Author: The Lembongan Traveller

November 2, 2021

Health Checks and Care Packages for Lembongan Locals

LOVE for Lembongan team have been busy providing health checks and care packages for Lembongan locals.

We partnered with Ibu Nyoman who is affectionately known as “Bunda” (meaning Mother) by the community. She is an earth angel who brings healthcare to those most in need, working as a nurse and midwife at the Jungut Batu hospital for 35 years plus also operates her own private clinic on her days off and after hours.

It is incredibly humbling to be able to be by her side and see how much she gives back to the Lembongan Community. Thanks to your donations we prepared care packages for pregnant mothers and joined her on home visits to the elderly and disabled, where she monitored vital signs, dispensed medication, gave sanitary supplies and diabetic supplements.

Bunda’s connection with her patients is nothing short from amazing, a result from years of work in the community. Many of the elderly patients are blind, have diabetes and unable to move from their bed, relying on family to care for their most basic needs.

Bunda consulted the patients and carers, giving details for medication dosages and comforting those who were distressed. She brings hope and health to those most in need, her commitment to the community is relentless. We will continue to work with Bunda once a week for the month of November, assisting her in reaching over 200 patients.

Thank to everyone who has supported our fundraising efforts, together we can make a difference. Special thanks to our charity partners Bali Children Foundation for their ongoing support of the Lembongan community during these difficult times.

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September 25, 2021

Plastic Exchange Comes to Ceningan

Following the success of Plastic Exchange in Jungut Batu and Lembongan Villages, organisers took this wonderful initiative to Nusa Cenigngan. The first Plastic Exchange on Ceningan was a great success, with locals bringing in almost 1.5 tonnes of rubbish and in return taking home over 300kg rice.

The highlight of the day was 11 year old Gita. She arrived with a truck FULL of rubbish, which she and her friends had collected and separated into cardboards, plastic and metal. After weighing it in they collectively took home 27 kgs of rice for their families.

It’s incredible to see how this initiative has grown and is inspiring all, especially the younger generations to participate. Gita is an a wonderful example of how the program benefits both the island and individuals. We look forward to Gita sharing the Plastic Exchange message to more of her friends in her village.

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Plastic Exchange Lembongan is a team effort involving a fantastic group of volunteers ( expats and locals) who assist with collating the data of rubbish collected and calculating the rice to received, the community to collect the rubbish and Lembongan Recycle who transport the rubbish back to their facility to be processed. All Plastic is shredded, compacted and sent to Bali to be recycled into new products. The money received by Lembongan Recycling is used to pay the Lembongan Recycling team and also to purchase rice for the following exchange.

Gita is pictured here with Plastic Exchange Lembongan founder, Nagi, together they are empowering others and showing their “girl power” during these challenging times.

Plastic Exchange is held every month in three village locations:

Jungut Batu 27^th, 9 – 10.30am

Lembongan Village 5th, 2 – 4pm

Ceningan Village 12^th, 9 – 11am

If you would like to support this community initiative please see link below to their GO FUND ME.

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August 19, 2021

Independence Day & LOVE for Lembongan

INDEPENDENCE DAY & LOVE for LEMBONGAN

Last week we celebrated Indonesian Independence Day ( 17^th August ) by sharing your LOVE for LEMBONGAN.

Thanks to your donations to our Food relief for Lembongan fundraiser we delivered 500 packages to families on Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan.

They were gratefully received, your support is touching so many people who are currently facing the biggest challenge of their lifetime. The generosity you have shown is giving them hope, providing much needed food supplies and today over 3000 people now have rice for the coming week.

