fao/naca consultation on aquaculture for sustainable rural development

295 Pages·2006·1.98 MB·English

FAO Fisheries Report No. 611, Supplement FIRI/R611 Suppl. (En)
ISSN 0429-9337

Papers presented at the
FAO/NACA CONSULTATION ON AQUACULTURE FOR SUSTAINABLE
RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Chiang Rai, Thailand, 29–31 March 1999
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FAO Fisheries Report No. 611, Supplement FIRI/R611 Suppl. (En)

Papers presented at the
FAO/NACA CONSULTATION ON AQUACULTURE
FOR SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Chiang Rai, Thailand, 29–31 March 1999

compiled by

Matthias Halwart
FAO Fisheries Department, Rome, Italy

Dilip Kumar
Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, India

Melba G. Bondad-Reantaso
FAO Fisheries Department, Rome, Italy
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome, 2005
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© FAO 2005
PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

This document contains the final version of the background papers originally prepared for and
presented at the FAO/NACA Consultation on Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural Development held at Chiang
Rai, Thailand, from 29 to 31 March 1999. The consultation was a collaborative activity of the Fisheries
Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Network of
Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA). The Consultation was attended by national experts, thematic
reviewers, and representatives of the major regional and international stakeholders involved in small-scale
aquaculture promoting rural development in the Asia-Pacific region. The participants, by actively participating
in a sharply focused examination of critical issues and participatory review of specific components of the draft
programme concept, developed a detailed framework to serve as the guiding principles for the development of a
regional programme on “Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural Livelihood Development (ASRLD)”.

This document was finalized into its present form after revision of the presented papers by the authors.
Papers were compiled by M. Halwart, D. Kumar and M.G. Bondad-Reantaso. L. Overton and P. Balzer assisted
in the finalization of this document.

The report of the Consultation is available as FAO Fisheries Report No. 611.

Distribution:

Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA)
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Participants
FAO Fisheries Department
FAO Regional Fishery Officers

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Halwart, M.; Kumar, D.; Bondad-Reantaso, M.G. (comps).
Papers presented at the FAO/NACA Consultation on Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural
Development. Chiang Rai, Thailand, 29–31 March 1999.
FAO Fisheries Report. No. 611, Suppl. Rome, FAO. 2005. 282p.

ABSTRACT

The Consultation took an overview of the role of small-scale aquaculture in providing livelihoods for
rural communities and discussed various related issues including its future potential, constraints that
impede development, government policies and priorities, and strategies that can be employed for
using small-scale aquaculture as an entry point for satisfying the basic human development needs.
From the country statements, lessons drawn from field projects, experiences of regional and
international development organizations and donor agencies, and the thematic reviews it was implied
that small-scale rural aquaculture contributes significantly to supplementing family income,
enhancing food security, generation of gainful employment opportunities in rural areas, improving
social equity and environmental well being. It was also expressed that the majority of smallholders
and landless families in rural areas still practice low input – low output methods relying on family
labour and depending largely upon indigenous knowledge and as such there is great scope for
improving productivity, but a range of obstacles impede this development. Issues related to the weak
institutional support for small-scale rural aquaculture were also pointed out. There was general
agreement that there is a need to have a positive shift from technology-led production-oriented
interventions to people-centred sustainable livelihood approach.

A growing awareness towards holistic and participatory approach to development to enhance the
quality of life of rural poor communities was clearly noted. This is beginning to happen with the
formation of farmers’ groups or associations that empower the small farmers to have access to
resources, technology and support services. Credit and other services become more accessible to
small farmers through participatory micro-finance programme with the establishment of the group-
based micro-credit/savings schemes. Participatory approaches were considered as a requisite criteria
for the planning and implementation of aquaculture projects. Recognizing the role of rural women in
various farming activities it was clearly emphasized that women should be involved in planning and
implementing development activities. They should be given equal rights and opportunities through
capacity building so as to gain more access to resources for development.

It was also realized that there has been little coordinated attempt within the region to harness the
potential of small-scale aquaculture in rural livelihood development and as such there is a need to
develop a programme with a specific focus on small-scale aquaculture within an overall farming system
context and to demonstrate improved forms of aquatic resources management in practice at the level of
the community. Rural development would be enhanced through improved coordination and cooperation
between organizations focusing on sustainable rural development through aquaculture programmes. This
needs a clear national policy and well-defined institutional framework. Lessons and experiences of a
series of field projects would be fed into policy through wider national structures and institutions.
Exchange of information about lessons, experiences and policies through regional network would
enhance the quality and pace of rural development through small-scale aquaculture. In the background
of these emerging issues the draft Sustainable Aquaculture Rural Developmentprogramme concept was
thoroughly discussed in the subsequent sessions through parallel working group discussions and a
revised framework was developed through consensus to serve as guiding principles for the formulation
of a regional programme “Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural Livelhood Development (ASRLD).”

