Deep Roots

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Family farming

Family farming as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization

of the United Nations (FAO) is a means of organizing primary

sector activities which is managed and operated by a family and

predominantly reliant on family labour, including both women’s and

men’s. This is also the major feature of artisanal and small-scale

fisheries. Sustaining the small-scale fisheries has long been a major

global agenda. It is not only important from a livelihood perspective,

but various studies have also shown that negative impacts of

fishing (such as discards) are much less in small-scale fisheries

compared to their industrial counterparts.

one of the largest concentrations of small-scale fishers in the

world. Presently, about 1.7 million people are actively fishing in

the region (including the collection of fish seed, excluding fish

marketing and other support activities). The number of active

fisherfolk in the region has grown by about 1 per cent per year

during 2003-2012. In Sri Lanka, the number of active fisherfolk

has increased by 4.5 per cent per year during 2004-2012 and

in India by 2.2 per cent during 2005-2010. In Bangladesh, the

number of fisherfolk increased marginally from 0.51 million to

0.516 million. However, inMaldives, the number of active fisher-

folk is decreasing gradually, possibly due to structural changes in

the economy (increasing scope in the service sector) and chang-

ing demography (improvement in education and the younger

generation seeking alternative livelihoods).

The available information on fishing craft in the region

shows that fishing is carried out with the involvement of

family labour, although over time there is a marked shift

from non-powered fishing vessels to powered fishing vessels.

However, the increasing use of power in fishing operations

and therefore increasing capitalization of the fisheries is

changing the way families conduct business.

Traditionally, in small-scale fisheries, fisher families were

a complete production unit with full ownership of fishing

craft and gear. But with increasing capitalization, ownership

of craft is slowly going out of their hands. Increasing trade

potential of fish and fish products in the region has also led

to the emergence of fishing companies, especially in Maldives

and Sri Lanka, where such companies are providing end-to-

end solutions from harvesting to marketing.

However, presently the interest of the fishing companies is

mostly limited to high value species such as tuna, which enjoys

a large export market. The artisanal and small-scale fisheries

continue to play an important role in coastal fisheries.

Fish farming

India and Bangladesh are the key fish farming nations in the

region and also major global players. India ranks second to

China in fish farming. Aquaculture contributes 75-80 per cent

of production from inland sector (including brackish water)

and about 46 per cent of total fisheries production. Indian major

carps and exotic carps (mainly Chinese carps) form the back-

bone of freshwater fish farming in the country. In brackish-water

aquaculture, white leg shrimp

(Littopenaeus vannamei)

, an exotic

variety introduced from Latin America is now the dominant

farmed species and the source of major export earnings from

seafood. In India, both fresh and brackish-water aquaculture is

small-scale in nature, comprising largely family enterprises with

small pond holdings (<2.0 ha area) and low use of inputs.

Bangladesh is the fifth largest aquaculture producer in the

world and the sector contributed about 55 per cent of the

country’s fish production during 2012.

Fisheries and aqua-

culture play a major role in nutrition, employment and foreign

exchange earnings. More than 16 million people are associ-

ated with the fisheries sector, of which 1.3 million women rely

on fisheries-related activities, mainly in fish farming.

Developments in small-scale aquaculture are changing the

features of rural Bangladesh. Feed and labour comprise the

two most important components of the total operating cost for

most aquaculture systems. A large number of rural women are

involved in several aspects of aquaculture activities to mini-

mize the total costs. In most homestead ponds, fish farming

is associated with poultry, duckery and horticultural crops

grown on the pond embankments to increase the per-hectare

yield from the land holdings.

Women have started playing an important role in fish farming

by adopting new technologies. They are engaged in production

Fisheries production in South Asia (tonnes)

Country/year

Capture fisheries

Aquaculture

Totals

Change (%)

2011

2012

2011

2012

2011

2012

Bangladesh

1,600,918

1,535,715

1,523,759

1,726,066

3,124,677

3,261,781

4.39

India

4,311,132

4,862,861

3,677,584

4,213,917

7,988,716

9,076,778

13.62

Maldives

120,836

120,001

120,836

120,001

-0.69

Sri Lanka

428,204

475,799

1,1912

8,840

440,116

484,639

10.12

South Asia

6,463,101

6,996,388

5,215,266

5,950,835

11,676,356

12,945,211

10.87

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