by Elizabeth Humphreys, Manoranjan Mondal. At Ganges Regional Research Workshop of the Challenge Program on Water and Food/Water Land and Ecosystems (CPWF/WLE), May 2014

1. G2 - Productive, profitable, resilient
agriculture & aquaculture systems
1

2. 2
Take home messages
1. Tremendous potential to greatly increase productivity, nutritive
value, profitability & resilience of production systems in the
polders
• agricultural systems (rice & non-rice)
• aquacultural systems
• rice-aquaculture systems
• homestead production systems
2. To unlock this potential need to invest in
• improved water mgt
• with special emphasis on drainage mgt (the entry point)
and infrastructure inside the polders
3. Community co-ordination is critical to achieving this – needs
community ownership & to be community-driven

3. West Bengal, India
SW& SC Bangladesh
Patuakhali STU
Polder 43/2/F
Polder 30
Polder 3
North 24 Parganas
South 24 Parganas
Andy Nelson
“LOW SALINITY” (L)
•Water “stagnation” 30-50 cm
weeks to months in aman
•River water fresh year-round
•Mild soil salinity in dry season
“MEDIUM SALINITY” (M)
•Water “stagnation” 30-50 cm
weeks to months in aman
•River water saline mid-Feb-Jun
•Medium soil salinity in dry
season
“HIGH SALINITY” (H)
•Water “stagnation” 30-50 cm
weeks to months in aman
•River water saline Dec-Jul
•High soil salinity in dry
season
3

4. Objectives (6)
1. Rice variety evaluation
• aus (early rainy season) – low (L), medium (M) salinity
• aman (main rainy season) - L, M, high (H) salinity
• boro (dry season) - L, M
2. Rice-based cropping system intensification
• Rice-rice-rice L rice-rice M
• Rice-rice-rabi L rice-rabi M
• Rice+fish - brackish water aquaculture H
3. Homestead production systems – L, M, H
• Analysis - literature review & surveys
• Improving productivity of homestead systems/empowering
women
4. Brackish water aquaculture systems - H
• Evaluation of improved management options
5. Technology & policy recommendations
6. Pilot community water management – CPWF Innovation Grant 4

5. CPWF
Innovation
Project
5
Jahangir
Alam
SocioConsult

6. 6

7. 7

8. 8
Liz 1. Improving rice–based agricultural cropping
systems
Saha
Ashutosh
2. Improving rice-aquaculture & aquaculture only
systems
Manjurul 3. Homestead production systems
- cross-country comparison
Kabir - women-led participatory action research
Today’s presentation

9. Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Traditional Rice
2-3.5 t/ha
Predominant agricultural cropping systems in the
low & moderately saline regions of the coastal zone of Bangladesh
..................Fallow…………………........ Low
Med
~40%
• Traditional variety
• Tall, photoperiod sensitive (late maturing – harvested Dec/Jan)
• 35-70 day old seedlings 9

10. Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Traditional Rice
2-3.5 t/ha
Traditional Rice
2-3.5 t/ha
Sesame
0-1 t/haTraditional Rice
2-3.5 t/ha
Predominant agricultural cropping systems in the
low & moderately saline regions of the coastal zone of Bangladesh
Khesari
0.2-1 t/ha ............Fallow…………….
…..Fallow.... ....……........
..................Fallow…………………........ Low
Med
Med
Low
~40%
10

11. Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Traditional Rice
2-3.5 t/ha
Traditional Rice
2-3.5 t/ha
Sesame
0-1 t/haTraditional Rice
2-3.5 t/ha
Predominant agricultural cropping systems in the
low & moderately saline regions of the coastal zone of Bangladesh
Khesari
0.2-1 t/ha ............Fallow…………….
…..Fallow.... ....……........
..................Fallow…………………........ Low
Med
Med
Low
~40%
Traditional Rice
2-3.5 t/ha
Aus
3-4 t/ha............Fallow……………...
Low
11