Nyomans Warung

It was wonderful to be able to support Nyoman and her family. The well renowned Nyoman’s Warung, like so many other warungs on Lembongan has suffered severely during COVID. The family have returned to seaweed farming, however this is not enough to support their family of 6. Harvests have not been good, in the last 2 months they have dried 60kg seaweed, for which they receive less than $100

DONATE HERE

Nusa Ceningan

Our distribution includes both Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan. We crossed the Yellow bridge and went into the community ( guided by Ceningan locals) where we reached those most in need. In particular the elderly, many of whom we visited are living alone. They were very grateful for the food supplies as they rely entirely on the support of their extended families to visit and care for them as they have no ability to earn an income and have exhausted their savings. We also gave packages to the children at the Ceningan primary school

DONATE HERE

Ibu Diasih

Ibu Diasih and her husband are from Nusa Penida. Pre- Covid they we employed by one of the resorts but now have turned to seaweed farming. As non-Lembongan locals they are not registered as residence here so often miss out on food relief. We have made an effort to ensure we reach both local residents and “migrant” workers, who come from islands around Indonesia (Java, Sumba, Sumatra) and have their lives here but do not have the support of extended family units or from a village level.

DONATE HERE

We will continue to give out food support with your donations providing another 1000+ food packages and 1600 prepared meals in September.

We cannot thank you enough for your loyalty & LOVE for Lembongan.

Take care, we are sending love back to you all as understand many of you too are experiencing challenges and lockdowns.

From TLT Team & the Lembongan Community

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August 7, 2021

Love for Lembongan

We asked + you donated = Love for Lembongan

We are truly humbled by your incredible generosity in the last couple of weeks since we put out our recent request for donations, we also recognise many people have donated a second time. Your love for Lembongan is amazing and we can not thank you enough.

Your donations for the Lembongan community will allow us, along with our fundraising partners Tigerlillys and Bali Children Foundation to deliver the following support over the next month:

1000 x Large Sembako (rice, oil, sugar, noodles)
400 x Small Sembako (garlic, chilli, tempeh, veges)
1600 x Nasi Jinggo (pre-pared meals)

Large Sembako will be delivered fortnightly, with Small Sembaka and Nasi Jinggo delivered weekly throughout Nusa Lembongan and Ceningan.

All supplies will be purchased locally from warungs, re-injecting donations back into the community.

We are working with stake holders in the community to develop distribution lists to ensure the people most in need receive supplies and meals.

With a population of 9000 across Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan, we will be reaching 3000 families with Sembako and / or Nasi Jinggo relief.

Thank you again for digging deep in support of the Lembongan locals.

DONATE HERE

Personal story of a Lembongan local and how they are trying to adapt during COVID

Many of you will know this face, Made, brother of Pinky & Nicky who operate fishing & snorkelling tours, surf drop off / pick up, SUP hire from along the path as you walk to Coconut Beach from Jungut Batu.

We caught up with Made and his wife whilst they were tending to their seaweed farm at low tide. As you can see from the pictures this was at sunset, they had also been working from 4.00 am

( previous low tide) to collect the seaweed for drying and will be back out the next morning at 4.30am with the next low tide.

With no tourism for 18 months now, their core business of servicing tourists is at a standstill, they have been forced to invest their savings in the setup of seaweed farming to try and make ends meet.

It is a struggle every month to feed their family and find money for basic living expenses. They need at least 100kg of dried seaweed per month to cover these costs, currently they are getting around 50kg per month. A few months ago they were meeting their targets but the current crops are not doing well. They have planted the two varieties ( red and green), the red grows quicker but only receives 40c / kg, where as the green variety takes much longer to grow and fetches $1.50 / kg.

Seaweed farming is arduous, with no guarantees of harvest returns.

Made and his wife are doing their best to support their family. Their two sons have completed college in Bali and moved back to Lembongan during COVID. Made is grateful they have had an education and feels for the younger children on the island who are missing out on basic learning as schools have also been closed since March 2020.

If you hold fond memories of a holiday on Lembongan, chances are it was made extra special because of the people who you meet during your stay. This is our chance to give back to them, if you can give as much as $10 this will buy a family 10kg of rice.

To show your love for Lembongan please donate to the FOOD RELIEF for LEMBONGAN please go to link below:

DONATE HERE

July 5, 2021

Plastic Exchange for Nusa Lembongan

The Lembongan Traveller is thrilled to be partnering with the team behind Plastic Exchange for Nusa Lembongan. We recently caught up with, Nagi owner of Ombak Zero Café, and founder of this wonderful initiative. Here is an overview of the process, their plans and how YOU too can help the Lembongan community.

