Small-scale family pond aquaculture for rural household nutrition
Madhav K Shrestha and Sunila Rai
Aquaculture and Fisheries Department, Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal
ABSTRACT
OUTCOME
IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
Malnutrition especially to the children and women in the rural populations has
been the major issues to be addressed since long time in Nepal. Promotion of
small-scale family pond aquaculture can be the one of the way to overcome
this problem in rural Nepal. Several small grant projects were conducted in
selected villages of Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Lamjung and Gorkha with a
family pond concept (one household one pond) during the period of 2000–
2012. Project initiated with carp polyculture and moved to pond dike
vegetable farming then carp-small indigenous fish species polyculture with
pond dike farming with the prime emphasis on household nutrition and if
surplus sale for supplemental income. Project results have shown that
household ponds are mostly managed by family woman and about 50% fish
are consumed in family. Incorporation of small indigenous fish which are
eaten whole and have very high nutritional value with high vitamins and
micro-nutrients have increased household consumption of those species. We
assume increase in fish consumption has improved nutrition to woman and
children of the project areas. However, it needs assessment to measure
improvement in nutrition.
Key words: rural poor, family pond-aquaculture, malnutrition, children and
woman nutrition
Table 2. Outcome of Women in Aquaculture project phase I (2000-2002)
Chitwan.
• Selection of technically feasible sites – villages;
Particulars
• Identification of appropriate rural society
• Formation of homogenous fish farmers groups;
• Registration of these groups with District Agriculture Development Office;
• Involvement of household heads (both male and female) in training and
other activities;
• Providing technical and input support for one culture cycle;
• Organizing regular monthly meetings of fish farmers’ groups to discuss ongoing and up-coming activities with an emphasis on household women;
• Establishment of fish farmer’s cooperative and its registration with District
Cooperative Office.
BACKGROUND
Aquaculture in Nepal expanded and developed during the decade of nineties
with aquaculture development projects. However, this project supported only
large/bigger farmers with bigger size ponds and small-scale farmers were
excluded. Though the production of fish increased in country, it did not
contribute to improve the nutritional status of the rural poor family.
Malnutrition especially to the children and women in the rural populations has
been the major problems due to lack of nutritious food in regular diet.
Promotion of small-scale family pond aquaculture wherever possible could be
the one of the way to overcome this problem in rural Nepal. Small-scale family
pond aquaculture has increased household fish consumption improving
nutrition and income of a family and in women empowerment (Bhujel et al.,
2008; Pant et al., 2012; Shrestha et al., 2012, Pandey et al., 2012. The small
indigenous fishes (SIS), which are usually eaten whole with the organs and
bones, contain large amounts of minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron,
iodine, zinc, etc. and vitamin-A and vitamin-D. The carp species promoted in
current aquaculture do not contribute significantly to mineral intake. Unlike
large fish, SIS is eaten whole, without loss of nutrients from cleaning or as
plate waste. The bones of SIS are very rich in calcium. Likewise, the eyes,
head, organs and viscera of some SIS, such as Puntius (Pothi), Esomus
(Deduwa) and Amblypharyngodon (Mara/Dhawai) are rich in vitamins and
minerals, especially vitamin A, iron and zinc (Roos et al., 2006). These
nutrients in fish are found to be highly bio-available. Moreover, SIS are selfrecruiting and therefore can be harvested weekly and fortnightly, favoring
household consumption. Most of the Nepalese farmers have been consuming
SIS fish by harvesting from the rivers, lake and swamp areas. However, over
fishing and deterioration of natural habitats have resulted in a decline in SIS.
Inclusion of SIS in carp ponds increases production, profit and household
consumption as compared to normal carp culture, (Gupta, 2011; Yadav, 2011;
Rai et al., 2012).
Therefore, small-scale family pond aquaculture in rural areas wherever
possible may help to improve nutrition and food security in children and
women of the household.
• Awareness on role of SIS in nutrition – Vitamins and micronutrients:
Table 1: Vitamin and micro-nutrient contents in small indigenous fish species
and carps (Roos et al., 2006)
Fish Species
Esomus denricus
(Deduwa)
Amblypharyngodon mola
(Mara/Dhawai)
Puntius sophore
(Pothi/Sidhre)
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
(Silver carp)
Cirrhinus mrigala
(Naini/ Mrigal)
Vitamin A
(RAE/100 g
cleaned &
edible part)
880
2680
60
Calcium
(RAE/100 g
cleaned &
edible part)
775
Iron
(RAE/100 g
cleaned &
edible part)
12
776
784
4.4
< 30
< 10
2.5
RAE = retinol activity equivalents
• Species Selection and identification:
values
Pond constructed (No.)
Pond size (m2)
Total area (m2)
Total Fish production (kg)
Mean fish productivity (ton/ha)
Production range (kg/pond)
Total home consumption (kg)
Consumption range (kg/household)
Total Fish sales (kg)
Sales range (kg/household)
Total supplemental income (NRs)
Suppl. income range (NRs/household)
Parameter
Total pond constructed (No.)
Pond size (m2)
Total pond area (m2)
Total fish production (kg)
Mean fish productivity (ton/ha)
Production range (kg/pond)
Total home consumption (kg)
Consumption range (kg/HH)
Total fish sales (kg)
Sales range (kg/HH)
Total suppl. income (NRs)
Suppl. Income range (NRs/HH)
Puntius sophore (Pothi)
Regular partial harvesting of
SIS (weekly/Fortnightly)
RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2011
www.PosterPresentations.com
Improvement in
nutrition of Children
& Women
Kawasoti,
Nawalparasi
Total
57
50-398
8173
2712
3.3
5-205
820
5-40
1892
0-180
227,040
0-21,600
30
30-135
2667
534
2.0
7-35
166
1–15
368
5-25
44,140
600-3,000
77
30-398
10840
3246
2.99
5-205
986
1-40
2260
0-180
271,200
0-21,600
Table 4. Outcome of Community fish production project phase III (20042007) Chitwan and Nawalparasi.