12. 12
For high rice yield & cropping system intensification
in polders we need rice varieties with…..
1. High yield potential
2. Tolerance to stresses, especially
• water stagnation (30-50 cm, week...months)
• salinity
• submergence after transplanting
• singly and in combination
3. Early maturity (for system intensification)
4. Preferred grain quality

13. 13
Rice variety evaluation in farmers’ fields

14. Tolerance to water
stagnation for aman
essential throughout coastal
zone
This crop experienced deep
water (up to 44 cm) for
several weeks (4.6 t/ha)
14
BRRI dhan54

15. Amal-Mana ~4 t/ha
(Water stagnation tolerant)
Sabita <2 t/ha
15

16. Submergence tolerance needed for aman (& aus)
(example in a shrimp-rice gher)
2nd transplanting submerged for 1 week shortly after
transplanting – BRRI dhan52 (BR11-Sub1)
16
3rd transplanting NOT submerged

17. Sabita <2 t/ha
Swarna sub1, 3.5 t/ha
17

18. Salinity tolerance needed for aman in high salinity areas
(& for aus)
- especially for aman in ghers used for brackish water shrimp in the dry
season
18
BRRI dhan47 in gher
3.6 t/ha
BRRI dhan28
BRRI dhan61
3.8 t/ha
BRRI dhan28
BRRI dhan47 4 t/ha
Parijat <1 t/ha

19. 19
With improved varieties &
intensification we have
achieved the following
…..on-farm…..in the polders

20. Boro (140-145 d)T. Aman (130-140 d)Aus (100-105 d)
20
Cropping system intensification for low salinity areas
1. Aus-aman-boro (15-17 t/ha)
HYV
Short duration
Salt tolerant
HYV
Medium duration
Water stagnation tolerant
HYV
Medium duration
“Early” sowing
Successfully implemented on-farm for 3 years – 8th crop – polder 43/2F
A M J J A S O N D J F M A

21. Rabi (110-140 d)
T. Aman (130-140 d)Aus (100-105 d)
A M J J A S O N D J F M A
21
Cropping system intensification for low salinity areas
2. Aus-aman-rabi (9-10 t/ha rice+9 t/ha maize OR 3.5 t/ha sunflower etc)
HYV
Short duration
Salt tolerant
HYV
Medium duration
Water stagnation tolerant
HYV
Maize
Sunflower,
Water melon
Chilli etc.
Successfully implemented on-farm for 3 years – 8th crop – polder 43/2F

22. Boro (140-145 d)T. Aman (130-140 d)
22
Cropping system intensification for medium salinity/water short areas
1. Aman-boro (~10 t/ha)
HYV
Medium duration
Water stagnation tolerant
HYV
“Early” sowing
Medium duration
Successfully implemented on-farm for 3 years, 6th crop – polder 30
A M J J A S O N D J F M A

23. Rabi (110-140 d)T. Aman (130-140 d)
A M J J A S O N D J F M A
23
Cropping system intensification for medium salinity areas
2. Aman-rabi (~4.5 t/ha rice + ~5 t/ha maize, 1.5 t/ha sunflower)
HYV
Maize
Sunflower
Sesame
Implemented on-farm for 2 years, 4th crop –
polder 30 – but NOT to potential;
Community water management, cropping
system synchronisation, adoption challenges

24. 24
With improved varieties & cropping system intensification,
productivity can be increased 2 to several-fold
Widespread implementation requires
improved water management

25. Water mgt ingredients for a Green Revolution in the Polders
1. Separation of lands of higher & lower
elevation (mini-water mgt units)
Prevent accumulation of drainage in
lowlands – enable rainy season HYVrice
25

26. River
Sluice
gate
Drainage
outlet
Road
Rural
road
Canal
(khal)
Drainage
canal
6 ha pilot water management unit on polder 30
26

27. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
Rainfall&Waterdepth(mm)
Transplanting
~250 mm rain after transplanting
– need to drain to save the HYV rice
27