The Plastic Exchange initiative in Nusa Lembongan started in February 2021 with two main goals in mind:

to clean up the island
help feed the community

The concept is two-fold, very simple, and immediately effective.

Step 1:

With donations from businesses and/or individuals, a large quantity of basic food provisions is purchased.

Step 2:

Members of the community collect rubbish from their home compounds, roads and rivers in their village, and bring their collections to the neighborhood “banjar” (meeting area) to be weighed. Each category of trash has a ratio for kilograms of trash to kilograms of rice distributed in return.

For example, single use plastic items that are harder to collect and weigh lighter have a 3 kilogram plastic to 1 kilogram rice ratio, in comparison to glass bottles that have a ratio of 10 kilogram of glass to 1 kilogram of rice.

The plastic is valued by kilogram, and paid out in provisions.

Outcome

The village environment is cleaned and the villagers can earn their staple foods—a win-win.

DONATE HERE

Why we need your help

Nusa Lembongan heavily relies on tourism, so when COVID-19 hit over a year ago, almost everyone lost their jobs. From tour guides, restaurant workers, house keepers, surf coaches, dive instructors, boat captains to business owners. This resulted in many locals going back to what the island was originally known for, seaweed farming.

How seaweed farming fits into the mix

The island was quieter but everyone was busy seaweed farming to gain a little bit of income. The smell of the seaweed came back to Jungut Batu village, and more of the coastline was filled with seaweed farms. Now the channel between Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan is covered with seaweed stakes and famers.

However, the income that comes from farming is nowhere near what many received from their previous jobs in the tourism sector. 1 kilogram of dried seaweed is sold for Rp 15,000/kg, which is equivalent to about 8 kilogram of wet seaweed. It takes around 20 to 30 days to harvest one round. An average family is required to harvest around 700 kilogram of dry seaweed per cycle in order to cover their food expenses, and more if they need to pay for school fees, ceremonies, etc. That does not even take into consideration the starting seed money, the set up of the farms, the long lines of rope to tie the seaweed and the stakes.

Seaweed farming is not enough
Our island has become known for the seaweed farming on social media. However in the last couple of months, the farmers have not been able to harvest seaweed due to large waves, pests and inconsistent water temperature. So now we are in a situation where people have lost their jobs, and lost their seaweed farms.

Locals rely on the Plastic Exchange program to feed their families

Many locals have become heavily reliant on the Plastic Exchange program to feed their families. Every month we conduct the exchange, the number of participants, trash and rice distributed doubles or even triples.

Where does all the recyclables go?
Lembongan Recycling takes all the collected trash back to their facility and further processes the trash. All the plastic is shredded, compacted and sent to Bali to be recycled into new products. The money that Lembongan Recycling collects when they sell the raw recyclables is used to pay the Lembongan Recycling team and the remaining is used to purchase rice for the following exchange.

Here are the results so far:

February 2021

915 kilogram rubbish collected
206 kilogram of rice distributed

March 2021

1873 kg of rubbish collected
360 kg of rice distributed

April 2021

1502 kg of rubbish collected
306 kg of rice distributed

May 2021

3620 kg of rubbish collected
632 kg of rice distributed

June 2021

8000 kg of rubbish collected
1580 kg of rice distributed

July 2021

24,700 kg of rubbish collected
2500 kg of rice distributed

The Plastic Exchange program in Nusa Lembongan is growing exponentially, and although businesses on the island are sponsoring it with what they can, we cannot keep up with the growth without the help of others.

We need your support to keep this initiative alive in Nusa Lembongan ,through the GoFundMe or sharing our efforts with others. Even just $1 will help us buy 1 kilogram of rice, which will be the result of 3 -10 kilograms of rubbish collected.

Step 1 of the process is where we need your help, so we can buy the rice supplies to give to the locals who bring in their rubbish.

DONATE HERE

We hope to welcome you back onto a cleaner and happily fed Nusa Lembongan as soon as possible!

