Strengthening The Social License to Operate through Area-Based Community Empowerment: A Case Study of Lopak Alai, Kasang Lopak, and Kota Karang Villages, Kumpeh Ulu, Muaro Jambi Regency

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the implementation of area-based community empowerment across three villages in Kumpeh Ulu, Muaro Jambi Regency, and to examine its contribution to strengthening the social license to operate (SLO) of PT Pertamina EP Jambi Field, an upstream oil and gas company operating in the area, using the Acceptance, Deterrence, and Prominence (ADP) perspective. This study employed a qualitative case study approach. Data were collected through program documentation, field observations, and interviews with community members, village governments, beneficiary groups, and other relevant stakeholders. The data were analyzed using a descriptive-interpretive approach by relating empirical findings to the ADP framework. The community empowerment programs were developed based on the characteristics and potential of each village, including biofloc fish farming in Kasang Lopak Alai Village, processed catfish culinary products in Lopak Alai Village, micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) development in Kota Karang Village, the Sekolah Lansia Tangguh (Resilient Elderly School), and cross-village initiatives addressing stunting and malnutrition prevention. Economically, the biofloc fish farming group in Kasang Lopak Alai Village, consisting of nine members and operating five ponds, generated approximately IDR 10 million in net group income per production cycle. This study contributes to the literature by positioning area-based community empowerment within Indonesia’s upstream oil and gas industry as an object of analysis through the ADP framework, an approach that has been more commonly applied to mining contexts in developed countries.