28. 28

29. Water mgt ingredients for a Green Revolution in the Polders
1. Separation of lands of higher & lower
elevation (mini-water mgt units)
Prevent accumulation of drainage in
lowlands – enable rainy season HYVrice
2. Strategic drainage during the rainy
season
Enables cultivation of HYV & thus
earlier harvest (mid-Nov)
29

30. Water mgt ingredients for a Green Revolution in the Polders
1. Separation of lands of higher & lower
elevation (mini-water mgt units)
Prevent accumulation of drainage in
lowlands – enable rainy season HYVrice
2. Strategic drainage during the rainy
season
Enables cultivation of HYV & earlier
harvest (mid-Nov)
3. Drainage shortly before aman harvest
(early Nov)
Enables soil to dry for early (timely)
establishment of rabi crops
30

31. Sesame
Mungbean
The consequences of late rabi crop establishment
– low yields or complete failure due to early kharif rains
- high yield, high value crops out of the question (e.g. sunflower, maize)
AFTER RICE HARVEST – some areas
Low input crops – late sown (Feb/Mar) because of late rice harvest
31

32. Water mgt ingredients for a Green Revolution in the Polders
1. Separation of lands of higher & lower
elevation (mini-water mgt units)
Prevent accumulation of drainage in
lowlands – enable rainy season HYVrice
2. Strategic drainage during the rainy
season
Enables cultivation of HYV & earlier
harvest (mid-Nov)
3. Drainage shortly before aman harvest
(early Nov)
Enables soil to dry for early (timely)
establishment of rabi crops
4. Make use of available fresh water for
irrigation during the dry season
In some areas lots of fresh water in the
rivers almost year-round - untapped
32
0.00
4.00
8.00
12.00
16.00
7-Apr-11
6-Jun-11
-Aug-11
4-Oct-11
-Dec-11
-Feb-12
1-Apr-12
0-Jun-12
-Aug-12
8-Oct-12
-Dec-12
-Feb-13
6-Apr-13
5-Jun-13
-Aug-13
Salinity(ppt)
Polder 30 (Station-2, Pussur river)
0.0
4.0
8.0
12.0
16.0
20.0
24.0
26-Feb
6-Jun
14-Sep
23-Dec
1-Apr
10-Jul
18-Oct
26-Jan
6-May
14-Aug
22-Nov
2-Mar
Salinity(ppt)
Date
Polder 43-2f (Station-2 (Out Side),Paira River)
IWM

33. Water mgt ingredients for a Green Revolution in the Polders
1. Separation of lands of higher & lower
elevation (mini-water mgt units)
Prevent accumulation of drainage in
lowlands – enable rainy season HYVrice
2. Strategic drainage during the rainy
season
Enables cultivation of HYV & earlier
harvest (mid-Nov)
3. Drainage shortly before aman harvest
(early Nov)
Enables soil to dry for early (timely)
establishment of rabi crops
4. Make use of available fresh water for
irrigation during the dry season
In some areas lots of fresh water in the
rivers almost year-round - untapped
5. De-silting of khals ..Increases storage capacity for irrigation
when river too saline
..Facilitates drainage
33

34. Khals within polders vary greatly in size, can store fresh water during the dry
season, but often heavily silted up (some no longer exist), blocked…
34

35. Water mgt ingredients for a Green Revolution in the Polders
1. Separation of lands of higher & lower
elevation (mini-water mgt units)
Prevent accumulation of drainage in
lowlands – enable rainy season HYVrice
2. Strategic drainage during the rainy
season
Enables cultivation of HYV & earlier
harvest (mid-Nov)
3. Drainage shortly before aman harvest
(early Nov)
Enables soil to dry for early (timely)
establishment of rabi crops
4. Make use of available fresh water for
irrigation during the dry season
In some areas lots of fresh water in the
rivers almost year-round - untapped
5. De-silting of khals ..Increases storage capacity for irrigation
when river too saline
..Facilitates drainage
6. “Early” establishment of boro rice
after aman
(sow mid-Nov)
Reduces storage requirement for fresh
water to finish the crop off after the
rivers become too saline
35
Polder 30 - sufficient storage for 15-20% of land to grow boro rice
- desilting of khals  roughly double the possible boro rice area

