While we were chilling and relaxing and enjoying the good life at Le Pirate Beach Club, the seaweed farmers were up and at it everyday, busy collecting seaweed for end consumers like us. What a contrast! It made it seem wrong to be in that infinity pool, spending more money a day than they probably earned in one week. We had it so nice up there, and the farmers were working their butts off.

One day, we decide  to go down the cliff and check out the seaweeds and maybe learn a little more about the farmers. Once we were in the water, we started speaking with a farmer and his wife, both in the same profession. Once they collect the seaweed, they have to seperate the seaweed from the grass. The grass gets thrown back into the sea. The water is crystal cler and only about knee deep. I suppose this makes the farming easier. It looks stunnig, especially from a distance.
They then carry the seaweed home and dry it for a day. Someone picks up the seaweed the next day in order to sell it for further processing and in the end, products like face moisturizers or face masks are sold in stores for us to enjoy without even thinking about the farmers who work all day in the scorching heat.

The farmers we spoke to earn 3,000 Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) per kilogram and can harvest up to 10 kilograms per day. That makes 30,000 IDR per day, which equals to roughly 1,25 Euros. Assumig they work 6 days a week, their monthly income would roughly be 46 Euros, making a yearly income of about 555 Euros. With their income (that’s household income, mind you. Not 555 Euros per person), they still have to pay rent and feed themselves, at the very least. We didn’t want to pry too much, so I can only assume that they can not afford any health care or much else for that matter.

But they were all smiles, very happy about what they had and were happy to talk to us. It really makes you think about what counts in life. And how crazy it is that we pay so much money for makeup products and how little the people who make it possible for us to enjoy a better life earn.

Last year, they earned 10,000 IDR per kg, which equals to about 1,871 Euros per year, if I did my math correctly. They must really “feel” the sudden drop in price. How much has their lives been influenced because of the change in market price? 
Will you continue  to buy these products to help support the farmers, or will you decide to boycott in order to support? How do you think your actions will influence them?

I haven’t figured out what will help most. But it really puts things into perspective.

**Thanks to Tobi and Martita for providing me with the pictures.**