Empowering Fish Farming Groups through Workshops on Making Freshwater Lobster Feed from Local Ingredients

Abstract

Freshwater crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) farming has considerable economic potential; however, high feed costs and dependence on commercial feed remain major challenges in improving the efficiency of aquaculture enterprises. These challenges are also encountered by UPR Kurnia Baku, where the utilization of locally available raw materials as alternative feed has not been optimized, while farmers’ knowledge and skills in feed formulation and production remain limited. This community service activity aimed to improve the knowledge and capacity of UPR Kurnia Baku members in utilizing local materials as an alternative feed for freshwater crayfish. The activity was conducted on July 23, 2026, in Baku Hamlet, Lekopancing Village, Tanralili District, Maros Regency, involving 20 members of UPR Kurnia Baku. The implementation consisted of preparation, participatory training, discussion and question-and-answer sessions, as well as monitoring and evaluation. Evaluation was conducted through pre-tests and post-tests, observations, and interviews to assess changes in participants’ understanding. The results showed an increase in the participants’ average knowledge score from 50 in the pre-test to 84 in the post-test, representing an increase of 68%. This improvement indicates that the training effectively enhanced participants’ understanding of freshwater crayfish nutritional requirements, selection of local raw materials, and their utilization as alternative feed ingredients. The activity contributed to strengthening the capacity of the aquaculture group to develop locally sourced feed and represents an initial step toward reducing dependence on commercial feed while supporting the efficiency and sustainability of freshwater crayfish farming.