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July 5, 2021

Lembongan Surf Team Competition 2021 – Series 1

Series #1 – 30th May 2021

Playground Surf Break, Nusa Lembongan

Here is a wrap-up of the Lembongan Surf Team Competition Series #1 for 2021, proudly organized in conjunction with the Indonesian Surfing League. It was a wonderful day seeing a total of 68 surfers compete across 3 divisions who were supported on the side lines by the local community.

The day saw good wave conditions, in the morning it started with consistent 2ft sets, then in the afternoon it went up to 3 – 4ft and later increasing to 4-6ft.

: Wave conditions in the morning

: Wave conditions in the afternoon

The event started in the morning at 7.45am with round 1 of the Junior U/16 Boys Division, with good waves and good weather. In Round 1 of the Junior Division, there was lots of action and high scores obtained in several heats such as Miko Pebiana (6.45), Yoga Andika (5.43) and Un Jayantara who showed their talent in the waves.

It continued in the Master Division Round 1, where the waves started to get a little bigger and the currents began to be felt but it didn’t discourage our masters showing their skills. At noon the sun was out and it was getting hot, the waves were slightly bigger, the contest committee decided to continue to the Open Division, the long-awaited action and Open Round 1 began.

In the first round we saw lots of action, including some great scores from Putra Hermawan (6.75) followed by his brother Agus Purnawan (6.23). It continued into round 2, the waves were getting bigger and the current stronger. In the second round the wave conditions were a little difficult because of the high tide and the waves were very bumpy and making it difficult for surfers who would compete in the second round, but at the end of the 2^nd round, it was Agus Frimanto wearing a red shirt who managed to get the highest score (8.38).

Both the temperature and competition was heating up as we proceeded to the Quarter final where in the 3^rd heat 3^rd we saw some great waves and score total (16.21) from Agus Frimanto.

In the semi-final of the Open division, there was huge excitement when Jaka Satria managed to get a barrel and the highest score of the day (9.75), stopping Agus Frimanto in 5^th place.

It was late afternoon and when we headed into the finals for the Junior, Master and Open divisions.

Starting with the final of the Juniors, where the waves were big and with the tide going out. Lembongan Surf Team provided 2 life guards to maintain the safety and comfort of the junior surfers, as their average age was 13 years.

They all showed excellent sportsmanship with great skills for the following results:

Junior Division

1^st – Arida Setiawan

2^nd – Bagas

3^rd – Un Jayaantara

4^th – Yoga Andika

In finals of the Masters division we saw (red) Lhaena, (white) Licek, (yellow) Cakil and (blue) Apri, the competition was quite fierce at the beginning as the wave conditions were improving and the current was starting to disappear, but all surfers only got an average score of between 2 points – 3.20 points.

Then in the last 7 minutes, the yellow surfer managed to make the highest score, it was (5.80) and took him to the winners podium.

The Open Division was next, where the scores were very close:

1^st – Tia Nustawan (13.53)

2^nd – Putra Hermawan (13.41)

3^rd – Agus Purnawan (13.23)

4^th – Jaka Satria (12.68)

We done to everyone involved and the Lembongan Surf Team Competition for a great Series 1.

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May 17, 2021

Distribution Day – Food Relief for Lembongan

Distribution Day

As part of the “Food & Literacy Relief for Lembongan” fundraiser, last weekend we delivered food packages to another 400 families, our fourth distribution day in 12 months.

Thanks must be extended to all who helped today on the ground and behind the scenes. Special thanks to Bali Children Foundation for your ongoing support, Lembongan Surf Team for ensuring we get to those who need it most and also the Pecalang for their community spirit & great team work.

THANK YOU also to everyone who has donated, together we have made a BIG difference. Combining this years and the 2020 fundraiser we have raised nearly $40,000 and reached over 6500 people with relief support.

There is more to come as our plans to launch literacy support programs for grades 1, 2 & 3 are on track to commence in July.

COVID has had an incredibly harsh impact on the Lembongan community. They have shown so much strength and stood tall in these times of adversity. Banding together as a community which towers high with support for each other and gratitude to those who have reached out to help them.