36. Water mgt ingredients for a Green Revolution in the Polders
1. Separation of lands of higher & lower
elevation (mini-water mgt units)
Prevent accumulation of drainage in
lowlands – enable rainy season HYVrice
2. Strategic drainage during the rainy
season
Enables cultivation of HYV & earlier
harvest (mid-Nov)
3. Drainage shortly before aman harvest
(early Nov)
Enables soil to dry for early (timely)
establishment of rabi crops
4. Make use of available fresh water for
irrigation during the dry season
In some areas lots of fresh water in the
rivers almost year-round - untapped
5. De-silting of khals
(CPWF phase 1)
..Increases storage capacity for irrigation
when river too saline
..Facilitates drainage
6. “Early” establishment of boro rice after
aman
(sow mid-Nov – CPWF phase 1)
Reduces storage requirement for fresh
water to finish the crop off after the
rivers become too saline
7. High yielding/value rabi crops in the
dry season, espec. in water short areas
Only need 2-3 irrigations
36

37. 37

38. Productive, Profitable, Resilient and
Diversified Aquaculture Systems in
High Salinity Areas
38

39. BANGLADESH
Aquaculture: Salinity fluctuates from
high in dry season to medium in
rainy season
Aquaculture-rice: Salinity fluctuates from
high in dry season to low in rainy season
39

40. Research Objective
Improved management for enhanced productivity, profitability &
resilience in aquaculture-rice & aquaculture only systems
24 mini-ghers for aquaculture-rice 12 mini-ghers for aquaculture only
407-870 m2
866-1463 m2
Trenches for fish refuge
when water shallow for
rice establishment
40

41. 41
Before
Construction
Drain/Intake canal
Around every gher

42. 42
Satellite images of the pond complexes
Aquaculture-rice Aquaculture only

43. Aquaculture treatments (4 reps)
Treatments
Culture
patterns
2012 2013
Cycle 1 Cycle 2
Cycle 3
(+rice)
Cycle 1 Cycle 2
Cycle 3
(+rice)
Farmer’s
practice
Poly
Shrimp + different sp of fish
(multiple stocking &
harvesting)
Shrimp + different sp of fish
(multiple stocking &
harvesting)
Improved
practice 1
Mono Shrimp Tilapia
Prawn
Prawn
Shrimp Shrimp
Tengra
………………
Tilapia
Improved
practice 2 Poly
Shrimp
Tilapia
Tilapia
Tengra
Prawn
Singh
Prawn
Singh
Shrimp
Tilapia
Shrimp
Tilapia
Tilapia
Tengra
………………
Rohu
Singh
Magur
Managed by farmers
43
Managedbyresearchers

44. Management
Practice Farmer’s Practice Improved 1 & 2
Liming 200 kg ha-1 200 kg ha-1
Water filtering Unfiltered Filtered
Predatory Fish Not eradicated Eradicated
Disinfection No disinfection Disinfected
Fertilization No fertilizer Fertilizer & dolomite
Shrimp seed Not PCR tested PCR tested
Feed No feed Feeding
Water replenishment When needed When needed
Post stocking fertilization Very insufficient When primary
production is low
Fish seed Some wild All from hatcheries
44

45. Timeline
Shrimp
& fish
Stocking 1
Harvest 3
AprilMarch Aug. Dec.
Harvest 2
Sept.
Stocking 3 &
rice
transplanting
Harvest 1 &
Stocking 2
June July Nov.May Oct.
Dry season Wet season
Shrimp
diseases
45

46. Rice-aquaculture system
Therefore 2 water depth treatments (low & high) in rice-aquaculture
Saline water needs to be drained in July to allow leaching of salt by
rainfall prior to rice transplanting
Brackish water aquaculture production is higher if saline water is
kept for longer
Need shallow water after transplanting rice (<20 cm)
This is very shallow for aquaculture (importance of trenches)
Better rice productivity with shallower water
Better aquaculture productivity with deeper water
Some tradeoffs for rice & aquaculture system
46

