PEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT BERBASIS POTENSI LOKAL MELALUI PENGOLAHAN TEMPURUNG KELAPA MENJADI BRIKET DALAM PROGRAM KKN DI DESA KENJE POLEWALI MANDAR

Abstract

Kenje Village, Campalagian Sub-district, Polewali Mandar Regency, West Sulawesi Province, is a coastal village with abundant coconut potential as one of its leading agricultural commodities. The processing of coconut shells into charcoal has developed into a source of livelihood for part of the community, with the charcoal marketed to areas outside the region, including Makassar City and Java. However, the processing carried out so far has been limited to bulk charcoal production, while further processing into briquettes as a higher-value product has not yet been undertaken at the village level. This condition is compounded by complaints from part of the community regarding smoke pollution from traditional burning, which, according to the local Health Office, poses potential health risks to residents near the burning sites. This study aims to describe the process of community empowerment based on local potential through the introduction of coconut-shell-to-briquette processing in a Community Service Program (KKN) in Kenje Village. The study employs a qualitative approach using the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) model, which emphasizes the use of existing community assets as the starting point for empowerment, following five stages: Discovery, Dream, Design, Define, and Destiny. Data were collected through interviews with a charcoal-processing business actor and community figures, field observation, activity documentation, and literature review. The results show that Kenje Village possesses strong assets in the form of available raw materials, charcoal-processing skills that have been practiced since August 2025, and an established distribution network, yet these assets have not been utilized to produce higher-value products such as briquettes. The KKN program introducing briquette processing received a positive response from the business actor and community figures, as it was considered capable of increasing the sale value of charcoal while potentially reducing smoke-related problems. This study concludes that the ABCD approach is effective in building community awareness and motivation to utilize local potential, although the quantitative economic and environmental impacts still require further measurement.