In this research, the social relationships of shrimp farmers are addressed through three issues. First is the relationship of shrimp farmers to the other shrimp farmers. Second is the relationship between shrimp farmers and their local community. Third is the response of shrimp farmers to environmental threats.
Quarantelli (1997) and Asghar et al. (2008) postulate that explaining the degree of understanding and knowledge of the community members, influences their community awareness about threats to their livelihood. This then makes these three issues important in portraying and observing the creativity of shrimp farmers in seeking solutions.37
To investigate the effects of the mud volcano eruption in Porong on shrimp farmers’ social relationships, the questionnaire asked the participants: “Do you consider that the mud volcano eruption in Porong has affected your social relationships?” Table 5.1 documents the result. Almost 47 percent of the target group disagreed, with 44 percent disagreeing strongly, that their social
37 The second issues are discussed in chapter 7.
90 relationships were affected by the mud volcano. Around 23 percent were neutral and just over 30 percent agreed (22 percent strongly) with the proposition. A higher proportion of the owners, (43 percent) than workers, (32 percent), and supervisors (17 percent) stated that their social relationships had been affected.
Further, Table 5.1 also compared the perspective of the three different occupational groups in the target group and the control group. The control group showed that near to 37 percent disagreed and more than 12 percent strongly disagreed that the mud volcano affected their social relationships38. Whereas the research target group who stated that the mud volcano has affected their social relationships almost 16 percent agreed and more that 19 percent strongly disagreed.
More specifically, in the control group, a greater proportion of shrimp farm supervisors and workers that felt their social relationships had changed due to the mud volcano eruption compared to the shrimp farm owners. In general, when the answers are aggregated into three categories: agree, disagree and neutral, the results from the target and control groups are similar. With 47 percent and 48 percent, respectively disagreeing and 30 percent and 35 percent, respectively agreeing that the mud volcano had influenced their social relationships.
Furthermore, in explaining the social relationships changes Table 5.2 depicts the perspective of the shrimp farm owners, supervisors and workers about their relationships to the other shrimp farmers.
38 .First is the relationship of shrimp farmers to the other shrimp farmers. Second is the relationship between shrimp farmers and their local community. Third is the response of shrimp farmers to environmental threats. Fourth is the creativity of shrimp farmers in seeking solutions.
91 Table 5.1 Change in social relationships of shrimp farmers by survey target and control group
Shrimp farmers’
social
relationships had changed after the mud volcano.
Owners Supervisors Workers Total
Target group Control group Target group Control group Target group Control group Target group Control group
f Percent f Percent f Percent f Percent f Percent f Percent f Percent f Percent
Strongly
Agree 16 18.60 4 8.16 17 12.98 18 29.51 64 27.71 18 18.56 97 21.65 40 19.32
Agree 21 24.42 8 16.33 6 4.58 3 4.92 11 4.76 22 22.68 38 8.48 33 15.94
Neither agree
or disagree 4 4.65 5 10.20 44 33.59 20 32.79 55 23.81 8 8.25 103 22.99 33 15.94
Disagree 10 11.63 10 20.41 1 0.76 18 29.51 2 0.87 48 49.48 13 2.90 76 36.71
Strongly
Disagree 35 40.70 22 44.90 63 48.09 2 3.28 99 42.86 1 1.03 197 43.97 25 12.08
Total eligible
respondents 86 100 49 100 131 100 61 100 231 100 97 100 448 100 207 100
Noted: Target group (mud affected water source); Control group (Non mud affected) Source: Fieldwork survey questionnaire data, 2013
92 Over 87 percent of the research group in the target group disagreed, around 81 percent strongly, with a statement that shrimp farmers' networks and daily activities are changing after the mud volcano eruption in Porong. A lower proportion of workers, (6 percent), than owners, (13 percent), or the supervisors, (14 percent), stated that their relationship with the other shrimp farmers had been affected.
The research questionnaire also asked the participants “Has your relationship among the other shrimp farmers changed since the Porong mud volcano?”
Table 5.2 demonstrates three different perspectives of the three different occupational groups in the target group and the control group about the degree of shrimp farmer relationship changes caused by the mud volcano. It demonstrates that while there is a strong disagreement over whether the mud volcano affected relationships, the owner respondents of the research target group were more aware than the control group of changes to their relationships with other shrimp farmers since the mud volcano. The supervisor respondents and worker respondents of the research control group were less aware.
Owners were more aware because, as entrepreneurs, they have to be able to anticipate and predict threats that are able to disturb their business. Financial calculations, cultivation planning, and working arrangements must be planned thoroughly. Whereas the supervisor and the pond worker do not have such planning and calculations as their main considerations.
