Trends in Poverty and Livelihoods in Coastal Fishing Communities of Orissa State, India
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ISSN 0429-9345 FAO 490 FISHERIES TECHNICAL PAPER Trends in poverty and 490 livelihoods in coastal fishing communities of Orissa State, India Trends in poverty and livelihoods coastal fishing communities of Orissa State, India This study analyses the livelihoods of marine fishing communities in the Indian coastal state of Orissa using the sustainable livelihoods approach. It investigates the relationships between livelihoods and coastal poverty and seeks to develop simple qualitative indicators to monitor the changes in these relationships over time. The key trends affecting the livelihoods of the poor in the coastal fishing communities in Orissa range across the whole spectrum of “assets” – i.e. the natural, physical, social, human and financial – and contribute to changes in terms of availability as well as access to the assets for the poorer stakeholders. This paper also examines the impact of seasonality and shocks upon the fisheries-based livelihoods and the importance and influence of various policies, institutions and processes in addressing the fishers’ need to cope with their vulnerability context in a meaningful manner. It summarizes the various factors having an impact upon the livelihoods of the fishers and develops them into simple indicators relevant in assessing the changing patterns of poverty in fishing communities of Orissa. ISBN 92-5-105566-1 ISSN 0429-9345 978 9 2 5 1 0 5 5 6 6 3 FAO TC/M/A0692E/1/9.09/1600 Cover photo: Woman headloader in Pentakota, Puri, carrying fish from the landing centre to fish collection points/Amalore FAO FISHERIES Trends in poverty and TECHNICAL PAPER livelihoods in coastal fishing 490 communities of Orissa State, India by Venkatesh Salagrama Integrated Coastal Management Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2006 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. ISBN 92-5-105566-1 All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to: Chief Electronic Publishing Policy and Support Branch Information Division FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to: [email protected] © FAO 2006 iii Preparation of this document This publication on poverty, food insecurity and vulnerability in coastal fishing communities of Orissa presents the findings of studies carried out in the framework of the FAO-Netherlands Partnership Programme (FNPP) managed by the Support Unit for International Fisheries and Aquatic Research (SIFAR) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and executed by Integrated Coastal Management (ICM), Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India. The study was conducted during 2003 in 18 locations representing the six coastal districts of the Indian State of Orissa in close cooperation with the Department of Fisheries of the Government of Orissa and non-governmental organizations working with fishing communities in the coastal belt of the state. The text of this publication was written by Venkatesh Salagrama and edited by Lynn Ball. iv Abstract This study analyses the livelihoods of marine fishing communities in the Indian coastal state of Orissa using the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA). It investigates the relationships between livelihoods and coastal poverty and seeks to develop simple qualitative indicators to monitor the changes in these relationships over time. The key trends affecting the livelihoods of the poor in the coastal fishing communities in Orissa range across the whole spectrum of “assets” – i.e. the natural, physical, social, human and financial – and contribute to changes in terms of availability as well as access to the assets for the poorer stakeholders. Thus, the overall decline in availability of fish from the coastal waters is also accompanied by a declining access of the poor to the fish resources as a result of changes in fishing technology and in market supply chains. The shift in fishing methods from subsistence-based artisanal activities to sophisticated modern technologies has rendered redundant the traditional skills, knowledge and manual labour abilities of the poor, while also increasing risks and leading to a dependence upon external sources of credit. As fish are sold directly to the traders at the point of landing, fishermen no longer depend on the women to sell them, so the women find themselves marginalized. Apart from the factors having a direct bearing upon fisheries- based livelihoods, there have also been changes affecting the quality of life generally, which contribute to, or arise out of, changes in the livelihood patterns and span across the social, political, cultural and economic spheres of life. “Social capital”, which is the glue that held together the traditional fishing communities and provided some sort of social security to the vulnerable groups (the aged, widows), has become much weakened. There is evidence that food insecurity is growing in the fishing villages and, coupled with the weakening of the welfare state policies, leading to increasing deprivation. Apart from the various trends, this paper examines the impact of seasonality and shocks upon the fisheries-based livelihoods and the importance and the influence of various policies, institutions and processes in addressing the fishers’ need to cope with their vulnerability context in a meaningful manner. It summarizes the various factors having an impact upon the livelihoods of the fishers and develops them into simple indicators relevant in assessing the changing patterns of poverty in fishing communities of Orissa. The indicators could range from a household’s seasonal dependence on credit for consumption purposes to more straightforward ones like having a single woman as the head of the household. Simple indicators like residence in a thatched hut or lack of access to secure toilets can also determine the extent of poverty. The indicators necessarily transcend sectoral and disciplinary boundaries and aim to provide a holistic and integrated picture of poverty. On the other hand, poverty is an outcome of a wide range of factors, so deciding the extent of poverty based upon any single indicator can be misleading. At the simplest level, the poorest can be categorized as people whose livelihoods reflect the widest number of negative indicators. There are many intermediate levels between the poorest and the wealthy, which can be captured by the relative proportion of different indicators in each case. At the same time, each indicator is multidimensional and subsumes differences in depth and severity, and not all indicators carry equal weight, so mere counting of the numbers of indicators is not sufficient by itself to obtain a clear picture. There is a need for more work to ensure that each indicator is combined with other key variables to develop composite indices of poverty and deprivation. Venkatesh, S. Trends in poverty and livelihoods in coastal fishing communities of Orissa State, India. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 490. Rome, FAO. 2006. 111p. v Contents Preparation of this document iii Abstract iv Acronyms and abbreviations vii Acknowledgements ix Executive summary xi 1. Introduction and methodology 1 Livelihoods and poverty 1 Objectives of the study 2 Application of the sustainable livelihoods approach 3 Methodology 4 Structure of the study 5 Secondary literature review 5 Institutional stakeholder meetings 7 Field research in selected villages 7 Validation of field research findings in a larger sample of villages 9 2. Overview of the marine fisheries of Orissa 11 Orissa – an introduction 11 Poverty and quality of life indicators 12 Food insecurity and vulnerability in rural Orissa 14 Coastal Orissa 14 Socio-economic and demographic profile of Orissa’s coastal districts 14 Physical features of coastal Orissa 16 Distribution of fishing craft in Orissa 17 Landing, preservation and transport facilities in the fishing sector 17 Fish production in Orissa 18 Current status of marine fisheries resources 19 Channels of fish marketing in Orissa 20 Importance of fisheries to the state economy 22 Income and earnings in the fishing sector 22 3 Livelihood groups in the marine fisheries sector in Orissa 25 Producers 25 Fishing crew 26 Boat owners 26 Beach-seine owners and crew 26 Bedha jal (encircling net) fishers 26 Cast net/push net fishers 27 Shell collectors 27 Crab fishers 27 Aquaculturists 27 Aquaculture workers 28 Shrimp-seed collectors 28 Traditional fish processors 28 Shrimp peelers and graders 29 vi Distributors/traders 29 Head-load traders (women) 29 Bicycle fish vendors 29 Petty sellers trading fish in kind 29 Resellers 29 Commission agents 30 Independent traders 30 Other participants in the fisheries sector 30 Carriers and head-loaders 30 Auctioneers and assistants 31 Miscellaneous workers 31 Poor stakeholder groups