THE DIVERSIFICATION OF COASTAL WOMEN’S LIVELIHOODS AS A WAY OUT OF POVERTY: The Experience of Indigenous Community of Negeri Booi, Central Maluku

Abstract

Livelihood strategies of coastal community have been focusing on the fishery sector as a source of livelihood. Despite of the fact that they live in coastal areas, their main livelihoods come from the plantation sector or other sector. This study aims to understand the diversification of women’s livelihoods through a traditional mechanism and to identify their most dominant livelihood. This study was done in a qualitative manner using a phenomenological approach carried out in Negeri (village) Booi, Saparua Island, Central Maluku in May 2021 - January 2022. The data was collected through in-depth interviews, observation and focus group discussions (FGDs). A total of 20 informants participated in this study involved women of Negeri Booi indigeneous community and nutmeg dusung (garden) owners. The data was analyzed following the stages proposed by Creswell: organizing and preparing the data to be analyzed, coding the data, connecting the themes, and interpreting the data. The results show that the indigenous community of Negeri Booi has a variety of livelihood assets based on the availability of natural resources (land and sea). The ownership of livelihood assets is used as a livelihood diversification strategy – which is based on the dusung – through the application of traditional mechanism of nutmeg seed picking specifically intended for women. Further, it is found that their most dominant livelihood is a combination of natural asset and social asset, proven able to provide opportunities for the creation of new livelihoods based on common conventions.