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FOREWORD

From Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural Livelihood Development (ASRLD) to
Support to Regional Aquatic Resources Management (STREAM)

The programme on Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural Livelihood Development (ASRLD) derived its rationale
and impetus from a number of collaborative activities between FAO and the Network of Aquaculture Centres in
Asia-Pacific (NACA) and with other organizations and stakeholders in rural development in the Asian region.
Specifically, it was the offshoot of an FAO/NACA survey and workshop of aquaculture development research
capacities and priorities in selected Asian countries in 1994–1996, among which recommendations was to
strengthen rural institutions that are serving rural communities in order for research results to be more
effectively spread, absorbed and utilized.1 This was followed by a project planning and formulation exercise
which included a mission of FAO, NACA and Government officers to selected countries in Asia. The mission’s
findings and recommendations were developed for a regional consultative meeting in March 1999, attended by
representatives of most of the major regional stakeholders, including donor organizations, in small-scale
aquaculture development. The FAO/NACA Consultation on Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural Development
adopted the programme title ‘Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural Livelihood Development’ (ASRLD). It was the
first systematic initiative to promote the development of small-scale rural aquaculture on a regional basis in
Asia.2 The programme’s focus on livelihoods required that it be guided by tested approaches. One such well-
tested strategy is the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) that the United Kingdom’s Department for
International Development (DFID) had pioneered and adopted for its projects aimed at promoting development
and reducing poverty. It became timely that DFID’s South East Asia office decided in 1999 to extend its period
of support to aquaculture in the region through a regionally focused institution after reviewing its objectives for
aquatic resources management support in the context of its livelihoods approach. One result of the decision was
NACA and DFID agreeing to NACA’s hosting of DFID’s Aquatic Resource Management Program (ARMP),
which then focused on South East Asia and poverty reduction through aquaculture and fisheries management
covering the countries of the Mekong sub-region. The programme informed and financially and logistically
supported the subsequent exercises to develop an implementation framework for ASRLD. The series of
consultations among DFID, FAO, NACA and the Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), during 20002001,
moulded the programme into a theme-based communications and learning initiative drawing on all the
collaborative activities of NACA and the specific support and direction provided by FAO and DFID. Through
these consultations, three strong issues emerged. The first was the over-riding importance of communications;
the second was the centrality of people’s livelihood objectives in poverty alleviation – a move away from the
centrality of aquaculture; and the third was the importance of institutional and policy change to empower
people. A key development in the evolution of ASRLD at this time was the focal shift from support for small-
scale aquaculture to support for the livelihood objectives of people who are poor. In 2001, a planning meeting
involving NACA, DFID and FAO in Bang Saen, Thailand, adopted the use of the term ‘initiative’ in favour of
‘project’ or ‘programme’ to emphasize the long-term approach. The meeting also proposed the broadening of
the focus of the initiative from aquaculture alone to aquatic resources management, to better match the broad
portfolio of activities undertaken by people who are poor. Finally, the meeting formally proposed the name
‘Support to Regional Aquatic Resources Management’ or the STREAM Initiative.3 The plan for implementation
of the STREAM Initiative was developed at the sixth Meeting of NACA’s Technical Advisory Committee (May
2001, Siem Reap, Cambodia). It was formally incorporated into the NACA Work Programme by the thirteenth
Governing Council Meeting (January 2002, Langkawi, Malaysia).
This volume comprises the documents presented and discussed at the FAO/NACA Consultation on Aquaculture
for Sustainable Rural Development which was held at Chiang Rai, Thailand, from 29 to 31 March 1999.4 Many

