The Gorontalo Local Food Movement and the Self-Confidence of South Huntu Mothers

Ambuwa Market in Huntu Selatan Village, Bone Bolango Regency, Gorontalo, was founded in 2018 by Huntu Art District (Hartdisk), a multidisciplinary community specializing in fine arts, performance, literature, the environment, culture, and local food. Ambuwa Market is a bi-monthly art and culinary market, held every weekend.

At Ambuwa Market, transactions are carried out with bu'awu (coconut shells as a medium of exchange), and all the vendors are housewives from the local village. The menu is entirely based on local foods, such as ilabulo, kolombengi, corn rice, moringa leaf vegetables, and traditional snacks. Ingredients are sourced from local markets or even from their own gardens.

Kata Ambuwa The name itself comes from "Am" and "Buwa," which in Gorontalo mean "woman." This name aptly reflects the spirit of the market: women are the primary drivers in preserving local food. An integral part of Ambuwa Market is Citizen Food Studio (SPW), which is a space for mothers to share experiences and learn about healthy, safe, and environmentally friendly local food, as a basis for producing processed food to be sold at Ambuwa Market.

The women who are members of SPW face challenges, such as limited knowledge and understanding of local foods, feelings of inferiority when interacting with customers, and a lack of public speaking skills. To address these challenges, SPW initiated a series of capacity-building activities and infrastructure expansion at Ambuwa Market.

More than eight collaborative learning sessions with the Community Food Studio were held, both at Hartdisk and on a rotating basis at the homes of women vendors. The material covered included an understanding of healthy local food, preservative-free processing techniques, household waste management, family financial management, and simple digital literacy. The approach prioritized the mothers' everyday experiences as the primary source of learning.

The increased knowledge gained through this learning process became a significant turning point in building the confidence of the women vendors. Previously, many of them felt hesitant when it came to explaining the processed foods they sold. However, they now feel more confident in engaging in dialogue with customers, explaining the ingredients and processing of their products, and expanding their menu options according to the season and the availability of local ingredients. This is where the women of South Huntu begin to take on a new role: from simply selling food, they are now also able to share knowledge behind local foods, especially in terms of nutritional content, environmentally friendly packaging, and traditional and attractive presentation.

The economic outlook also shows a positive trend for Ambuwa Market. Revenues are starting to rise, the number of vendors is increasing, and the menu is becoming more diverse. Although fluctuations in local food prices have been a challenge, adaptive measures such as maintaining stock and seeking alternatives to cope with price fluctuations are now being implemented as a long-term strategy.

Stage renovation Bandayo Pomata The Ambuwa Market area is also a key part of the transformation. The space can now be used as a public activity center and can accommodate more people. With a more comfortable and spacious space, market activities can be interspersed with art performances, public discussions, or open training sessions, which is expected to attract more visitors.

SPW also collaborated with local Gorontalo artists, members of Huntu Art District, to produce creative environmental campaign works, which were installed around the market to educate visitors. The provision of eco-friendly, reusable tableware and drinking utensils also emphasized Ambuwa Market's commitment to ecological values ​​and practices. This program had a social impact by engaging 392 women, 392 men, and 261 young people in South Huntu Village in the Gorontalo local food movement.

During the Community Food Studio (Studio Pangan Warga) joint learning class, the women vendors emerged with insightful ideas to support their businesses at Ambuwa Market, such as creating new menus, creating mini kitchens to maintain productivity even in the rain, rotating savings and savings groups to facilitate access to capital, and establishing a food cooperative. This demonstrates that the Community Food Studio (SPW) has transcended its initial function and successfully encouraged the involvement of women from South Huntu in Gorontalo's local food movement. It has also evolved into a collaborative space for growth and mutual empowerment.