Pemberdayaan Ibu Balita dalam Menyiapkan Makanan Bernilai Gizi Tinggi Berbasis Kearifan Lokal: Ubi Jalar dan Ikan Lele di Desa Mekar Agung Kecamatan Cibadak Kabupaten Lebak

Siti Rusyanti (Poltekkes Kemenkes Banten)
Nani Yuningsih (Poltekkes Kemenkes Banten)

Jurnal Kreativitas PKM
Vol 9, No 10 (2026): Volume 9 Nomor 10 (2026)

ABSTRACT Lebak Regency recorded a high stunting rate, including Mekar Agung Village, which identified 7 stunted toddlers. Suboptimal nutritional fulfillment is triggered by limited knowledge and skills of mothers in preparing varied food. On the other hand, local wisdom commodities such as sweet potatoes and catfish are highly abundant, affordable, and nutrient-dense but have not been optimally utilized. This community service activity aimed to empower mothers of toddlers through nutritional education and food processing training based on local ingredients to prevent stunting. This activity involved 10 mothers of toddlers in Mekar Agung Village as target partners, assisted by 3 midwifery students. The implementation methods included situation analysis, pre-test, nutritional education, hands-on practice in making varied menus (catfish nuggets, catfish rolade, purple sweet potato pudding), post-test, and regular monitoring-evaluation through home visits with the Village Midwife. The results showed a significant increase in the "Good" knowledge category from 20% during the pre-test to 90% after the post-test. Target partners also became 100% highly skilled in practicing filleting techniques, hygienic processing, and innovative menu packaging. The monitoring phase confirmed behavioral changes in mothers regarding daily menu diversification, leading to improved child food acceptance and a positive trend in toddler weight gain by an average of 0.2 kg to 0.5 kg. Community empowerment through the utilization of local wisdom foodstuffs effectively improves mothers' cognitive and psychomotor capacities and supports the nutritional status improvement of toddlers. Keywords: Catfish, Local Wisdom, Nutrition, Stunting, Sweet Potato.  ABSTRAK Kabupaten Lebak mencatat angka stunting yang tinggi, termasuk di Desa Mekar Agung yang mengidentifikasi adanya 7 balita stunting. Pola pemenuhan gizi yang tidak optimal dipicu oleh keterbatasan pengetahuan dan kemampuan ibu balita dalam mengolah makanan yang bervariasi. Di sisi lain, komoditas kearifan lokal seperti ubi jalar dan ikan lele sangat melimpah, murah, dan kaya gizi namun belum dimanfaatkan optimal. Kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini bertujuan untuk memberdayakan ibu balita melalui edukasi nutrisi dan pelatihan pengolahan makanan berbasis bahan lokal guna mencegah stunting. Metode: Kegiatan ini melibatkan 10 ibu balita di Desa Mekar Agung sebagai mitra sasaran serta didampingi oleh 3 mahasiswa kebidanan. Metode pelaksanaan mencakup analisis situasi, pre-test, edukasi pemahaman nutrisi, praktik langsung pembuatan variasi menu (nugget lele, rolade lele, puding ubi ungu), post-test, serta monitoring evaluasi berkala melalui kunjungan rumah bersama Bidan Pembina Desa. Hasil kegiatan menunjukkan lonjakan pengetahuan kategori "Baik" dari semula 20% saat pre-test menjadi 90% setelah post-test. Mitra sasaran juga 100% menjadi sangat terampil dalam mempraktikkan teknik fillet, pengolahan higienis, dan pengemasan inovasi menu. Tahap monitoring mengonfirmasi perubahan perilaku ibu dalam diversifikasi menu harian balita yang berdampak pada peningkatan daya terima anak dan tren kenaikan berat badan (BB) balita rata-rata sebesar 0,2 kg hingga 0,5 kg. Pemberdayaan masyarakat secara mandiri melalui pemanfaatan bahan pangan kearifan lokal efektif meningkatkan kapasitas kognitif dan psikomotorik ibu serta mendukung perbaikan status gizi anak balita.  Kata Kunci: Gizi, Ikan Lele, Kearifan Lokal, Stunting, Ubi Jalar.