Jeju Island is the largest island in South Korea, the only place in the world that has been designated a National Biosphere conservation area, a World Natural Heritage site, and Global Geopark. Through the government-led Carbon-Free Island Initiative, Jeju plans to become a net-zero hub by 2030 utilizing renewable energy, electric vehicles, smart grids, and microgrids (P4G, 2023). The most notable cultural tradition on Jeju Island is Haenyeo, a tradition that dates to the 17th Century of female divers that harvest seafood without any breathing apparatus. It is an important part of the island's economy and food culture, but is also a symbol of women's empowerment and strength. The Haenyeo are recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, but unfortunately, this community is experiencing a severe decline and is expected to become extinct in the next 15 years due to increased industrialization, different work opportunities, and the impacts of climate change on Jeju's marine environment.

Team Bada (Bada means Ocean in Korean) strives to collaboratively design a vertically-integrated aquaculture hatchery system powered by solar energy, in which different stages of seafood production are combined in one system. The core of this project is to listen to and respond to the needs of the women and their environment, with a design and structure that allows the Haenyeo themselves to operate and run the facility on Jeju year-round. Aquaculture can involve cultivating, breeding, and growing seafood in one facility, providing a sustainable source of seafood that could supplement wild catch. Secondly, it would develop work opportunities for young women who might have otherwise left Jeju, or women who may not be able to continue diving into the sea due to their age or health conditions.

This operation, as a supplement to their diving practice, would be led and managed by a growing generation of divers, underpinned by their deep wisdom around marine life ecosystems. Through strategic partnerships with Jeju University's ecology program and the Haenyeo University, the women can form the necessary skills to design, build, and manage the hatchery. In their current economic system, the Haenyeo often sell or export their catch, and if the seafood populations decline, so do their salaries. A core principle of the Haenyeo practice is to collect seafood sustainably, and the women do not work during mating seasons, which forces many to resort to farm labor to supplement their income from selling their catch. In this model, the seafood, both sustainably cultured in the hatchery and caught in the ocean, are cleaned and processed by the Haenyeo for market year-round. This circular economy would allow the women to self-determine investments into their community, whether it be building new hatcheries, or even a restaurant owned and operated by the women, which could gain income through the tourism industry. Regardless of how they would decide to move forward, this initiative is grounded in finding ways to survive and thrive through a combination of their indigenous knowledge and sustainable innovation.

Context

South Korea's Traditional Cultural Landscape

In recent decades, South Korea has undergone a rapid cultural transformation. This has had both positive and negative effects on its society and culture. While the rise of K-pop and global entertainment has brought international attention and economic growth to South Korea, it has also led to a loss of cultural identity. In 2021, traditional culture and music were the two arts activities with the lowest participation rates, 2.4% and 3.9%, respectively (KOSIS, 2021). This reflects the lack of interest and appreciation for traditional cultures and arts across South Korea in favor of more globalized cultural experiences.

Traditional cultures are deeply rooted in history, community, and spirituality, and create a sense of identity, belonging, and continuity for those who practice them. Team Bada believes that valuing and preserving traditional heritages in a globalized world allows us to gain a deeper appreciation for the diversity and richness of human experience and creates a more connected and pluralistic global community.

The Problem

Decline of Jeju Island's Haenyeo Culture

At the heart of Jeju and South Korea's cultural heritage landscape is the Haenyeo culture. For centuries, the Haenyeo culture has been a symbol of strength, independence, and resilience in South Korea. The women divers' economic activities shaped the social fabric of Jeju Island, shifting the economic centers from farm to fishery villages in the early 1900s (Lee et al., 2018). In 2019, this community accounted for 42% of the island's fisherpeople population (Hong, 2022), playing an important role in Jeju's commercial sector. Their matriarchal system of organization and status as the first working mothers of Korea was prominent in breaking down barriers and promoting gender equality. Furthermore, the community's sustainable fishing practice is crucial in maintaining the ecological balance of the surrounding oceans and protecting the diversity of the island's marine life.

Despite its significance, the Haenyeo community has declined rapidly in recent years due to economic and social shifts, and most importantly, climate change. In 1970, the Haenyeo culture was 14,143 strong (Lee et al., 2017). By 2021, this number steeply deteriorated by 75.6% to 3,437 and 91% of the active Haenyeo are over 60 years old (Haenyeo Museum, 2022). Despite ongoing efforts, the aging community and decline in the number of active divers remain a significant challenge to the preservation of the culture, as the tradition is expected to fade within a decade (Ram, 2021).

Global Significance

Preserving the Haenyeo culture is an urgent task as the community's decline reflects broader issues beyond the borders of South Korea. The women's unique technique for harvesting seafood that minimizes environmental impact teaches an important lesson on living in harmony with the environment in a modern world that often prioritizes economic growth and development over sustainable living. The community's decline also raises concerns about the future of cultural diversity, as its disappearance would represent a loss of a valuable part of the world's cultural heritage. This is part of a global trend fueled by rapid economic growth and globalization as traditional ways of life are replaced by more modern, Westernized lifestyles. Finally, it highlights the need for greater attention to issues of gender inequality, as the Haenyeo women have been the financial backbone of their families and community in a patriarchal society.

