An Evaluation of Small-Scale Freshwater Rural Aquaculture Development for Poverty Reduction

AN EVALUATION OF SMALL-SCALE FRESHWATER RURAL AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT FOR POVERTY REDUCTION OPERATIONS EVALUATION DEPARTMENT i © Asian Development Bank 2005 All rights reserved. The views expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank, or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. The Asian Development Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequences of their use. Use of the term country does not imply any judgment by the authors or the Asian Development Bank as to the legal or other status of any territorial entity. ISBN 971-561-550-3 Publication Stock No. 091704 Published by the Asian Development Bank, 2005. This publication is available on the Asian Development Banks publication website: http://www.adb.org/Publications ii Foreword Finding suitable aquaculture development cesses that influence outcomes in terms of incomes, approaches to open up livelihood opportunities for employment, nutrition, and natural resource the rural poor remains a challenge. The poor face sustainability. many constraints to adopting fish farming because This report was prepared by a team supervised of lack of access to capital and resources, vulner- by Graham Walter of the Operations Evaluation ability, and aversion to risks. Fish farmers need Department. Njoman Bestari, senior evaluation appropriate skills, land and water, financial capi- specialist (team leader) was responsible for the tal, organizational arrangements, physical facili- preparation of this report. Maria Rosa Ortega (evalu- ties, and infrastructure in order to adopt, operate, ation officer), Maria Victoria de la Cruz, and Caren and sustain their aquaculture practices. Joy Mongcopa supported the study in Manila. Sev- However, there are considerable opportunities eral consultants collaborated in the study: Nesar for the entry of poor people into aquaculture Ahmed (research associate, Bangladesh), Peter through low-cost technologies and help to secure Edwards (aquaculture development specialist), access to and control of resources. This is not Brenda Katon (research associate, Philippines), Alvin merely a question of focused targeting toward the Morales (rural economist, Philippines), and Roger poor. It demands a comprehensive understanding Pullin (Aquatic Resources Management Specialist). of contextual circumstances, operating environ- Cherdsak Virapat and Supawat Komolmarl collabo- ments, and enabling conditions. rated with the team on the preparation of two case The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sup- studies in Thailand. The book was edited by Jay ported development of small-scale freshwater Maclean. Ram Cabrera did the design and layout. aquaculture in a number of countries in the region The evaluation and the individual case stud- and accumulated considerable experience in inter- ies provide many lessons for development practi- ventions that have as their objective poverty reduc- tioners that are useful not only for ADB project tion as well as increasing fish production. This personnel, but for research and development special evaluation study (SES) was designed to workers in all institutionspublic, private, non- identify and assess the major channels of effects government, and internationalworking toward through which selected practices of small-scale poverty reduction in developing countries of Asia. freshwater rural aquaculture can generate liveli- hoods and reduce poverty, and to recommend steps to make ADB operations in aquaculture development more relevant for poverty reduction. The SES was based on eight case studies3 in Bangladesh, 3 in the Philippines, and 2 in Thai- landthat form the second part of this book. The case studies probed various aspects of freshwater aquaculture in different and diverse settings. Together, they provide a representative selection of EISUKE SUZUKI freshwater aquaculture practices in the context of Director General farmers access to livelihood capital assets and pro- Operations Evaluation Department iii Contents FOREWORD iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY vii MAPS xi PART 1. THE EVALUATION Introduction 1 Global Context 1 Asian Development Banks Role in Aquaculture Development 1 Rationale, Purpose, and Method of Evaluation 3 Rationale for the Special Evaluation Study 3 Purpose and Method of Evaluation 3 Case Studies 5 Report Structure 6 Understanding Poverty and Vulnerability 7 Features of Poverty 7 Dimensions of Vulnerability 8 Analyzing Capital Assets and Transforming Processes 9 Capital Assets 9 Transforming Processes 17 Outcomes 27 Summary of Key Findings from Case Studies 29 Lessons From ADB Operations in Freshwater Aquaculture 32 Operating Risks 32 Appropriateness of Design and Technology 33 Operating Requirements 