Salt in Women's Hands: Traditional Salt Production Culture from Teupin Kuyuen Locality

Khaira Nazira; Fikarwin Zuska; Fajar Utama Ritonga

doi:10.55927/eajmr.v4i12.488

Authors

Khaira Nazira Universitas Sumatera Utara
Fikarwin Zuska Universitas Sumatera Utara
Fajar Utama Ritonga Universitas Sumatera Utara

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/eajmr.v4i12.488

Keywords:

Women Salt Farmers, Ecofeminism, Sustainable Livelihood, Ecological Knowledge, Coastal Ethnography

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the role of female salt farmers in Gampong Teupin Kuyuen in maintaining the sustainability of traditional salt-based livelihoods, while also providing new contributions regarding the integration of local ecological knowledge within the framework of ecofeminism and sustainable livelihoods. Using qualitative methods with an ethnographic approach, the study was conducted from April–July 2024 through participant observation and in-depth interviews with women involved in all stages of production, from sourdough salt, sour salt, cooking, and marketing. The findings indicate that women play a key role as well as managers of ecological knowledge, such as techniques for determining salinity and strategies for adapting to the rainy season. PHE NSO's CSR interventions are still charitable and have not yet targeted women's strategic needs. This study confirms that the sustainability of salt production is highly dependent on women's work, local knowledge, and cultural practices passed down across generations, with implications for the importance of more transformative, gender-based empowerment programs.

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