Ethnobotany, Local Wisdom, and Student Entrepreneurship: A Communication Perspective on Community Economic Development

Maisuri Renida (Universitas Syiah Kuala)
Eka Deviana Safitri (Universitas Syiah Kuala)
Nurul Azmi (Universitas Syiah Kuala)

Journal of Communication Science and Public Administration
Vol. 2 No. 2 (2026): April, Public Service Communication and Citizen-Centered Governance

This article aims to explore the potential of ethnobotany as an instrument of innovation in the development of student entrepreneurship based on local wisdom. The background of this research is based on the phenomenon of abundant biodiversity and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants in Indonesia that have not been commercially optimized by the younger generation in the university environment. The main problem identified is the tendency of students to build generic operational businesses that lack originality in cultural values, so they are vulnerable to losing competition. This article uses a library research method with a qualitative-descriptive approach that synthesizes data from 15 selected scientific literature from 2012 to 2026. The results show that the integration of ethnobotanical knowledge into agribusiness and creative economy business models is able to transform the simplification of local plants into high-value-added commercial products. The latest in this article indicates that ethnobotanical exploration is not only limited to students of science study programs, but has become a trend across disciplines including law and agribusiness students to promote the green economy movement.