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Simon Funge-Smith FAO Regional Office for Asia and the PacifiC FAO-APFIC
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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
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