33 Recommendations 35 PART 2. THE CASE STUDIES Overview of Small-Scale Freshwater Aquaculture in Bangladesh 39 Background 39 Social Dimensions of Rural Poverty 40 Freshwater Aquaculture Systems 42 Freshwater Fish Markets 46 Employment 47 ADB Support to Freshwater Aquaculture Development 47 Safeguarding Freshwater Aquaculture 49 Lessons Learned 51 Ways to Reach the Poor 52 Farming Carps in Leased Ponds by Groups in Chandpur, Bangladesh 55 Background 55 Methods and Sources 57 Biophysical Features of the Case Study Area 57 Fish Farming Technology and Management 58 Livelihood Assets 59 Markets and Marketing Agents 63 Conclusions 65 Livelihood Profiles of Fish Farmers in Kishoreganj, Bangladesh 66 Background 66 Methods and Sources 67 Fish Farm Operation and Management 67 Profile of Small-Scale Fish Farmers 70 iv Overview of Freshwater Aquaculture of Tilapia in the Philippines 75 Background 75 History 76 Production and Consumption 77 Prices, Margins, Elasticity, and Farm Incomes 78 Accessing Inputs for Tilapia Farming 80 Accessing Support Services 86 Marketing Tilapia 87 Lessons Learned 90 Farming Tilapia in Ponds in Central Luzon, Philippines 92 Background 92 Biophysical Characteristics 93 Socioeconomic and Institutional Perspectives 94 Technology and Management 96 Profile of Tilapia Farmers 100 Transforming Processes 102 Natural Resources Management 105 Environment 106 Fish Quality 107 Crisis and Coping Strategies 108 Outcomes 108 Conclusions 108 Tilapia Cage Farming in Lake Taal, Batangas, Philippines 110 Background 110 Biophysical Characteristics 111 Socioeconomic and Institutional Attributes 112 Technology and Management 113 Profiles of Tilapia Cage and Nursery Farmers 117 Transforming Processes 119 Natural Resources Management 123 Environment 124 Fish Quality 126 Crisis and Coping Strategies 126 Outcomes 126 Conclusions 127 Overview of Small-Scale Freshwater Aquaculture in Thailand 128 Background 128 Historical Development 130 Biophysical Features 131 Technology and Management 131 Accessing Markets 133 The Roles of Government in Aquaculture Extension 134 Community-Based Rural Aquaculture Development 135 Development Policy for Small-Scale Freshwater Aquaculture 136 Safeguards for Freshwater Aquaculture 137 Lessons Learned 138 Ways to Benefit the Poor 139 Development of Technology and Extension for Small-Scale Fish Farms in Northeastern Thailand 141 Background 141 Development of Appropriate Technology 144 Extension of Appropriate Technology 150 Institutional Issues 152 Lessons Learned 153 APPENDIXES 1. ADB Assistance in Aquaculture 155 2. Illustrative Financial Farm Budget of Carp Polyculture in Bangladesh 160 3. Illustrative Financial Farm Budgets of Tilapia Farming in the Philippines 161 v Abbreviations ADB Asian Development Bank BFAR Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources DEGITA Dissemination and Evaluation of Genetically Improved Tilapia Species in Asia DFID Department for International Development of the United Kingdom FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations GIFT genetically improved farmed tilapia HACCP hazard analysis critical control point ICLARM International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management NACA Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific NGO nongovernment organization SES special evaluation study TA technical assistance WHO World Health Organization WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ha hectare kg kilogram m meter t metric ton NOTE In this report, $ refers to US dollars. vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has accumu- project preparation and design for aquaculture lated substantial experience from its operations in development should consider adopting the concep- the development of aquaculture, including small- tual framework utilized in this study. scale freshwater aquaculture. The results of vari- Recognize Barriers, Requirements, and ous projects have underscored the importance of Risks. Assessing characteristics of farm households (i) realistic assessment of operating risks and the and analyzing their poverty features are parts of extent to which project designs address these risks, the process of finding ways to make aquaculture (ii) recognition of actual operating requirements work for the poor. When aimed at poverty reduc- and the extent to which targeted participants can tion, aquaculture development efforts should be meet these requirements, and (iii) other enabling designed carefully by clearly defining the benefi- conditions for achieving success. ciaries and devising appropriate strategies to help them benefit from the interventions. Project design Part 1. THE EVALUATION should address (a) specific features of poverty in the target area; (b) feasible options to overcome key This special evaluation

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