Anaconda, as a household-scale nursery innovation, has had a positive impact on seaweed farming, especially in Jiwuwu Village. As a household-scale nursery, Anaconda has proven to be effective in storing farmers' seedling reserves, even when facing the challenges of the western season and disease attacks such as the December 2023 ice outbreak. The seaweed managed in Anaconda managed to survive, giving farmers hope to start a business without the need for large capital at the beginning of the season. According to OMB members, the Anaconda technique has been able to increase yields between 40-60% compared to previous techniques in less than one year of trial. In addition, this technique can also maintain the quality of seaweed yields to be better.
Although Anaconda has received a positive response among OMB members, there is still a lot of turmoil in the community, one of which is the frequent theft of seedlings. This is caused by the imbalance between the availability of seedlings and the increasing demand. Seedling theft is a major focus for security considerations. Meanwhile, partners such as BKKPN, conservation organisations such as YKAN, and village governments have shown keen interest in the method, which could be an opportunity for wider collaboration. Plans for the 3rd phase of post-processing involve YSI and OMB inviting all relevant parties to disseminate the results of the Anaconda observations. The discussion will detail the progress, opportunities and challenges encountered, as well as the concrete roles of parties interested in collaborating, while encouraging the OMB to continue developing and disseminating good practices to other groups.
In addition, the use of the anaconda technique can also support sea turtle conservation in coastal Sabu Raijua. So far, sea turtles have been a problem for seaweed farmers because they are considered the biggest pest in seaweed cultivation. However, the presence of anaconda has become a real solution for seaweed farming and has been able to significantly increase production. Sharif, area manager of Sabu Raijua, emphasised that seaweed farmers need to support turtle conservation. He hopes that the community's perception of conservation will also become a key topic, emphasising the harmonious relationship between seaweed farmers and sea turtles as a conservation effort. "The anaconda method has become a solution to farmers' concerns about sea turtles, which have been considered as pests. With this solution, it is hoped that the community can also promote the conservation of sea turtles here" said Sharif.
Currently, the implementation of Anaconda is still limited to YSI's OMB partners and has not yet been widely trialled in communities or groups that cultivate seaweed together. To date, 7 Anaconda units have been trialled, while 20 new units are in the process of being manufactured by OMB. This development shows positive progress in the development of Anaconda as a sustainable aquaculture solution. Seaweed farming in Jiwuwu Village using the Anaconda method has opened up new opportunities in seaweed farming, especially in coastal Sabu Raijua. However, there are still some problems that need to be solved, such as security challenges related to seed theft and the need for serious handling of diseases. Meanwhile, collaboration with external parties has begun, including with UKAW and related agencies, to improve the Anaconda method in a sustainable manner. This method is a shared learning, from problem discovery and resolution, to benefits, to uniqueness. This is also very important in the discovery process in this field school.