The Role of the UIN Saizu Food Court as a Local Economic Space and a Site of Empowerment for Campus Vendors
Keywords:
food court, local economy, economic empowerment, campus vendors, ABCDAbstract
The existence of a food court on campus not only functions as a supporting facility for academic activities, but also plays a strategic role as a local economic space for micro-entrepreneurs. This study aims to analyze the role of the Food Court of UIN Prof. K.H. Saifuddin Zuhri (UIN SAIZU) Purwokerto in supporting economic activities and empowering campus vendors. The study employed a qualitative approach with a case study design. Data were collected through observation, semi-structured interviews, and documentation. Informants were selected purposively, namely vendors directly involved in food court activities. Data were analyzed descriptively and interpretively by linking field findings to the perspectives of locality development and Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD).
The findings show that the UIN SAIZU food court functions as a local economic space that provides business opportunities, additional income, and relatively stable market access for campus vendors, although most of them still regard it as a side business. Beyond its economic function, the food court also serves as a social space that strengthens relationships among vendors and generates social capital in the form of trust, informal cooperation, and solidarity. However, its empowerment role still faces several challenges, including limited facilities, weak maintenance, instability in the number of buyers during semester breaks, and minimal business and management training. From the perspectives of locality development and ABCD, the food court has significant potential to be developed into a more participatory, inclusive, and sustainable local economic space. Therefore, improvements in facility management, broader vendor participation in governance, and stronger capacity building are needed to optimize the food court’s contribution to the campus local economy
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