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The Evolution of Aquatic Agricultural Systems in Southwest Bangladesh in Response to Salinity and Other Drivers of Change

Golam Faruque
WorldFish, Bangladesh Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Rayhan Hayat Sarwer
WorldFish, Bangladesh Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Manjurul Karim
WorldFish, Yangon, Myanmar

Michael Phillips
WorldFish,Penang, Malaysia

William J. Collis
CIMMYT, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Ben Belton
Michigan State University, Yangon, Myanmar

Laila Kassam
Amaranth Sustainable Development LLP, London, UK

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Aquatic agricultural systems (AAS) in coastal Southwest Bangladesh have evolved in response to a number of stimuli and constraints including improving market access, technological change, and salinization. Farming systems in the region are highly dynamic and are characterized by the integration of varying combinations of freshwater prawns, rice, fish, vegetables, and brackish water shrimp. This paper examines the developmental history, productivity, and profitability of three distinct AAS: a low-salinity freshwater prawn-dominated system; an intermediate-salinity-mixed prawn and shrimp system, and a high-salinity shrimp-dominated system. Productivity, cropping intensity, and profitability is found to be highest in the diversified low- and intermediate-salinity systems, and lower in the high-salinity system, where cultivation of rice and vegetables is no longer possible. The paper concludes that more diverse integrated systems reduce risk and vulnerability for farming households. Salinization is found to be a double-edged sword – proving a stimulus to diversification at low levels, but reducing agro-biodiversity at higher salt concentrations. While the adaptation strategies in all systems have been successful in maintaining or improving most, though not all, system functions due to high levels of social resilience, support for effective community-based adaptation strategies will enable continued transformation and adaptation to future drivers of change.

Keywords: Aquatic agricultural systems; Farming systems; Resilience; Salinity; Adaptive capacity; Risk and vulnerability

Location: Southwest Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Non-commodity: Evaluation

Objectives:

The objectives of this paper are to understand how communities in different AAS in South-west Bangladesh have adapted to changing salinity and other drivers of change, the effects of these adaptation strategies on the livelihoods of people living in communities in AAS, and the performance of these systems.

Methodology:

2.2. Research design and study area: This paper takes a comparative case study approach to analyze the three main AAS systems in southwest Bangladesh, as outlined above. Case studies were conducted and data were collected in three villages in Bagerhat district between January 2011 and March 2012. The research was carried out under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Greater Harvest and Economic Returns from Shrimp (GHERS) project, implemented by WorldFishfrom October 2008 to December 2012. Based on knowledge gained through project implementation, each of the study villages was chosen to represent one of the three AAS types as follows:(i) Shibpur village representing the low-salinity giant freshwater prawn farming system is located in Chitalmari Upazila (sub-district), 35 km north-east of Bagerhat district town; (ii)Moshni village representing the intermediate-salinity mixed prawn and shrimp farming systems located in Kachua Upazila; and (iii) Kalekharber village representing the high-salinity shrimp-dominated farming system is located in Rampal Upazila. Villages representative of the high-salinity shrimp and intermediate-salinity mixed shrimp–prawn farming AAS were selected from within the GHERS project working area, and the village representative of the low-salinity prawn-dominated AAS was selected from the working area of another WorldFishimplemented project (the USAID-funded Aquaculture for Income and Nutrition project). 2.3. Data collection: A mixed methods research approach using both qualitative and quantitative methods was used. Qualitative data were collected mainly through focus group discussions (FGDs) while quantitative data were collected through a survey of gher operating households. Three community FGDs were conducted between January and March 2011 in each of the three study villages (nine FGDsin total) in order understand the evolution of the different AAS over the last three decades (since the 1980s). A mixture of participants took part in the FGDs to ensure that a range of perspectives was canvassed. Participants included women and men, experienced and younger gher operators, and a small number of business owners and salaried workers. Each FGD included 15–20 participants. Data were collected on the following subjects: (i) the occupations, land ownership and participation in gher farming of the village population; (ii) current cropping patterns and changes in cropping patterns over time; (iii) the history of change in local farming systems particularly in relation to the introduction of shrimp, prawn and other major crops; (iv) key drivers of change in relation to the adoption of current farming systems; (v) the impacts of changes in farming systems on livelihoods in the study villages; and (vi) strategies for coping with shocks and stresses in the farming systems. A timeline of change in the farming systems was developed in each village during participatory sessions with farmers’ groups in order to trace specific developments in AAS over the last three decades. Participatory crop production calendars were developed in each village to provide information on cropping patterns. Key informant interviews were also undertaken with local school teachers, union Parishad (local government) members and prawn/shrimp traders. To collect quantitative data, a survey was conducted with gher operating households selected at random from a list of 587 households in the three study villages. Interviews were carried out in early 2012 by project field staff (extension facilitators) of the GHERS project. A total of 102 gher operating farmers were interviewed: 38 from Shibpur village,30 from Moshni, and 34 from Kalekharber village. The survey collected data on: (i) landholdings and farming systems including the area under ghers, field crops, vegetables, and home-steads; (ii) the cropping calendar (timing of plot preparation, nursing, seedling plantation, fish/shrimp/prawn seed stocking, and harvesting); (iii) production of shrimp, prawn, fish, rice, vegetables and fruits, and associated costs and revenues; (iv) the quantity and value of family, hired, and permanent labour used for farming activities; and (v) consumption and sale of crops. Additional data were later collected from 10 households who cultivated crab along with shrimp in high-saline AAS in March 2015 in order to better understand the growing tendency to farm crabs as an activity supplementary to shrimp farming, as revealed by the earlier fieldwork.

Source of Information: International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2016

Article Link (Online Journal): http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2016.1193424

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

AAS in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh has been transformed over the last two decades in response to several factors, of which changes in salinity and international prawn, shrimp and, more recently, crab prices have been the main drivers. Gher-based aquaculture has been a key strategy for communities to adapt to these changes. The evolution of the three AAS, involving the introduction of ghers in these systems and the development of integrated aquaculture–agriculture has resulted in increased system productivity and income generation. Although the high-salinity AAS has transformed into a purely aquatic farming system with the elimination of terrestrial field crops (rice and vegetables), the recent introduction of crab farming indicates continuing diversification and adaptation of the system, and shows that diversified saline resilient farming systems have the potential to help sustain and improve livelihoods in affected communities. Future efforts to support communities in all three AAS should thus focus on improving system productivity and diversification; developing value chains for system products, and; enhancing social capital and networks within and between communities to support their social resilience and capacity to respond and innovate positively to future changes through community-based adaptation strategies. While the adaptation strategies pursued in all systems have so far been successful in maintaining or improving most, though not all, system functions, they will need to continue to transform and adapt in response to climate change, cyclones, rising sea level, and other drivers of change, especially salinity, highlighting the need for the development and support of a range of complementary and effective community-based adaptation strategies.

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