Final thanks goes to our incredible TLT team who have dedicated themselves to ensure the relief effort is targeted, logistically managed and implemented seamlessly.

DONATIONS can still be made via HERE

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March 10, 2021

Food & Literacy Relief For Nusa Lembongan – Update 2

Food & Literacy Relief For Lembongan Update

11^th March 2021

Firstly, we have been overwhelmed by the support and generosity of our extended Lembongan Traveller network and we THANK YOU on behalf of the Lembongan community. This kindness has been echoed repeatedly by so many people in the last two weeks and also when we did our first “Food for Lembongan” fundraiser in April 2020 and our latest Food & Literacy Relief For Nusa Lembongan. It has shown, no donation is too small and together we can make a difference.

DONATE HERE

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We have raised over $36,000 across both campaigns for the Lembongan community and reached over 1200 families, with more people to receive in the coming weeks. This is an outstanding achievement, a true testament to this special island and it’s incredible people for leaving an imprint on our hearts. This has been an opportunity for us all to acknowledge their act of kindness of sharing their island home with us, always welcoming visitors with open hearts and the most wonderful hospitality.

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Thanks to your generosity, the current Food & Literacy Relief For Nusa Lembongan campaign has raised over $20,000 in two weeks. We implemented Stage 1 with deliveries this week of 400 food packages consisting of rice, noodles, sugar and oil, these supplies were purchased from local Warungs on Lembongan.

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Food packages were delivered to the Kepala Desa ( Village head) of Jungut Batu and Lembongan villages who then in turn will work with the Banjars of each village to ensure the packages go to those most in need. There are 4 Banjars in Jungut Batu and 6 in Lembongan which includes Nusa Ceningan.

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The Lembongan Traveller have partnered with Bali Children Foundation (BCF), a relationship which started in 2016 when we fundraised after the Yellow Bridge collapse. We are grateful for the support and guidance they provide from their experienced team who are committed to the prosperity of the Lembongan community. BCF are particularly focussed on developing education and environment based programs. We were honoured this week to be joined by BCF founder, Margaret Barry to assist with the distribution and hear her views on how we can keep driving support of the local community.

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GOING FORWARD…..

Our meeting with Margaret from Bali Children Foundation gave us the opportunity to discuss and plan initiatives moving forward and how to utilise the funds raised for maximum benefit of the community. It will be an evolving discussion as the situation unfolds, vaccinations roll out, how plans for return of tourism play-out and the impact these changes have on the local community in the short and medium term.

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Food Relief….

We plan to do another food distribution in April, we will re-assess then the items to be included as there is currently reasonable supply of fresh produce with many people farming during the wet season, however this will change as the rains end.

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Literacy Relief….

Primary schools on Lembongan have been closed since March 2020 and online learning has been done via Whats App. Therefore the children who were meant to start Grade 1 in July 2020 haven’t actually “been” to school yet and along with their Grades 2 and 3 class mates have missed crucial literacy learning.

We have committed financial support to Bali Children Foundation for the development of a Literacy curriculum ( in Indonesian) aimed at Grades 1, 2 & 3. This curriculum will be used by BCF across 5 different regions in Bali, including Nusa Lembongan. BCF teachers, who are already based on Lembongan and implement BCF education programs within the schools will provide 2 after-school classes / week for each child, they will also develop a socialisation program and other initiatives to incentivise parents to encourage their children to attend these classes. The Lembongan Traveller’s fundraising campaign will support these initiatives as we see it fundamental to the future education of this younger generation to receive basic literacy learning.

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We have reviewed the framework which is being used as the structure for the syllabus and the beginnings of the class modules, 16 weeks each with two modules. This dedicated literacy syllabus is being developed by BCF in parallel to the standard Indonesian primary curriculum so that resources and learning is maximised.

Currently, schools are aiming to re-open once teachers are vaccinated, for the beginning of the school year in July. It is being suggested by the Education department that they will initially go back at 50% capacity until further community based vaccination programs are completed.

It is BCF’s aim to start the Literacy program in July with the re-opening of schools on Nusa Lembongan.

