Case Studies on Community Based Inland Fisheries: Village-Jadurbankata and Saluni

Chinmoy Bandyopadhyay

Consultant-MIS and Documentation

Watershed Support Services and Activities Network

Objectives of the Study

• To get to know the approaches, activities and planning processof the community in inland fisheries;

• To build an understanding on challenges, difficulties andsetbacks the SHG members face related to inland fisheries;

• To identify the sources of different inputs;

• To understand the profitability and future plans of thecommunity;

CASE STUDY: ONE Village: Jadurbankata; Gram Panchayat: Baharamuri; Block: Hirbandh

Name of the SHG: “Marangburu Mahila Swanirbhar Gosthi”

Field Observations

Approaches, Activities and Planning Process• Water testing is done by group

members;

• Cumulative/collective seed purchase from Baharamuri;

• Own labor;

• No calculations regarding productivity;

Preventive measure from theft

Approaches, Activities and Planning Process

• Less seriousness about recommended management practices;

• Subsistence attitude;

• Notion of alternative source of income;

• Scattered planning

Challenges, Difficulties and Setbacks

• No credit facility;

• Less active block fisheries dept.;

• Lack of required infrastructure (like- one fishing net for the whole block);

• Less understanding about planning, collective marketing, productivity andprofitability calculation;

• Non-availability of required infrastructure and inferior level ofunderstanding leads to lower adoption of recommended managementpractices;

Challenges, Difficulties and Setbacks

• Theft is one of the evidentproblems;

• Lack of water supply leadsto distress harvesting;

• Subsistence attitude;

Sources of Inputs

• Seedlings: Baharamuri;

• Infrastructure related: Pradan/Fishery dept.;

• Food for fish: Own;

• Consultancy and capacity building services: Pradan/Fishery dept.;

Profitability and Future Plans

• Seed and seedling cultivation through group;

• Planning to purchase a big net through group;

• On a short term basis they are planning to purchase seedand seedlings from SHG members of Baragajra village;

• Selling of produce to the fish vendors

Community Speech

- Mamoni Mandi (SHG member);

- Malati Mandi (SHG member)

“ -Tulshi Mandi

(Leader of the group)

CASE STUDY: TWO Village: Saluni; Gram Panchayat: Maliyan; Block: Hirbandh

Name of the SHGs: “Subha Kamana, Maa Saraswati, Jai Guru”

Field Observations

Approaches, Activities and Planning Process

• Convinced their male counterparts;

• Innovative water supply system;

• Localized theft protection system;

• Localized marketing system;

Approaches, Activities and Planning Process

• Timely calculations;

• More market driven attitude;

• Sensitization related to the potentiality of inland fishery as aprofitable livelihood option is quite evident;

• Better decision making under the leadership of Parbati didi

Challenges, Difficulties and Setbacks

• No credit facility;

• Less active block fisheries dept.;

• Lack of required infrastructure (like- one fishing net for the whole block);

• Less understanding about planning, collective marketing, productivity andprofitability calculation;

• Non-availability of required infrastructure and inferior level ofunderstanding leads to lower adoption of recommended managementpractices;

Challenges, Difficulties and Setbacks

• Theft is one of the evidentproblems;

• Lack of water supply leadsto distress harvesting;

Sources of Inputs

• Seedlings: Baharamuri;

• Infrastructure related: Pradan/Fishery dept.;

• Food for fish: Own;

• Consultancy and capacity building services: Pradan/Fishery dept.;

Profitability and Future Plans

• Seed and seedling cultivation through group;

• Planning to purchase a big net through group;

• Planning to use surplus earning ;

• Selling of produce to the fish vendors

Some Lessons Learned- a Synthesis

• There is a potentiality in both thevillages, some strengthening isneeded in the marketing andinfrastructural front;

• Local level leadership is veryimportant to put things in rightshape;

• Promoting inland fisheries as oneof frontline livelihood measureneeds an attitudinal shift incommunity;

Conclusions and Recommendations

• Shift in attitude from subsistence type to a profitablemarket driven approach is needed;

• Some local level water supply to water bodies should bedevised;

• Some capacity building program on the recommendedmanagement practices and collective marketing should becarried out;

Conclusions and Recommendations

• Convergence with other programs like- ATMA, RKVY,NMSA, BRGF may be done to access fund ;

• SHG members must have the control over the wholevalue chain for lesser dependency;

• Some capacity building program on the recommendedmanagement practices and collective marketing should becarried out;

Thank You!