Parameter
Total pond constructed (No.)
Pond size (m2)
Total pond area (m2)
Total fish production (kg)
Mean fish productivity (ton/ha)
Production range (kg/pond)
Total home consumption (kg)
Consumption range (kg/HH)
Total fish sales (kg)
Sales range (kg/HH)
Total suppl. income (NRs)
Suppl. Income range (NRs/HH)
Kathar,
Chitwan
Kawasoti,
Nawalparasi
Total
33
63-696
7419
2557
3.45
20-340
1258
4-135
1300
5-205
156,000
600-24,000
28
40-255
3242
762
2.35
12-90
227
3-23
536
4-67
64,320
480-8,040
61
40-696
10661
3319
3.11
12-340
1485
3-135
1836
4-205
220,320
480-24,600
Description/particulars
Ponds (no.)
Area of ponds (sq. m.)
No. of families
Primary School
Direct beneficiaries (no.)
Total fish prod (kg)
Consumption (kg)
Sale (kg)
Figures
70
3,112
70
1
300
634
504
130
Amblypharyngogodon mola (Mara / Dhawai)
Mean NFY (mt/ha/yr)
Carps only
3.3
Carps + SIS
4.0
80%
20%
Increment (%)
17.5%
REFERENCES
Bhujel R.C., M.K. Shrestha, J. Pant and S. Buranrom (2008). Ethnic women
in aquaculture in Nepal. Development, 51: 259-264.
Gupta, M. C. 2011. Comparision of performance of Dedhuwa (Esomus
danricus), Mara (Amblypharyagodon mola) and Pothi (Puntius sophore) in
carp-prawn polyculture ponds in Chitwan, Nepal. MSc Thesis. Institute of
Agriculture and Animal Science, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal. 24-44 pp.
Pant, J., M.K. Shrestha, R.C. Bhujel. 2012. Aquaculture and resilience:
Women in aquaculture in Nepal. In: Shrestha, M.K. and J. Pant (eds.) Smallscale Aquaculture for Rural Livelihoods: Proceedings of the National
Symposium on Small-scale Aquaculture for Increasing Resilience of Rural
Livelihoods in Nepal. 19-24 pp.
Pandey,R.P., L.A. Colavito, S. Khatiwada. 2012. Small-scale fish farming in
Mid- and Far-western Regions of Nepal. In: Shrestha, M.K. and J. Pant (eds.)
Small-scale Aquaculture for Rural Livelihoods: Proceedings of the National
Symposium on Small-scale Aquaculture for Increasing Resilience of Rural
Livelihoods in Nepal.. 53-59 pp.
Rai, S., S.H.Thilsted. M.K.Shrestha, MD A. Wahab and K.Gharti. 2012.
Gender in aquaculture and fisheries moving the agenda forward. The Journal
of the Asian Fisheries Society Special Issue (2012):218-223.
Roos, N., M. A. Wahab., C. Chamman and S.H. Thilsted. 2006. Understanding
the links between agriculture and health. International Food Policy Research
Institute. pp. 44-49.
Shrestha, M.K., J. Pant, R.C. Bhujel. 2012. Small-scale aquaculture
development model for rural Nepal. In: Shrestha, M.K. and J. Pant (eds.)
Small-scale Aquaculture for Rural Livelihoods: Proceedings of the National
Symposium on Small-scale Aquaculture for Increasing Resilience of Rural
Livelihoods in Nepal.
Yadav, S. 2011. Production potential of Carp-SIS-Prawn polyculture in
Chitwan, Nepal. MSc Thesis. Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science,
Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal. 22-38 pp.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Table 6. Outcome of Carp-SIS (DANIDA) project (2010-2012) Chitwan
Species combination
Household
consumption
Kathar,
Chitwan
Table 5. Outcome of Aquaculture without Frontier (AwF) project (20082010) Lamjung and Gorkha.
Esomus denricus (Deduwa)
Surplus Sale
& income
21
60 – 395
3683
1096
2.98
28.5 - 97
436
10 – 45
660
9 – 67
53,455
630 - 6030
• Small-scale family pond aquaculture is an effective tool for food security,
household nutrition and supplemental income for rural poor.
• 25-50% produced fish (carps) were used for household consumption.
• Nutrient dense SIS were consumed regularly in family.
• Family pond aquaculture helped to empower women through women fish
cooperative.
• Application of this strategy is likely to benefit a large number of resource
poor small-scale households.
Table 3. Outcome of Women in Aquaculture project phase II (2002-2004)
Chitwan and Nawalparasi.
3.0
36
Family pond
(100-200 m2)
Culture of
Carps + SIS
5.7
< 30
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Harvest of
large carps
CONCLUSIONS
Project funding were - Women in Aquaculture Project by German NGO;
Community Fish production Project by Canadian Cooperation Office; Smallscale mid hills project by Aquaculture without Frontier (AwF UK); Small
indigenous fish species (SIS) project by DANIDA.
Collaborating partners were – Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand;
Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh; Institute of Agriculture and
Animal Science, Nepal; Local NGO – Rural Integrated Development Society,
Kathar.
Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal and AquaFish Innovation Lab
supported to participate this workshop.