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We THANK YOU again for all your support to help the Lembongan community navigate their way through these difficult times.

February 23, 2021

Food & Literacy Relief for Lembongan

COVID has now been with us for nearly 12 months, it has impacted every corner of the globe.

For the Lembongan locals it is likely to be the biggest and most far reaching challenge of their lifetime. With tourism responsible for majority of income and driving private enterprise, the island has been at a standstill since March 2020. We hope our fundraiser for Food and Literacy Relief for Lembongan will bring some much needed support to the community.

We (Mal & Tania Walker) returned to Lembongan in early January this year and have spent the last 6 weeks seeing first hand the enormous impact the pandemic has had here and will continue to have until international travel resumes.

The personal struggles and closure of 95% of businesses is heartbreaking: there is no government support or safety net, for the few that have remained employed they are on reduced base salaries and with no service which often makes up 50% of their income.

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FOOD

The ability to put food on the table has become challenging for so many. Our aim is to deliver food packages of staples ( rice, oil, sugar, noodles) to as many families as possible. We can assure you, your contributions to this fundraising effort will be received with the greatest of gratitude by the Lembongan community.

The landscape has changed dramatically, the most cost effective staple for families are tempeh, tofu, eggs and rice which they also mix with corn and cassava to bulk up rice supplies.

For most of the population consumption of chicken and fish has decreased considerably. Fishing by boat is now not an option for many simply because they can not afford the fuel. Therefore many people are only using canoes, SUP boards and even tyre rings to fish, which impacts where they can fish (only inside the reef) and consequently resulting in smaller varieties and quantities.

The Food and Literacy Relief for Lembongan fundraiser will work with the 10 Banjars (villages) across both Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan to facilitate distribution to those most in need.

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LITERACY

On our return to Lembongan, after spending time with both friends and our staff, who all have school age children, it became apparent to us very quickly that education was another area that has been hugely impacted. With primary schools having been closed since March 2020 and online learning being conducted via Whats App. We feel the 6 – 8 year olds on the island have missed out on vital learning of basic Indonesian literacy which is crucial during Grades 1, 2 & 3.

We have the commitment of our charity partners, Bali Children Foundation (BCF), to develop an Indonesian Literacy Curriculum for these grades and provide teachers to facilitate the learning in extra after school classes once schools re-open, which is currently planned for July.

Our aim is to raise enough funds to provide the 444 children in Grades 1, 2 & 3 across the 5 primary schools, with a pictorial Indonesian dictionary.

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DONATIONS

We understand it has been an extremely difficult 12 months for so many people, COVID has not discriminated, this horrendous infectious virus has infiltrated the lives of everyone in every country on the planet.

Its impact on our daily lives has been immense, however our ability to survive with it around us is dependent on where we live in this global space and the industry we are reliant on. If you are in a position to donate as little as $10, this contribution will go a long way to helping the Lembongan locals. To help with the context, $10 will buy a 10kg bag of rice, which is not grown on Nusa Lembongan.

Your donations will go direct to the Lembongan Community. Our first priority is to provide as many food packages as possible, whilst in the background give the team at BCF time to work on the literacy curriculum, ready for implementation in July and, fingers crossed, also have enough funds to provide each child with a dictionary.

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THE PEOPLE

As harsh as the situation is currently and will be for some time yet, the local community remain humble, have shown incredible resilience and admirable efforts to pivot their skills where possible.

We are so proud to be a small part of this wonderful community. It is with heavy hearts of the reality here that we have decided to reach out to our networks in an effort to raise money to give them hope and some relief in the journey ahead.

Thank YOU for your ongoing love & support for the Lembongan community.

Kind regards

Mal, Tania & The Lembongan Traveller Team

October 21, 2020

Seaweed Farming returns to Lembongan

Seaweed Farming returns to Lembongan

COVID-19 has brought about many changes to our world as we knew it. No truer for the local people of Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan. As most of the population’s income was previously directly or indirectly derived from tourism, COVID-19 has caused some serious challenges.