47. Findings : Aquaculture-rice
47

48. Aquaculture production
LD – low depth
HD – high depth
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
Farmer's practice Monoculture Polyculture
Yield(kgha-1)
Culture patterns
Shrimp (LD)
Fish (LD)
Shrimp (HD)
Fish (HD)
2013
Changed to lower
growth but higher
value fish species
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
Farmer's practice Monoculture Polyculture
Yield(kgha-1)
Culture patterns
Shrimp (LD)
Fish (LD)
Shrimp (HD)
Fish (HD)
2012
48

49. Profitability of aquaculture (BDT x 1000 ha-1 )
(Including farmer labour & land lease value)
-100
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
FP (LD) FP (HD) Mono (LD)Mono (HD) Poly (LD) Poly (HD)
BDTha-1
Culture patterns
Variable cost
Total return
Gross margin
2012
-100
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
FP (LD) FP (HD) Mono (LD) Mono (HD) Poly (LD) Poly (HD)
BDTha-1
Culture patterns
Variable cost
Total return
Gross margin
2013
49

50. Profitability of aquaculture (BDT x 1000 ha-1 )
(Excluding farmer labour & land lease value)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
FP (LD) FP (HD) Mono (LD) Mono (HD) Poly (LD) Poly (HD)
BDTha-1
Culture patterns
Variable cost
Total return
Gross margin
2012
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
FP (LD) FP (HD) Mono (LD) Mono (HD) Poly (LD) Poly (HD)
BDTha-1
Culture patterns
Variable cost
Total return
Gross margin
2013
50

51. Production of Aman Rice
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
BR11 BR47 BR54 Morichshail Kumri Jotai
Yield(kg/ka)
2012 2013
High yielding varieties Local varieties
51

52. September – drainage congestion in whole region
after heavy rain due to inadequate water conveyance
system (drainage)
October – water shortage - plenty of freshwater in
river but inadequate conveyance system (irrigation) 52

53. Findings : Aquaculture only
53

54. Production (kg/ha)
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
5000
5500
Farmer's practice Monoculture Polyculture
Yield(kgha-1)
Days of culture
Shrimp
Fish
2012
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
5000
5500
Farmer's practice Monoculture Polyculture
Yield(kgha-1)
Days of culture
Shrimp
Fish
2013
54

55. Profitability of aquaculture (BDT x 1000 ha-1 )
(includes farmer labour & land lease value)
-100
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Farmer's practice Monoculture Polyculture
BDTha-1
Culture patterns
Variable cost
Total return
Gross margin
2012
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Farmer's practice Monoculture Polyculture
BDTha-1
Culture patterns
Variable cost
Total return
Gross margin
2013
55

56. Profitability of aquaculture (BDT x 1000 ha-1 )
(excludes farmer labour & land lease value)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Farmer's practice Monoculture Polyculture
BDTha-1
Culture patterns
Variable cost
Total return
Gross margin
2012
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Farmer's practice Monoculture Polyculture
BDTha-1
Culture patterns
Variable cost
Total return
Gross margin
2013
56

57. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Cost (Shrimp +
Tilapia)
Income from
Shrimp
Income from
Tilapia
BDTx1000ha-1
Impact of crop diversification in shrimp ghers during
cycle 1 (55-65 days)
57

58. Key challenges
Markets
• Scarcity of quality shrimp and fish seed
• Lack of quality feed in local market
Aquaculture management
• Prevention of escaping cat fish through dikes
• Aquatic weed control
Community
• Poor canal network for filling ponds & drainage
(need community system)
• Poaching risk increases (need to increase
productivity of all ghers to lessen predation of
individual ghers)
58

