Determinants of Fishers’ Welfare: The Role of Livelihood Diversification in Kedonganan Coastal Community

Indah Susilowati; Made Ika Prastyadewi; Ika Suciati

doi:10.63922/ijevss.v4i04.2541

Indah Susilowati Universitas Diponegoro Semarang
Made Ika Prastyadewi Universitas Mahasaraswati Denpasar
Ika Suciati Universitas Diponegoro Semarang

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63922/ijevss.v4i04.2541

Keywords: fishers’ welfare, livelihood diversification, coastal communities, socioeconomic factors, small-scale fisheries

Abstract

This study investigates the determinants of fishers’ welfare in the Kedonganan coastal area by examining the role of livelihood diversification alongside key socioeconomic factors. Using a quantitative research design, primary data were collected from active fishers and analyzed through multiple linear regression to assess the influence of livelihood diversification, fishing income, education level, access to productive assets, and household size on welfare outcomes. The results reveal that livelihood diversification, fishing income, education, and access to productive assets significantly and positively affect welfare, while household size exhibits a negative and significant relationship. Livelihood diversification emerges as an important resilience strategy that stabilizes household income and reduces vulnerability to environmental and economic fluctuations, consistent with recent theoretical and empirical contributions in coastal livelihood studies. The strong effect of fishing income underscores the centrality of marine capture activities in sustaining coastal households, while the roles of education and asset ownership highlight the importance of human and physical capital in shaping adaptive capacity. The findings suggest that improving fishers’ welfare requires integrated policy interventions that promote diversified livelihoods, strengthen human capital, enhance access to productive assets, and support institutional mechanisms that foster resilience. This study contributes to the growing literature on small-scale fisheries by providing empirical evidence on the multidimensional drivers of welfare and offering policy insights relevant for coastal community development.

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