In the typical spirit of the locals, whose Hindu faith always guides their journey, they looked within their own shores for opportunities to generate an income. A businessman from Surabaya introduced seaweed farming to Lembongan in 1984, with the first cultivations taking place in Jungut Batu Bay. It was not so long ago (for many only 10 years), that seaweed farming was a major incomer earner for many people. You too may remember the patch work of plots that created the ocean landscape in Jungut Batu, the Mangrove and in the channel between Lembongan & Ceningan. For people who have been visiting the islands prior to 2010 seaweed farms, the harvesting process and drying in preparation for sale are iconic island memories.

As a result, seaweed farming in Lembongan has now re-emerged and the older generation have been key to helping re-establish it as a sustainable industry, educating and passing on their knowledge to younger family members who have only known tourism as an income stream.

The locals are realistic in their optimism for the return of tourism, understanding it will not recover quickly. As tourism has as good as disappeared for the last 6 months the demand for seaweed seedlings and dried product is on a steady increase.

However not everyone is a seaweed farmer or knows how to cultivate seaweed. The Lembongan Traveller’s Digital Marketing Manager spent a few days with some of the local seaweed farmers to gain an insight to the industry and techniques used so we could share the process with you.

Type of Seaweed

There are many types of seaweed that can be grown in Nusa Lembongan, one of which is green Katoni (eucheuma cottoni) seaweed which is commonly grown in the area around the Mangrove, other varieties are grown in Nusa Ceningan.

Katoni seaweed

Setting up a Seaweed Farm

The farmers initially buy seaweed seeds from Nusa Penida a 5 meter lengths of rope. They then plant it on their ocean “land” to create a “box” which range in size, but are usually around 5 x 50 metres. Each seaweed farm “box” is made up of rows of wooden supports and ropes. The seaweed seedlings are attached to these rows. The “box” contains approximately 100 bundles of seaweed. It is very important that the ocean space chosen is accessible during high and low tide, this change of tide and water flow is also very important to the growth and productivity of the crop. Each “box” is marked with flags attached to wooden stakes. Farmers attend their box daily at low tide between harvest times to check on any damage that may have been caused during high tide.

Harvesting

Seaweed can be harvested 30 days after planting and is usually harvested every full moon or new moon. Two crops are planted within a month so farmers will harvest every 15 days. Depending on the size of the each famer’s box, it can take up to 10 days for the harvesting process as this is generally done in the mornings on low tides. However, when low tides fall in the middle of the night farmers will spend midnight hours with head torches attending, it is a laborious and not for the faint hearted, as farmers are constantly exposed to the elements and weather. In the mornings they cut the seaweed to take it ashore and in the afternoon low tide they create new seedling rows for the next harvest. Traditional Jukung boats are used by farmers to access their plots and transport the seaweed.

The farmers using traditional boat to bring the seaweeds seed to the “box” in the middle of ocean.

At the time of harvesting, the seaweed will have grown to 3 times the size of when it was first attached to the ropes. During each harvest all of the seaweed from the rope supports are removed to be sorted, smaller & damages pieces are set aside for drying and more established growths are re-attached together in bundles of 2-3 pieces along the supports for the next months harvest.

: Seaweed being attached in bundles to the rope

: Rope

: Small seaweed

: Damage seaweed

Drying

These smaller and damaged pieces are laid out in the sun to be dried, which takes 3 days

: Day 1

: Day 2

: Day 3

Ready for sale

After drying, farmers will gather the seaweed to sell to a “seaweed collector”. The “seaweed collectors” live on Lembongan and then transport it to Nusa Penida where it is on sold to export traders to make its way to be used in cosmetics. Usually farmers can produce 400kg of dry seaweed, per month which currently sells for IDR 12,000 / kg. There is also the opportunity for them to sell seedlings to new seaweed farmers, the price of 100 seedlings is around IDR 5 million.