Process

Our team's process consisted of five elements: 1) Research, 2) Problem/Target Identification, 3) Community and Expert Engagement, 4) Solution Design, and 5) Logistics/Partnerships.

Goals

The 3R Model developed by cultural psychologist and Haenyeo expert Dr. Anne Hilty specifies Relevance, Reframing, and Replicability as the core concepts of cultural preservation. Hilty has posited that the Haenyeo should be considered "Native Marine Biologists." Despite the predominantly basic level of education that many Haenyeo have, their inherent knowledge of the ocean's ecosystem makes them highly valuable keepers of knowledge and thus, the ideal community to design their future (Hilty, 2015). In designing our project goals, we followed this model:

Relevance: The project seeks to combine traditional knowledge and practices with modern technology and sustainable fishing practices. This can help ensure the continued relevance and importance of the Haenyeo culture in the context of modern environmental and economic challenges.

Reframing: The project reframes Haenyeo's traditional practices by applying them in a new context of sustainable aquaculture farming. This presents the value and versatility of traditional knowledge and practices and demonstrates that they can be adapted and applied to address modern challenges.

Replicability: The project is designed to be replicable in other coastal communities facing similar challenges of declining sea product populations and economic pressures. By documenting and sharing the knowledge and practices developed, this can serve as a model for sustainable aquaculture farming and cultural preservation in other regions around the world.

Solution

Solar-Powered Shellfish Hatchery

Our team has designed a vertically-integrated hatchery system that can help repopulate Jeju Island's marine life, while involving the Haenyeo women in the planning and operational stages. This system is a significant departure from fossil fuel-powered hatchery systems, as it harnesses renewable energy to reinvigorate Jeju's marine life and mitigate the effects of climate change in harmony with the island's Carbon Free Initiative. This can be placed on offshore areas surrounding Jeju and requires a floating solar photovoltaic power generation system, panels, and a battery storage system.

The hatchery system is a scalable and replicable solution to help restore marine ecosystems, while also creating a sustainable economic opportunity for the Haenyeo community. Haenyeo's knowledge of the ocean, fishing, and marine life will be critical in planning and operating the system sustainably. The Haenyeo's involvement in the project will not only help preserve their cultural heritage but also ensure the long-term viability of the project. This may create a direct impact on the community's survivability, integrating the culture's knowledge and innovative technology. The system will adopt a vertical integration model, creating a sustainable and circular economy within the Haenyeo culture. This model involves multiple steps and a collaborative effort between the Haenyeo community and our project partners.

Impact

The Triple Bottom Line by Design + Culture model by Dr. Mary McBride, Chair of Pratt Institute's Creative Enterprise Leadership program, emphasizes measuring impact through three bottom lines (People, Planet, Profit) in conjunction with the cultural values of a community.

People

Directly involving the Haenyeo in the planning and operations of the hatchery will elevate the status of the community members and help preserve their livelihood and knowledge. Additionally, the initiative will thrive off of collaboration across sectors. Stakeholders include: the Haenyeo community; vital partnerships between Jeju University's Marine Life Science Department the Hansupul Haenyeo School; governmental support from the Jeju Self-Governing Provincial Council and related policymakers; and financial/technical support from nonprofit and granting agencies as well as the enterprise renewable energy sector.

Planet

The hatchery system will repopulate the ocean around Jeju with various species of shellfish, populations which have begun to decline due to climate change and pollution. This will help improve the health of the oceans, restore ecosystem balance, and promote sustainable fishing practices.

Profit

The project will generate economic benefits for the Haenyeo community by providing job opportunities and creating a new market for sustainably farmed seafood products. This will also contribute to the local economy, increase income for the community, and create opportunities for entrepreneurship.

+ Culture

Through the preservation and promotion of Haenyeo heritage, the traditional wisdom and practices of the Haenyeo will be passed onto future generations, protecting the cultural integrity of Jeju and South Korea.

Conclusion

Team Bada hopes to protect and bring light to Haenyeo's way of life and respect for nature and the sea. By designing an aquaculture system that ensures the repopulation of shellfish stocks in the oceans surrounding Jeju Island, we can help secure the livelihoods of the Haenyeo women and preserve their cultural heritage. Through this project, we aim for Jeju to set an example for other coastal communities around the globe to follow, promoting sustainable fishing practices and marine resource management while enriching the lives of Indigenous communities. We hope this project can serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for small islands worldwide to take action and protect their marine resources and cultures for future generations.

During the 1) Research and 2) Problem/Target Identification phases, we conducted extensive research on South Korea and Jeju Island's cultural landscape, focusing on the Haenyeo and challenges around the community's preservation. Then we 3) engaged two young Haenyeo women by conducting an initial ethnographic interview and learned that a stark decrease in harvestable shellfish due to climate change is the fundamental reason behind Haenyeo's decline. We met with Dr. Christopher Shrum, who has years of experience in capacity building for Indigenous communities as well as aquaculture development, and SK Innovation, a leading South Korean corporation in green infrastructure development, which led us to imagine the 4) solution of creating a solar-powered hatchery system to repopulate the damaged marine ecosystems of Jeju. We are now 5) establishing connections with the community and potential project partners while exploring the logistics, including materials, budget, and technology to achieve our project goals.