The use of Coastal Land for the Cultivation of Vegetable and Species on Small Islands in the Sub-District of Tatoareng Sangihe Regency

Communities on the small island of Tatoareng sub-district, Sangihe Regency, are faced with the problem of limited land ownership for vegetable cultivation, and low access to vegetable food. Vegetables purchased by the public have gone through four to five buying and selling processes starting from the production center, resulting of expensive vegetable prices. This chain of problems continues and has not yet found a way to solve it. Our team designed hydroponic vegetable and spice (herbs) cultivation on a small island in the District of Tatoareng. The initial stages of the study are analyzing the prospects for the cultivation of vegetables and spices that are the needs of the community, analyzing their suitability with ecological conditions especially the microclimate, and analyzing the economic benefits in this case income or reduction in expenditure versus production costs. Our team has conducted research on daily changes in the microclimate of residential, plantation and forest areas, as a reference for the choice of growing vegetables and herbs (spice). Our team has also conducted research on the economic condition of the family, on livelihoods, and average monthly family income. Initial research results indicate a monthly family income range between Rp. 1.000.000 to Rp. 2.000.000. Preliminary observations also indicate that each house has a yard measuring at least 4m x 8m which allows for the hydroponic cultivation of vegetables and herbs. This article describes the results of a prospective economic-ecological analysis of the cultivation of vegetables and herbs for low-income families. The results of the analysis present several choices of types of vegetables and herbs, prospects for economic benefits and their compatibility with microclimate conditions. Choice of vegetables and herbs that can be cultivated, has been confirmed to the public. The categories of choice of vegetables and herbs are: first priority is: tomatoes, second priority is mustard pakcoy, third priority is chilli. The results of this preliminary study became a reference for the follow up of the research on hydroponic vegetable and spice cultivation.