Small scale aquaculture: diversifying livelihoods and adding value to family farming

Small-scale aquaculture: diversifying livelihoods and adding value to family farming

Simon Funge-Smith FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Small-scale aquaculture often overlooked• Production from small ponds and

extensive (rice) systems may not be noticed

• May be highly seasonal (monsoon)• Unseen contribution undervalued?– Household income– Family nutrition

• Particularly important for– developing countries – supplementing diets– areas where traditional cropping systems

do not generate much income

Can you spot the fish?Rice-fish, fish ponds, North Vietnamese highlands

Small-scale aquaculture contributes to livelihoods• Source of food in the

household• Supplementary household

income– Can sell part of crop for ready

cash– Spares other assets like livestock

• Diversification of staple crop systems– e.g. rice farming– Adds alternative low risk

income/food source• A bit like small livestock

Small-scale seaweed locally marketedPhilippines

Low investment, low risk?

• Not everyone can get into aquaculture

• Start up requires access to:– land and water, fingerlings, feed

resources– family labour

• Small-scale operations can be very low investment– Family operated, using on farm(feed)

resources– Opportunity of family labour– Low risk of losses if fish harvest is poor– Not susceptible to diseases like small

livestock

Carp broodstock in family hatcheryMyanmar

Small-scale aquaculture production systems are diverse

• Integration into existing farming system or family livelihood– Stocking of water storage ponds– Integration with rice– Integration with small livestock

• Dedicated small-scale low risk systems– Small fish cages in waters bodies– Seaweed lines– Stake culture of oysters and mussels– Small fish ponds

• Systems can be highly adaptive– fitted to families resources and assets– Also time available to contribute to the

activity

Mixed harvest of stocked and wild fish

Small-scale aquaculture is highly scalable• Family operations start small as a low

risk experiment• As experience builds and ponds

demonstrate consistent potential• Farmers may invest and upscale

– Invariably requires higher financial investment(in feed and other inputs)

– Productivity can increase significantly– Intensification requires professionalization

and closer controls on management

• In other cases, the risk level is set and a family will not intensify to avoid financial exposure

Small oyster farms for restaurant tradeThailand

Women are often innovators in small-scale aquaculture• If ponds or hatchery close to the

home• Fits into existing work – not heavy labour– Some exceptions (e.g. seaweed)

• Market fish directly or via other women– Additional income stream

• But limited up-scaling– unless hiring labour

• Benefit from organization

KelpChina

EuchemaPhilippines

What makes aquaculture a successful family livelihood option?

• low-technology type production systems

• Good fit with existing farming system/livelihood activities

• Gradual introduction (step by step approach)

• Simple, robust/resilient systems

• Ready access to (local) markets is a pre-requisite

• Simple market requirements – i.e. product

quality/freshness/characteristics easy to meet

Small fish ponds integrated into vegetable and fruit gardensViet Nam

Improving management on small family farms• As family aquaculture system become

more intensive farmers need to pay attention– to feeding and water quality– marketing of their crop

• The stakes are higher and risk increases• Organization of farmers into groups

strengthens their ability to – Access advice (use of Better Aquaculture

Practices)– Group purchasing of quality feeds and

fingerlings– Sharing of management knowledge and

advice– Group marketing or bargaining on sale of

products

Feeding small scale fish cagesThailand

Small-scale aquaculture can still be vulnerable

• Theft is a major deterrent to families – small operations located close

to home – or have to be guarded by a

family member

• Flooding and drought (climate variability)

• Market instability• Disease risks exist, especially

as farms intensify

Living on the fish cageLao PDR

Fish kills after heavy rain

Small-scale aquaculture may still need regulation

• Small-scale aquaculture typically exists within the local environmental carrying capacity

• Relatively few dispersed operations• As more farmers start to become

interested, can lead to overcrowding– this can overload an area– disease– water/effluent conflicts– market instability

Massive over-crowding of small shrimp coastal shrimp pondsThailand

Marketing vulnerabilities

• Small farmers targeting supermarkets and international market chains

• Increasing stringency on requirements for food safety, product quality, traceability…. – shifting goalposts, small famers cannot adapt in

time

• Farmers may use banned or unlicensed products– Banned antibiotics/chemicals (chloramphenicol,

nitrofuran, malachite green)

• Trade barriers– Labelling, anti-dumping, technical barriers– Price fluctuations

Family harvesting small pondLao PDR

We must recognize small-scale aquaculture may be transient• Parallels to livestock development• As sector develops – especially for a specific commodity– Some farmer specialize

• Market requirements means smaller famers unable to meet standards

• Still a role for on farm food production – But may become uncompetitive

• Emergence of fully commercial aquaculture farms

Small backyard hatcheryLao PDR

Thank you

Fish, banana, taro, vegetables, bambooViet Nam