1 FAO Fisheries Department; Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA). 1997. Survey and analysis of
aquaculture development research priorities and capacities in Asia. FAO Fisheries Circular No. 930. Rome, FAO. 263p.
Available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/W6937E/W6937e00.htm
2 A related follow-up Expert Consultation on aquaculture for rural development was convened by the FAO Asia-Pacific
Fisheries Commission: APFIC 1999. Report of the Ad Hoc Working Group of Experts in Rural Aquaculture. Bangkok,
Thailand, 20–22 October 1999. FAO Fisheries Report. No. 610. Rome, FAO. 22p.
3 Information about STREAM is available at http://www.streaminitiative.org/index.html.
4 The report of the Expert Consultation and the concept for a regional Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods have
been previously published and are available from FAO or NACA: (i) FAO/NACA 1999. Report of the FAO/NACA
Consultation on Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural Development. Chiang Rai, Thailand, 29–31 March 1999. FAO Fisheries
Report No. 611. Rome, FAO, and (ii) FAO/NACA 2000. Programme Document: Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural
Livelihood Development (ASRLD). February 2000. Bangkok. 24p.
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people have contributed in various important roles and functions to the preparation of the 1999 Consultation as
well as later on in the process of transformation from ASRLD to STREAM, importantly Ziad Shehadeh (FAO
Senior Fishery Resources Officer – retired), Manuel Martinez (FAO Fishery Resources Officer – retired), Dilip
Kumar (formerly NACA Senior Aquaculturist, currently Director, Central Institute of Fisheries Education,
India), Pedro Bueno (NACA Advisor and NACA Director General 2002–2006), Rohana Subasinghe (FAO
Senior Fishery Resources Officer), Jiansan Jia (Chief, FAO Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service),
Matthias Halwart (FAO Fishery Resources Officer), Graham Haylor (Director STREAM), Michael J. Phillips
(Environment Specialist and Regional Manager for Research and Development Programme – NACA), P.C.
Choudhury (FAO Regional Aquaculture Officer – retired), H. Kongkeo (NACA Technical Assistant to the DG
and NACA Coordinator 1996–2000), Xiaowei Zhou (NACA Training Specialist and Programme Officer) and
Simon Funge-Smith (FAO Regional Aquaculture Officer).
The proceedings reported here contain three types of reviews: (i) country reports on national efforts at
developing and applying aquaculture to achieve social and economic development objectives that include
poverty alleviation, improvement of food security, and sustaining the natural resource base of aquaculture and
enhanced fisheries; (ii) experiences and lessons from projects that were mostly implemented with collaborative
assistance to governments from development agencies and non-governmental organizations, which highlight
critical and key issues in rural development that are linked with aquaculture development and aquatic resources
management processes; and (iii) expert views on concepts, institutional arrangements, and strategies that could
be adopted to effectively integrate aquaculture and aquatic systems management to help governments achieve
rural development goals.
The country reports, case studies and expert views presented here were prepared quite some time back, however,
they offer a valuable, in-depth and broad view of the options and opportunities for improving the livelihood of
the rural poor with the integration of aquaculture and aquatic systems management into rural development
strategies. FAO and NACA take pleasure in making this body of information available to all concerned and
interested entities.

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CONTENTS

Page

Abbreviations and acronyms ix
Section I: Status and role of aquaculture in rural development – Country
reports 1

Bangladesh 3
China 16
Indonesia 20
India 30
Philippines 47
Thailand 77
Viet Nam 92

Section II: Presentations of organizations/donor agencies and
non-governmental organizations on experiences, lessons learnt and issues 99

AIT Aqua Outreach: Experience, lessons learnt and issues 101
Rural Extension Project for aquaculture development in the Mekong Delta
Phase I (Cambodia and Viet Nam): overview and lessons learned 109
Fisheries and aquaculture in rural development: DFID strategies 116
Lessons learned, and issues relating to aquaculture and rural livelihoods:
DFID Bangladesh 123
Aquaculture for rural development: Some lessons from IFAD's experience - the
Oxbow Lakes Project in Bangladesh 129
Experiences gained from DANIDA–assisted Mymensingh Aquaculture
Extension Project in Bangladesh 138
Experiences of the Fish Culture Research Institute (HAKI), Szarvas, Hungary 146
The Pond Dynamics/Aquaculture CRSP: Developing technologies and networks
for sustainable aquaculture and rural development 151
Aquaculture development in Bangladesh through capacity building:
Experiences of CARE 161
ICLARM Research Experience on Integrated Aquaculture-Agriculture (IAA) for
Sustainable Rural Development 170

Section III: Thematic reviews 175

Community level planning for rural development: Lessons from the FARM
Programme 177
Strategies and approaches for Trainers' Training for the dissemination of
information to rural households 185
Technical options for aquaculture for a rural livelihood 188
Recent developments in agricultural extension 199
Gender issues in rural development 208
Aquatic resources management to benefit rural poor:
need for formation of strategic alliances 216
Access to resources for rural and aquaculture development 224

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Section IV: SARDev Programme Background 241

Sustainable Aquaculture for Rural Development ( SARDev):
Regional relevance and background 243
Sustainable Aquaculture for Rural Development (SARDev): Programme concept 247

Section V: Revised Programme Framework 253

Framework for ASRLD Programme 255

Section VI: Synthesis of presented papers 259

Small-scale Aquaculture in Rural Development: Issues, directions and lessons 261

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