Inovasi Pemanfaatan Pelepah Pisang sebagai Benang Alami untuk Sulam Karawo dalam Mendukung Ekonomi Hijau di Gorontalo

Abstract

Monocarpic banana plants (Musa spp.) routinely generate vast amounts of post-harvest biomass residue in the form of pseudostem waste. In Gorontalo, this lignocellulosic waste remains largely underutilized. This situation stands in stark contrast to the needs of the local Karawo embroidery craft—a regional cultural asset—which relies heavily on synthetic textile yarns, contributing to high production costs and environmental sustainability concerns. This community engagement initiative aims to transform the Karawo value chain by substituting synthetic threads with sustainable, eco-friendly banana pseudostem fibers, thereby enhancing the capacity and product diversification of local artisans. The program was implemented in Huluduotamo Village, Bone Bolango Regency, Gorontalo, utilizing a Quad Helix multi-stakeholder collaboration model. This framework synergized the roles of academia (UNG) as the knowledge provider, government (Kemdiktisaintek) as the regulator, SMEs (TIAR Handycraft) as the market facilitator, and the local community as the holder of expertise and resources. A participatory and educational approach was employed through three core training modules: 1) Fiber Extraction, 2) Weaving Yarn into Fabric, and 3) Karawo Embroidery using banana fiber yarn. The results indicate a significant increase in enthusiasm and capacity transformation among the 15 targeted Karawo artisans (6 experts and 9 beginners). The artisans successfully mastered the entire fiber-to-fabric skill set and effectively integrated the eco-friendly banana fiber yarn into the Karawo embroidery process. This success not only diversified the artisans' product portfolio but also validated the potential of banana waste as a high-value-added material. Fundamentally, this community service activity successfully established a locally driven Circular Economy model, reinforcing the contribution of the Karawo cultural product to the regional Green Economy