Sustainability of Kipas MSMEs Traditional Based Local Wisdom as Supporting Village Household Economy

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the sustainability of traditional hihid micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) based on local wisdom as a means of supporting household economies in Kumbung Village, Rajagaluh District, Majalengka Regency. A descriptive qualitative case study design was employed, involving nine purposively selected informants: five hihid producers, three family members, and one dealer. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, non-participant observation, and documentation from March to June 2025 and analyzed using the Miles and Huberman model, framed by livelihood strategy and social capital perspectives. The results showed that traditional hihid MSMEs contributed 60 to 75 percent of total household income, with weekly output of 150 to 200 units sold to dealers at IDR 3,000 to 3,500 per unit, and functioned as a family economic strategy for income stability. Business sustainability was supported by inherited weaving skills, locally sourced bamboo, and the involvement of family members as labor, which kept production costs low. The dealer based marketing system, although offering limited added value, proved an adaptive mechanism providing market certainty. Sustainability was nevertheless constrained by product modernization and weak regeneration, since only two of the nine informants had identified successors. This study concluded that the sustainability of traditional MSMEs was determined not by business growth but by the capacity of households to secure income continuity and preserve local cultural identity. The novelty lies in positioning household economics, rather than firm competitiveness, as the analytical entry point for MSME sustainability.