Seaweed farming into the future

We are excited to see so many locals re-entering the seaweed farming industry and hope it will continue well into the future to operate in unison with tourism when travel resumes. The Lembongan Traveller is here to support the Lembongan & Ceningan seaweed farming industry and its prosperity. This unique way of farming requires no pesticides or fertilizers. Seaweed cultivation also provides environmental benefits including:

Absorbing carbon dioxide ( green house gas) – one hectare of sea can be used to produce annually 40 tonnes of dry seaweed which will absorb 20+ tonnes of green house gas during cultivation
Wastes can be used as fertilizers for land based agriculture
Seaweed can only be grown in a healthy environment, so seaweed farmers will actively participate in maintaining beach and foreshore cleanliness

We are keen to support the community with looking into more opportunities for seaweed farmers and collectors, such as potentially providing seaweed for products being developed by Evoware – edible cups and packaging made from seaweed….we have contacted them to see if Lembongan’s seaweed is combatable.

COVID-19 & Seaweed Farming unite

Katoni seaweed is a source of carrageenan, a gelling agent in both foods and cosmetics. This brings a twist that could see COVID-19 and Lembongan seaweed farmers unite as it can be used in the production of hand santizer. See link below to an article that includes a method of making santizer using seaweed:

https://sustainableresponsibleliving.com/2020/02/29/how-to-make-your-own-hand-sanitizer/

photo credit @balichildrenfoundation and @oteseptiawan

Lembongan Community, Lembongan Hotels, Lembongan Resorts, Lembongan Bungalows, Lembongan Villas, The Lembongan Traveller, Nusa Lembongan Hotels, Nusa Lembongan Resorts, Nusa Lembongan Bungalows, Nusa Lembongan Villas,

October 20, 2020

The Gift of Giving – Together we made a difference

In mid April this year it was becoming more and more apparent that it was not COVID-19 the virus, but the economic impact that is the greatest threat to the people of Bali & Lembongan. We felt compelled to rally our community of loyal Lembongan lovers and action the gift of giving, to help assist families on Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. With tourism and the local economy being brought to a stand still due to COVID-19, the locals have been severely impacted with wide spread loss of jobs & income. The Lembongan Traveller partnered with Island Protect & Bali Children Foundation to launch the Food For Lembongan Families fundraiser campaign aimed to help as many families as possible.

It has been incredibly humbling to see the generosity of people, considering that no-one has been untouched by COVID-19, people have been digging deep during these difficult to support the Lembongan community. The Lembongan Traveller’s team of staff on the ground in Lembongan have co-ordinated the logistics and distribution, meeting with both Kepala Desa in Lembongan and Jungut Batu villages to ensure we reach the people who are in most need.

T H A N K Y O U to everyone who donated & supported our Food For Lembongan Families fundraiser. Thanks to your generosity we toppled our initial target of $5000 and with $15,000+ funds raised and were able to reach 600 families with Stage 1 of food packages and completed Stage 2 with delivery of fresh vegetables, tempeh & tofu (made locally in Lembongan) to 200 elderly and families with young children.

These packages have been gratefully received and your support has reached so many in the Lembongan community with 800 families receiving packages from Stage 1 & 2 distributions.

The Stage 1 food packages included – 10kg bag rice, noodles, eggs, oil & cloth masks. The masks were made by woman in Bali and the supplies were purchased from over 20 different warungs on Lembongan. Packages were delivered this week to families across 10 Banjars on Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan and included migrant/ non-local workers who do not have the support of family networks.

The locals have sent so many messages of gratitude. Together we made a difference and these photos are a true reminder of the gift of giving. From our Lembongan family to yours THANK YOU again.

August 5, 2020

Food for Lembongan Families – Stage 2

Food for Lembongan Families

Thanks to your donations we have completed Stage 2 with delivery of fresh vegetables, tempeh & tofu (made locally in Lembongan) to 200 elderly and families with young children.

These packages have been gratefully received and your generosity has reached so many in the Lembongan community with 800 families receiving packages from stage 1 & 2 distributions.

A massive thanks must go to The Lembongan Traveller, Tenang Villas, Beach Tonic & Villa Lagarto staff for their incredible dedication & effort in co-ordinating all aspects of distribution for the fundraiser – we are family .

We are privileged to have partnered with Bali Children Foundation & Island Protect who have provided guidance & support throughout the fundraising campaign.