93 Table 5.2 The relationship of shrimp farmers among other shrimp farmers
The
relationship with the other shrimp
farmers has changed
Owners Supervisors Workers Total
Target group Control group Target group Control group Target group Control group Target group Control group
f Percent f Percent f Percent f Percent F Percent f Percent f Percent f Percent
Strongly
Agree 2 2.33 0 0 13 9.92 2 3.28 3 1.30 0 0 18 4.02 2 0.97
Agree 9 10.47 1 2.04 5 3.82 0 0.00 11 4.76 0 0 25 5.58 1 0.48
Neither agree
or disagree 9 10.47 2 4.08 4 3.05 3 4.92 2 0.87 16 16.49 15 3.35 21 10.14
Disagree 14 16.28 19 38.78 2 1.53 37 60.66 11 4.76 62 63.92 27 6.03 118 57.00
Strongly
Disagree 52 60.47 27 55.10 107 81.68 19 31.15 204 88.31 19 19.59 363 81.03 65 31.40
Total eligible
respondents 86 100 49 100 131 100 61 100 231 100 97 100 448 100 207 100
Noted: Target group (mud affected water source); Control group (Non mud affected) Source: Fieldwork survey questionnaire data, 2013
94 This research also examined shrimp farmers’ communication methods. This research questionnaire asked participants “Has your need for communication with the local community changed since the occurring of the Porong mud volcano?”
Table 5.3 provides the response of the research group in the two different geographical locations about the effect of the mud volcano eruption on their communication method39 with the local community.40 Similarly to the previous table, the majority of the research group in both target and control locations experienced no change in their communication methods after the mud volcano eruption in 2006.
All in all, the survey indicates that most of the research groups still have effective communications and relations with other shrimp farmers and their communities.
According to Granovetter (1985) people who face similar problems tend to communicate more with each other in order to seek better solutions. The shrimp farmers seem to have communicated more effectively because they feel vulnerable and need solutions to threats to their livelihoods.
39 The shrimp farmer communication methods in this research just acknowledge reciprocal conversations whether direct conversation or conversation using technological instruments such as phones or social media. This information was gathered through the questionnaire with an explanation about the definition of communication method.
40 Local community in this instance is the community who stay and reside near the pond and their livelihoods are not dependent to the shrimp industry.
95 Table 5.3 Effects of the mud volcano on communications
Changes in the
communicat-ion method
Owners Supervisors Workers Total
Target group Control group Target group Control group Target group Control group Target group Control group
f Percent f Percent f Percent f Percent f Percent f Percent f Percent f Percent
Strongly
Agree 6 6.98 0 0.00 11 8.40 0 0.00 8 3.46 0 0.00 25 5.58 0 0.00
Agree 5 5.81 0 0.00 7 5.34 1 1.64 5 2.16 0 0.00 17 3.79 1 0.48
Neither agree
or disagree 9 10.47 2 4.08 4 3.05 2 3.28 7 3.03 13 13.40 20 4.46 17 8.21
Disagree 19 22.09 19 38.78 2 1.53 39 63.93 9 3.90 63 64.95 30 6.70 121 58.45
Strongly
Disagree 47 54.65 28 57.14 107 81.68 19 31.15 202 87.45 21 21.65 356 79.46 68 32.85
Total eligible
respondents 86 100 49 100 131 100 61 100 231 100 97 100 448 100 207 100
Noted: Target group (mud affected water source); Control group (Non mud affected) Source: Fieldwork survey questionnaire data, 2013
96 5.1.2. Increasing awareness of environmental phenomena
Understanding shrimp farmers’ awareness of their environment cannot be separated from ecological and political economy issues. The longer farmers delay their actions to address environmental changes, the more difficult it is to adapt and the greater the negative consequences of environmental changes (Carpenter, Walker, Anderies, &
Abel, 2001).
Based on field observations, there are at least two trends that indicate environmental awareness amongst Sidoarjo shrimp farmers. First, farmers are aware of the importance of mangroves for their pond productivity. Therefore many farmers have planted mangroves around their ponds.41 This is described in section 5.4.1.
Second, before the mud volcano, farmers would add to or change the water in their shrimp ponds at any time. However, since the event, farmers must consider the Hazardous Mud42 Disposal Schedule and the Tidal Schedule. Farmers must water their ponds when the Mud Volcano Disaster Mitigation Agency has not scheduled for disposal of muddy water to the river and when the tide is high, so that less contaminated water can enter the pond. This information is gathered from most of the farmers in Jabon and Porong through interviews and participant observation.