59. Other improvements
You can make your saline gher dike green and environment
friendly by adding trees
59

60. Other improvements
Vegetables can be grown on gher dikes during wet season
60

61. Other improvements
Local variety of grass grows very well on saline gher dikes
which can be used as fodder
61

62. Take home messages
 Farmer practice very low profit
 Improved practice increases profit 3-5 times
 Shrimp monoculture can be profitable, but highly risky
 Polyculture provides resilience against failure of
shrimp – profitable even if ALL shrimp die
 We failed to get high yields of rice because of inability
to drain (& irrigate) when needed
 Need good community water management systems for
both aquaculture and rice – for intake and drainage as
needed
 Neighbouring farmers are beginning to adopt
improved practices
62

63. 63

64. Optimum Land Shaping & Harvesting
Practice for Rice-Fish Systems
in the Coastal Zone of West Bengal
64

65. 65

66. Rainy season rice - dry season rice with fish
(across both seasons)
The cropping system
 More productive, profitable & sustainable
paddy cum fish culture systems
Goal
66

67. Kakdwip Block: Vill – Shibkalinagar
Namkhana Block: Vill- Madanganj
Experimental site
67

68. Objectives
 To evaluate the effect of pond area/land area ratio on system
performance
 20%
 30%
i.e. How big does the pond need to be to support dry season
rice?
 To evaluate the impact of harvesting method
 Single harvest
 Phased harvest
 3 replicates, split plot
68

69. 4 Collaborators across 2 locations
69

70. PaddyVariety
Partition of pond and paddy field by Net and Bamboo
Fish Culture
without phase harvest
Fish Culture
with phase harvest
Earthen Embankment
TrenchPond area
(30% or 20%)
Paddy Cultivation Area
(70% or 80%)
Layout
70

71. Layout
71

72. Fish management
Species
 3 spp Indian Major Carp
Advance Fingerlings @ 4000/ha
(Catla:Rohu:Mrigal 30:35:35),
 Scampi-@1500/ha
Feed management
Broadcasting and tray feeding
Feed
 Pelleted feed
(protein-24%, lipid 4%) @ 5-3% of body weight)
72

73. Rice culture
Varieties
 Wet season - Amalmana
 Dry season –
Lalminikit (WGL 20471)
BINA-8
Fertilizer
Recommended practice
Irrigation of dry season rice
From pond using a pump
Cultivation of wet season
paddy variety
Cultivation of dry season
paddy variety 73

74. 20% pond area - higher nitrate and phosphate in water
greater production of plankton (= fish food!)
74

75. 0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
30% land
shaping
20% land
shaping
Production(kg/ha) Production of fish
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Without phase
harvest
With phase
harvestProduction(kg/ha)
 Productivity 20% pond higher by 161 kg/ha
– due to higher nutrient concentration?
 Productivity phased harvest higher by 277 kg/ha
- due to progressive removal of larger fish
75

76. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Rohu Catla Mrigal Scampi
Meanbodyweight(g)
30%
pond
20%
pond
Performance of individual species
Higher growth of 3 carp species in 20%
Lower growth of scampi in 20%
Sampling of fish
76

77. Paddy production (wet season)
Paddy harvesting and threshing
Greater lodging
from cyclone
77

78. Dyke cropping
Dyke crops Production (kg)/ha
land of PCF
Gross income
(Rs)/ha land of PCF
Vegetables 351 11,706
Oil seed 169 2,400
Fodder (seed) 458 5,490
Dyke cropping in Paddy cum fish culture
78

79. 20% Land shaping 30% Land shaping
Component Total
Productivity
(kg/ha)
Amount
(x105 Rs )
Total
Productivity
(kg/ha)
Amount
(x105 Rs)
Rice (wet
season only)
2875 0.37 2900 0.38
Fish 895 1.29 743 1.10
Dyke
cropping
489 0.09 489 0.09
Gross Income 1.76 Gross Income 1.57
Total production & income to date
20% provided Rs. 19000/ha ($307/ha) more than 30% to date…
Dry season rice yet to come, also full economic analysis
79

80.  Higher fish production with phased harvesting
 Higher fish production with 20% pond area
 To date, higher value of production with 20% land
shaping
Conclusion
80

81. 81

82. West Bengal, India
SW& SC Bangladesh
Polder 43/2/F
Polder 30
Polder 3
North 24 Parganas
South 24 Parganas
Homestead production systems: enhanced productivity for
food security in South Bangladesh and West Bengal, India

83. Objectives:
Comparison between southern Bangladesh and
West Bengal –
• Homestead Farming Systems (HFS)
• Socio-economic status of households
• Contribution of HFS to household income &
consumption
• Identify priority areas of improvement

84. Survey Samples (<1 ha-80%; 2012)
Country Region Salinity # HH surveyed
Bangladesh
Polder 43 Low 320
Polder 30 Moderate 338
Polder 3 High 461
Total 1,119
West Bengal
Block Kakdwip Low 120
Block Namkhana Moderate 120
Sandeshkhali I Moderate 120
Sandeshkhali II Moderate 120
Block Sagar High 240
Total 720

85. HFS
Pond
aquaculture
Beetle vine
Vegetable
production
Fruit garden
Livestock
Poultry
Components of HFS
• In Bangladesh only 50% poor people have pond in their homestead
while 97% households got a pond in India
• Beetle vine production in HFS only in West Bengal with higher
economic return

86. Household food
security
Homestead
Non-homestead

87. Land ownership pattern
Total land (field +homestead) Homestead land
Ratio of homestead to field land
Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh West Bengal
Bangladesh
West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal
Bangladesh
West Bengal
Bangladesh
West Bengal
Homestead land
has higher
importance for
the poor farmers
in Bangladesh

88. Major occupation
West BengalBangladesh
Agriculture
Aquaculture
Betel vine
Business
Driver
Fishermen
Teacher
Carpenter
Job/Service
Labor
In Bangladesh higher number of hh depend on agriculture than W. Bengal

89. Contribution of HFS to annual household income
Country Off-farm Field HFS aq. HFS Non -aq. Total
Bangladesh 667 381 70 176 1,079
West Bengal 800 357 116 93 1,304
Annual household income (US$) from different sources by
country
Non-aq sources
contribute more
to overall income
in Bangladesh
5%
15%
31%
49%
Bangladesh
HFS Aq
HFS Non- Aq
Field
Off farm
9%
7%
25%
59%
West Bengal

90. 10
20
30
40
00
< 1 < 1
Month
%ofhousehold
Bangladesh West Bengal
Food requirement satisfied by own products (HFS +
Field)
• Only ~20% hh with <1 ha land are meeting their year round food
requirement from own production, suggests opportunity for vertical
integration of the systems
• Over all households in West Bengal with higher amount of land supported
their food requirement better than Bangladesh

91. Meals per day
Yes
80%
No
20%
Bangladesh
~20% people in both countries do not get 3 meals
regularly
Yes
82%
No
18%
West Bengal

92. Need further work to better understand the factors influence
consumption in both the countries
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2Correlationscore(r)
Bangladesh
West Bengal
Correlation between production and consumption

93. HFS productivity ($/ha/year) in different salinity

94. Preliminary results says
YES
Does Homestead production system holds promise ???

95. Key remarks
Homestead production system contributes better in meeting
household food security of Functionally Landless groups
while small households are more dependent on non-
homestead production
HFS productivity significantly lower in high salinity areas than
low salinity areas in both the countries
Need to focus more research on improving productivity in
saline areas
No specific factors had significant role in regulating HFS
productivity
Most of the people are not self sufficient/food secured
Raising awareness on the importance of nutrition is crucial
There are opportunities to further improve the status of food
security particularly in the high saline zone

97. Women led participatory action research
(PAR) on homestead challenged pond
aquaculture
97

98. Shade
Shallow
Seasonality
Flooding risk
Multiple
ownership
Household water
use
Irrigation
Access for women
Why challenging ?
98

99. Objectives:
to improve nutrition & income through increasing
productivity of homestead ponds
to empower women thru participatory action research
(PAR)
Key pond interventions:
– fish species to increase production & consumption
– feeding strategies to avoid water pollution
– women capacity building
99

100. Locations & partners – under umbrella of G2
Legend:
Freshwater areas
Brackishwater areas
Partners:
 CPWF-G2
 CSISA
 AAS
 CCAFS
 AIN 100

101. PAR Process
101

102. Designing the research: Community consultation
PAR
HFS & integration
Pond water use
Aquaculture
Species selection
Feeding choice
Women participation
102

103. Experimental Treatments
Treatment Species Size Density
(#/ decimal)
Feeding Remark
1
Tilapia 25 gm 25
5% insect; 20%
Kitchen waste; 50%
home made; 25%
commercial
Region-1
(Batiaghata,
Amtoli,
Kaliganj and
Shamnagar)
Nona tengra 1 gm 50
Rui 100 gm 2
Male Golda 5-10 gm 5
2
Tilapia 25 gm 25
Koi 2 gm 50
Singh 5 gm 25
Male Golda 5-10gm 5
3
Tilapia 25 gm 25
Mrigal 100 gm 4
Catla 100 gm 2
Magur 5-10 gm 15
Mirror Carp 100 gm 1
1
Tilapia 25 gm 25
5% insect; 20%
Kitchen waste; 50%
home made; 25%
commercial
Region-2
(Barisal,
Jessore,
Faridpur and
Jhalokathi)
Koi 2 gm 50
Singh 5-gm 25
Mirror Carp 100 gm 2
2
Tilapia 25 gm 25
Koi 2 gm 50
Magur 5-10gm 15
Silver Carp 100 gm 2
3
Tilapia 25 gm 25
Male Golda 5-10gm 5
Rui 100 gm 2
Katla 100 gm 2
Japani puti 1-2 gm 10
Women preference
Improved extensive
Regular consumption
Stress tolerant
High value fish
Mixed feeding
Less fertilization
103

104. Building women farmers research Capacity
104

105. Women Farmer Researchers Learning Sharing Workshop:
Learn
Share
Analyze
Create a movement for PAR
Agenda:
Developing common understanding of research
Documenting major learnings
Participatory evaluation of 2013 research by treatment
Prioritization of development outcomes
Sharing group findings to other groups (global café)
Analyzing problems and planning for new PAR cycle
105

106. Proper technology and care
can increase challenged pond
productivity greatly (x5)
Basic aquaculture
PAR and PM&E
Learning
106

107. Participatory evaluation of fish
1.Tilapia
2. Koi
Everywhere…
107

108. Prioritizing development outcomes
Increased fish
consumption
Importance in
family and
society
increased
Increased
income
Research &
Aquaculture
108

109. Sharing
Individual & group level
observation and findings
109

110. Analyze
Quality fish seed supply at beginning of season
Salinity, water quality and disease management
Low cost feed 110

111. Next:
analyze pond record books & impact survey data
consult with communities for 2014 PAR design
Continue to provide technical, facilitation & education
support (gender, nutrition, rights, needs)
continue documenting research & development outcomes
111

112. Staff capacity building
112

113. 113

114. 114
The big ones:
1. How can we implement improved community management to
achieve the benefits of improved production systems?
(about water; agricultural cropping systems, aquaculture systems)
2. Achieving no. 1 requires additional investment in drainage/water
management infrastructure inside the polders – is it economic?,
what’s the optimum?
Many others specific to components of improved
systems:
• rice varietal improvement (e.g. short duration, cold tolerant boro)
• nutrient cycling in rice-shrimp systems
• homestead production systems (e.g. pond-ecosystem approach)
• sustainability of groundwater pumping for boro rice
• establishment of rabi crops
• aquaculture in saline areas
Research questions for the future (many)

115. 115
Take home messages
1. Tremendous potential to greatly increase productivity, nutritive
value, profitability & resilience of production systems in the
polders
• agricultural systems (rice & non-rice)
• aquacultural systems
• rice-aquaculture systems
• homestead production systems
2. To unlock this potential need to invest in
• improved water mgt
• with special emphasis on drainage mgt (the entry point)
and infrastructure inside the polders
3. Community co-ordination is critical to achieving this – needs
community ownership & to be community-driven