Original article published by The Conversation: Academic rigour, journalistic flair
When COVID-19 hit Indonesia, it devastated industries such as fisheries.
However, one sector has gone against the trend: seaweed farming.
Our research shows seaweed farming in Indonesia is booming during the pandemic.
There is a range of possible reasons for this change, including environmental conditions, farming practices and the impacts of COVID-19.
The resilience of seaweed farming is important given the nation’s status as the world’s largest producer of hydrocolloid seaweeds. Indonesia produces two-thirds of the global supply.
These seaweeds are generally not eaten but are sold to factories for processing into a powder used for thickening foods such as ice-cream.
Read full story on The Conversation
The authors’ interdisciplinary research project in the Partnership for Australia-Indonesia Research focuses on improving the Indonesian seaweed industry’s outcomes with a particular focus on South Sulawesi. To learn more about this and the work of Indonesian and Australian research teams on youth and the new rail line, you can read more details here.
UQ contributors are Dr Zannie Langford and Dr Scott Waldron.
