Seaweed For Humanity begins with the journey of a seaweed boy from Nova Scotia, Canada, to Indonesia after traveling to Hawaii, Japan, Korea, China, India, Tanzania, Philippines, and Malaysia. After graduating as a marine biologist, the seaweed boy worked for various global seaweed processing companies since 1965. The boy’s name is Dr. Iain Charles Neish, and he was appointed president of the International Seaweed Association from 2010 to 2013.
Dr. Iain Cahrles Neish has dreamed of growing seaweed and living in a tropical country since 1974. It’s not just for his prosperity; seaweed has high value for humanity. Seaweed creates job opportunities and sources of income for vulnerable coastal communities, especially women. Most women don’t have access to and control of the coastal natural resources, nor do they have access to finance, information, or technology for developing and scaling up the seaweed business.
Most women work on binding or tying the seaweed seedling on the nylon lines. They get paid IDR 2,500 to 5,000 per line in South Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia. We hope to answer the question: how do we support the vulnerable coastal community and women with seaweed aquaculture? The seaweed for humanity will share the story, which covers the opportunity and challenges of women's roles and responsibilities in the seaweed value chain and industry of South Sulawesi, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT).