Story | 01 10月, 2016

Farmed fishing: a nature based solution to increased resilience

In 2007, IUCN and M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) partnered through the Mangroves for the Future (MFF) initiative to address a critical need. Across the east coast of India, abandoned lands stand testament to unsustainable aquaculture practices and the collapse of shrimp farming in the 1990s. Communities were forced to find alternate work opportunities, mostly manual labor. IUCN and MSSRF developed the Integrated Mangroves Fisheries Farming System (IMFFS) in Tamil Nadu, allowing the land to be sustainably farmed and providing income and food to coastal families.

A nature-based solution

IMFFS ponds, stocked with fish and crabs, are engineered to leverage tides and surrounding mangroves. Incoming tidal water refreshes the ponds and brings in supplementary food for the farmed fish and crabs. This eliminates the need for artificial pumping of pond water, and need for synthetic feed. IMFFS ponds are thereby energy-efficient and organic. The system does not compromise on quality and size of produce, both of which are comparable to wild catch.

Mangroves are planted along the periphery and bunds of the ponds, providing additional nutrients in the form of leaf litter. Mangrove-associated marsh grass can be cultivated as organic feed. Mangrove-associated species can be grown and sold as ornamental plants to supplement income. IUCN and MSSRF are exploring the carbon sequestration and storage potential of the mangroves grown around the ponds, and their use in Payment for Ecosystem Services mechanisms.

Increased community resilience 

In 2012, IUCN worked with MSSRF and Praja Pragati Seva Sangham (PPSS)  to build ponds for families of the Yenadi tribe in Sarlagondi village in Andhra Pradesh. The Yenadi families used to hunt rats in agricultural fields earning INR 5 per rat. With no permanent housing and low food and income security, they turn to manual or agricultural labor in times of need.

Just 3 months after IMFFS ponds were setup on land donated by the Revenue Department, Government of India, families were able to collect intermediary harvests as and when they required money or food. The end of year (integrated fish-crab) harvest sold for USD 4,423. On average a family earned between USD 224 - 676 within 4 months of building the ponds. 

Families can now directly sell harvests at local markets when they need money instead of borrowing from loan sharks and accumulating debt. There is a growing sense of financial security and empowerment amongst the families. Through capacity building in finance management families are working to build permanent housing and send their children to school. 

All in the same boat

Even as humanity continues to depend on the oceans for food and livelihoods, pressures from overfishing, climate change and ocean warming are leading to big changes in world food security and other ocean ecosystem services. MFF Small Grant Projects are a great example of how Governments, IGOs, CBOs, and research institutions can partner to provide sustainable solutions to specific needs of coastal communities. 

MSSRF is already working through the Climate Adaptation Fund and Government of India to replicate IMFFS. The Aquaculture Authority of India is considering the IMFFS model for eco-labeling for its potential for carbon sequestration and sustainability. IUCN is continuing to build coastal community resilience by addressing pressures and threats to ocean biodiversity and community livelihoods through MFF and other initiatives.

The IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawai’i in September 2016 focused on ocean-related challenges and solutions through more than 100 events, including the IMFSS projects.

For more information contact:

Ms. Nisha D’Souza
Small Grants Officer, MFF
IUCN India Country Office, New Delhi
T: +91 11 2625 7742 (ext. 206)  
E: nisha.dsouza@iucn.org