From Cassava to Capability: Community-Based Economic Empowerment through Mocaf Innovation in Rural Cilacap, Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14421/welfare.2024.132-02Keywords:
Pemberdayaan masyarakat, Community empowerment, Social work, Mocaf, Local economic development, Rural livelihoodsAbstract
Community-based economic empowerment is widely recognized as a strategic approach to fostering inclusive and sustainable rural development in the Global South. However, limited research has explored how empowerment processes unfold within agro-based innovations from a social work perspective. This study aims to analyze the dynamics of community empowerment in the development of Modified Cassava Flour (Mocaf) in Karangreja Village, Cilacap Regency, Indonesia. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis involving farmers, members of Women’s Farmer Groups (KWT), local entrepreneurs, and community members. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that community empowerment evolves through four interrelated stages: critical awareness, capacity building, resource mobilization, and adaptive transformation. Women’s Farmer Groups play a central role as agents of change by facilitating collective learning, strengthening social capital, and initiating local innovation. From a social work perspective, these processes enhance social functioning, agency, and community resilience. However, structural constraints-such as limited access to capital, market integration, and institutional support-remain significant challenges. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how local resource-based agro-industrial innovation can serve as a medium of social transformation, while highlighting the need for multi-level interventions to sustain community-driven economic empowerment.
Keywords: Community empowerment, Social work, Mocaf, Local economic development, Rural livelihoods
Pemberdayaan ekonomi berbasis komunitas telah diakui sebagai pendekatan strategis dalam mendorong pembangunan pedesaan yang inklusif dan berkelanjutan, khususnya di kawasan Global South. Namun demikian, kajian yang mengkaji secara mendalam bagaimana proses pemberdayaan berlangsung dalam inovasi berbasis agro dari perspektif pekerjaan sosial masih terbatas. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis dinamika pemberdayaan komunitas dalam pengembangan Modified Cassava Flour (Mocaf) di Desa Karangreja, Kabupaten Cilacap, Indonesia. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan desain studi kasus. Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara mendalam, observasi partisipatif, dan analisis dokumen yang melibatkan petani, anggota Kelompok Wanita Tani (KWT), pelaku usaha lokal, dan masyarakat. Analisis data dilakukan dengan pendekatan tematik. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa proses pemberdayaan berkembang melalui empat tahapan yang saling terkait, yaitu kesadaran kritis, penguatan kapasitas, mobilisasi sumber daya, dan transformasi adaptif. KWT berperan sebagai agen perubahan utama dalam memfasilitasi pembelajaran kolektif, memperkuat modal sosial, dan mendorong inovasi lokal. Dalam perspektif pekerjaan sosial, proses ini berkontribusi pada peningkatan keberfungsian sosial, agensi, dan resiliensi komunitas. Namun, keterbatasan akses terhadap modal, pasar, dan dukungan kelembagaan masih menjadi tantangan utama. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa inovasi berbasis sumber daya lokal dapat menjadi medium transformasi sosial, sekaligus menegaskan pentingnya intervensi multi-level dalam mendukung keberlanjutan pemberdayaan komunitas.
Kata kunci: pemberdayaan komunitas, pekerjaan sosial, inovasi local, Mocaf, pembangunan pedesaan
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