The Research Institute for Inland Fisheries and Extension, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (RIIFE-MMAF) and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center/Inland Fishery Resources Development and Management Department (SEAFDEC/IFRDMD), are exploring a strategic collaboration to develop the Fisheries Extension Installation in Keramasan, Palembang, Indonesia, into a practical center for extension, aquaculture innovation, capacity building, and regional knowledge exchange.
The initiative represents an important opportunity for Indonesia to further strengthen its fisheries extension system while positioning RIIFE-MMAF as a potential national and regional hub for practical fisheries knowledge, technology demonstration, and human resource development. The collaboration was discussed during the meeting between SEAFDEC/IFRDMD and RIIFE-MMAF on 5 August 2026 and was followed by a field visit to the Keramasan facility on 6 August 2026. The visit provided an opportunity for both institutions to review the existing facilities, identify development priorities, and discuss how the approximately 9.7-ha site could be optimized to support practical learning, technology demonstration, and fisheries extension activities.
From a Demonstration Site to a Strategic Learning Platform. Keramasan has significant potential to evolve beyond a conventional aquaculture demonstration site. Under the proposed concept, the facility could gradually become a Fisheries Extension Demonstration and Learning Center where technologies are tested, demonstrated, adapted, and transferred through hands-on learning. The center could provide a practical environment for fisheries extension officers, fish farmers, students, researchers, private-sector actors, and other stakeholders to learn directly from field-based experiences. Potential activities include the demonstration of aquaculture technologies, fisheries extension innovations, water and culture-media management, alternative feed development, utilization of aquaculture waste, fish processing and value addition, measurable aquaculture production practices, and fisheries business consultation. This approach would allow Keramasan to function not only as a place where technologies are displayed, but as a living laboratory for learning, innovation, testing, and knowledge transfer.
Strengthening the Strategic Role of RIIFE-MMAF. A key opportunity arising from the proposed collaboration is the strengthening of RIIFE-MMAF’s role as a center of excellence for fisheries extension and practical capacity building. As a technical implementation unit under the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, RIIFE-MMAF has an important mandate and institutional experience in supporting fisheries extension and human resource development. The development of Keramasan could provide a concrete platform to translate this mandate into a more integrated model combining extension, technology demonstration, practical training, and knowledge management.
The initiative also provides an opportunity to strengthen the role of Indonesian fisheries extension officers. Rather than functioning solely as intermediaries between government programs and fisheries communities, extension officers could increasingly serve as trainers, instructors, technology demonstrators, facilitators, and resource persons. Through hands-on activities at Keramasan, extension officers could develop practical competencies that can subsequently be transferred to fish farmers and other fisheries stakeholders across Indonesia.
Opening Opportunities for Regional Capacity Building. The proposed partnership with SEAFDEC/IFRDMD could further expand the role of Keramasan beyond a national facility. The site has the potential to serve as a venue for practical training, technical demonstrations, study visits, and knowledge exchange involving participants from SEAFDEC Member Countries. Indonesian fisheries extension officers and technical experts could contribute directly to regional capacity-building activities, while participants from Southeast Asia could learn from Indonesia’s experiences in inland fisheries, aquaculture, and fisheries extension.
This would create an important two-way learning mechanism. Indonesia would have the opportunity to share its technologies, field experiences, extension approaches, and institutional practices with the region, while RIIFE-MMAF and its partners could also benefit from knowledge and experiences developed by other Southeast Asian countries. In this context, Keramasan could gradually emerge as one of the practical platforms supporting ASEAN-level knowledge exchange in inland fisheries and aquaculture.
Connecting Government, Research, Education, and Industry. The development of Keramasan also creates opportunities for broader multi-stakeholder collaboration. Local governments, universities, research institutions, fisheries businesses, financial institutions, state-owned enterprises, fish processing industries, vocational schools, and fisheries communities could be engaged according to their respective areas of expertise. Such partnerships could enable Keramasan to connect the entire fisheries innovation and development chain:
research and technology → demonstration → training → entrepreneurship → adoption → monitoring → replication.
Universities and research institutions could contribute scientific knowledge and technology development. Private-sector partners could support commercialization and business development. Financial institutions could provide access to financing models. Vocational schools could utilize the facility for practical education, while local governments and fisheries communities could support wider adoption and replication. Through this approach, Keramasan could become a platform where technology, extension, entrepreneurship, education, and field experience are brought together in one integrated ecosystem.
Building a Sustainable Demonstration and Learning Model. The previous evaluation of the Keramasan demonstration program, including the giant gourami culture initiative using probiotics and natural feed, identified the strategic potential of the site while also highlighting several areas requiring further strengthening. These include the development of reliable baseline data, technical feasibility assessment, measurable performance indicators, routine monitoring, clear management responsibilities, appropriate operational mechanisms, and long-term sustainability. These considerations will form an important foundation for the future development of the site. The objective is therefore not simply to improve physical infrastructure, but to establish a well-managed, measurable, and sustainable learning and demonstration system. Future performance could be assessed through indicators such as the number of technologies demonstrated, extension officers trained, training programs conducted, stakeholders reached, technologies adopted, business models developed, and successful practices replicated in other fisheries communities.
A Potential Model for Replication. The long-term value of Keramasan will ultimately depend on its ability to generate lessons and practices that can be applied beyond the site itself. The proposed model is therefore designed around a cycle of:
Test → Demonstrate → Learn → Train → Apply → Monitor → Improve → Replicate.
Successful technologies and extension approaches developed at Keramasan could subsequently be transferred to other fisheries extension facilities and communities in Indonesia. At the same time, selected experiences could be shared through SEAFDEC’s regional network, creating opportunities for adaptation and replication among Southeast Asian countries.
A Strategic Opportunity for Indonesia. The collaboration provides a significant opportunity for MMAF and RIIFE to strengthen Indonesia’s visibility and leadership in fisheries extension, inland fisheries, and aquaculture capacity building. With its existing land resources, institutional mandate, fisheries extension expertise, and potential to engage diverse stakeholders, Keramasan offers a strong foundation for developing a practical center that responds to both national and regional needs. For SEAFDEC/IFRDMD, the partnership provides an opportunity to connect regional knowledge and capacity-building activities with an operational field-based facility in Indonesia. For RIIFE-MMAF, it offers an opportunity to demonstrate Indonesia’s institutional capacity, technologies, extension approaches, and field experiences to a wider regional audience. The collaboration therefore represents more than the development of a single demonstration facility. It is an opportunity to establish a national and potentially regional platform for fisheries learning, innovation, extension, and knowledge exchange.
Moving forward, RIIFE-MMAF and SEAFDEC/IFRDMD will continue discussions on the development framework for Keramasan, including facility improvement, operational and management arrangements, monitoring mechanisms, priority demonstration activities, partnership opportunities, and capacity-building programs. Through a phased and collaborative approach, the Fisheries Extension Installation in Keramasan has the potential to become a practical center where Indonesia’s fisheries knowledge and innovations are developed, demonstrated, shared, and scaled up creating benefits not only for Indonesian fisheries communities but also for the wider Southeast Asian region.