
Eucheuma Cottonii in Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan
The algae grown in Lembongan seaweed farms is Eucheuma cottonii, a type of seaweed that produces carrageenan. Carrageenan has an important role as a stabilizer (balance regulator), thickening agent, gelling agent, emulsifier, and colloid protector. In addition, carrageenan is also useful for agglomerating and preventing crystallization. The results of Eucheuma cottonii are used in various industries, such as food, medicine, cosmetics, textiles, paints, toothpaste, and others. Eucheuma cottonii is a type of red algae (Rhodophyta) based on morphological characteristics, especially its shape and color. The cultivation process is relatively easy, and harvesting is also quite simple and short. However, despite its great potential, the utilization of Eucheuma cottonii in Indonesia is still not maximized, so its economic value is still relatively low. In Nusa Lembongan, the presence of seaweed is growing. Not only adults are involved in this cultivation, but also teenagers. Due to high tourist interest in seaweed farming, this place is used as one of the Klungkung places of interest as a marine farming tourist destination on the Nusa Lembongan island. This has added value to the sustainability of seaweed farming in the area.
Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan Planting Process
The process of planting seaweed in Lembongan seaweed farms uses a basic planting technique system where seaweed seedlings are planted directly on the land. These seedlings are not taken from Nusa Lembongan but are purchased from out of town and then cultivated there. With the finished seedlings, farmers plant them in the vast shallow sea in plots, with each plot covering about 20 acres and owned by one household. The planting process is very simple: planting the finished seedlings into the plots of land. Every day, farmers will check the condition of the seaweed to ensure that there are no diseases or marine pests such as sea cucumbers, sea urchins, baronang fish, and others that can damage the seaweed growth environment. This is important to maintain the success of seaweed cultivation and prevent damage to the environment around the pond.
Yield is an important point in the process of seaweed farming at Lembongan seaweed farms. Farmers are advised to stay focused and pay attention to the seeds that have been planted to avoid failure in harvesting. Seaweed is ready to be harvested between 30-45 days after planting. It is estimated that one plot of land will produce around 60 kilograms of seaweed, which will then be sold to collectors. The collectors will buy the harvest from the farmers and sell it to factories to be processed into ingredients in the cosmetics industry, medicine capsules, snacks, and other products. Once harvested, the process does not stop there. The seaweed will undergo a manual drying process by drying in the sun before being sold to collectors. Some of the harvest may have already been sold before the drying process, which is done by collectors with prices that tend to be lower. Therefore, farmers prefer to do the drying process themselves because the price given is quite adequate.
What You Can See at Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan
Bali’s famous seaweed farming tourist destination is a place frequented by tourists who come to Nusa Lembongan. Here, they can see first-hand how seaweed is grown and gain new knowledge about seaweed farming. This visit provides a meaningful experience as tourists can see the daily activities of seaweed farmers and the vast seaweed cultivation land in the shallow waters of Jungut Batu village, Nusa Lembongan. In addition to enjoying the breathtaking scenery, visitors can also deepen their knowledge of this incredible seaweed farming. Some of the activities that can be done here are:
- Seaweed Farm View: The Seaweed Farm view here is vast, with many green patches in shallow water owned by locals. Each plot is owned by a different person. You can also see many sampans used by the locals as a means of transportation to monitor and transport the seaweed from the beach to the middle of the water, and vice versa.
- Planting Seaweed: The process of planting seaweed can also be seen here. Farmers carry seaweed seeds and ride the canoe to their land. They then plant the seeds evenly on the farm in shallow water. This activity provides a beautiful view, showing how farmers work the land to cultivate seaweed. It is a memorable experience to see how they plant the seaweed seedlings.
- Harvesting Seaweed: During the harvest season, you can see seaweed harvesting. Farmers use canoes to harvest the seaweed, put it in the canoe, and then return to the beach to complete the harvesting process. This experience is unforgettable when you visit a seaweed farm in Nusa Lembongan and see how the farmers work hard to harvest their seaweed.
- Farmers’ Social Activities: Besides witnessing the planting and harvesting process, here you can also see the daily activities of the seaweed farmers and their activities in dealing with problems such as wild pests such as pig thorns, small fish, seahorses, and others that can damage seaweed plants and cause losses to farmers. It is an unforgettable experience to observe the daily lives of seaweed farmers in Nusa Lembongan.
- Photography: This place is also perfect for photography, with views of the seaweed patches and boats scattered across the water. This creates the perfect natural backdrop for photos, making the photos very interesting. You can take photos against the backdrop of this seaweed farm, resulting in highly Instagrammable photos. It is an unforgettable experience to visit one of the best seaweed farms on Nusa Lembongan Island, which is enchanting with its natural beauty.
How Get to Bali Seaweed Farm Lembongan
If you want to visit the seaweed farm in Lembongan, the journey starts in Sanur Harbor. From there, you will take a speedboat with a duration of about 45 minutes to reach Nusa Lembongan Island. Once on the island, you can rent a vehicle, such as a car or motorcycle. The trip from the harbor to the seaweed farm takes about 15-20 minutes because Nusa Lembongan Island is not too far away, so the distance between places is not too long. If you don’t want to bother driving yourself, we from Bali Driver Hire provide a tour package, namely Bali Nusa Lembongan Islands Tour. This package will visit Seaweed Farm Lembongan as well as other interesting tourist destinations such as Mangrove Forest Lembongan, Yellow Bridge, Dream Beach, and Devil’s Tears. This package includes pick-up and drop-off from your hotel in Bali, round-trip speedboat tickets to Nusa Lembongan Island, transportation around the island, and lunch as part of the package to explore the beauty of Nusa Lembongan Island. Visiting the seaweed farm and seeing the activities of the farmers there, whether they are inspecting the farm or harvesting, will provide a memorable and different experience during your vacation on Bali Island.