Sustainable intensification of small-scale aquaculture production in Myanmar through diversification and better management practices

Small-scale aquaculture systems can contribute significantly to food and nutritional security, poverty alleviation, and rural development, especially in developing countries. However, the intensification of aquaculture systems often has negative environmental outcomes. The adoption of diversification practices (e.g. polyculture, pond-dike cropping (PDC)) and better management practices (BMPs) has been identified as a possible approach to intensify sustainably small-scale aquaculture production. This study assesses the sustainability outcomes of the adoption of diversification practices and BMPs in small-scale production models. We focus on Myanmar, a developing country characterized by a rapidly expanding small-scale aquaculture sector. We analyze 624 household surveys with small-scale aquaculture producers in central and northern Myanmar. We estimate the effects of diversification practices and BMPs on different sustainability outcomes, namely economic outcomes (i.e. aquaculture yield and benefit-cost ratio), environmental outcomes (i.e. nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency), and food security outcomes (i.e. fish self-consumption and household dietary diversity) through linear mixed-effects models. Our results reveal that diversified production models (whether integrating or not integrating BMPs) could have significant positive effects on economic and food security outcomes, as well as phosphorus use efficiency, compared to 'unimproved monoculture'. However, such production models do not seem to have any major effect on nitrogen use efficiency. The adoption of BMPs on diversified production models seems to have little (if any) added effect on any of the studied sustainability outcomes, which suggests the need to improve existing BMPs or even develop new BMPs fit for Myanmar's context. These findings have implications about the possible contribution of diversification practices and BMPs for enabling sustainable intensification in small-scale aquaculture settings in Myanmar, and other rural developing contexts

Multi-stakeholder perception analysis of the status, characteristics, and factors affecting small-scale carp aquaculture systems in Bangladesh

Inland aquaculture is essential for the food and livelihoods of millions of small-scale producers across the global South. Very diverse actions from national governments, civil sector and international organizations have been seeking to enhance the performance of small-scale aquaculture systems. However, many of these efforts are constrained by the general lack of information about the status and characteristics of the sector. In many cases, data are unavailable, highly aggregated or outdated, thus failing to provide a clear picture of the situation on the ground to inform relevant efforts. Bangladesh is one such country, where, on the one hand, the aquaculture sector is extremely important for national economic growth, rural development and food and nutrition security, but on the other hand suffers from a general lack of quality data to inform relevant actions. In this study, we report the findings generated though eight workshops that engaged 215 stakeholders involved in the Bangladesh small-scale carp aquaculture sector. By leveraging the expertise of the participants, we obtain an overarching picture of the characteristics of small-scale carp production models around the country. The findings suggest a large variability of production models and levels of intensification, which are mainly based on polyculture involving species such as rohu, catla, and mrigal. These systems have been roughly categorized in four types characterized by different levels of intensification and dominant species, which are present across the country with varied socio-economic, infrastructure and environmental conditions. The study also identified an unfolding shift in the last years, from subsistence-based to commercially oriented production. In terms of market preference, quite different carp attributes are valued among small-scale producers across the country, with large size of carp, its rapid growth and the availability of improved strains being the most valued. As aquaculture, and particularly carp aquaculture, is important for rural development in Bangladesh by sustaining households’ income and livelihoods in different ways, we argue for the need to undertake more detailed studies to understand the characteristics and performance of these types of small-scale aquaculture systems. This will be indispensable for informing policies and actions that aim to target more effectively the different types of producers, and to improve the overall performance and sustainability of the sector

Tilapia aquaculture systems in Egypt: Characteristics, sustainability outcomes and entry points for sustainable aquatic food systems

The future demand for fish and other aquatic foods requires the sustainable intensification of related production systems. However, policy and investment decisions for the sustainable intensification of aquaculture systems are usually hindered by the lack of benchmarking data about their actual sustainability performance, often resulting in poorly developed and implemented interventions that ignore potential sustainability trade-offs. This is a reality in many of the leading aquaculture producers in the developing world like Egypt. In this study we analyzed farm-level data from 402 aquaculture producers in the Kafr El Sheikh governorate in Egypt, to characterize and benchmark the performance of tilapia production systems against key sustainability outcomes. For the analysis we used a combination of statistical tools such as ordinary least square regressions, simultaneous quantile regressions and propensity score matching. We focussed on how the production characteristics and practices of different tilapia production systems intersect with economic, food security, and environmental outcomes that cover multiple dimensions of sustainability. We found that differences in these production characteristics and practices were significantly associated with the sustainability performance of tilapia production systems. In particular, our results show that yields in monocultural systems (10,460.5 ton/ha) were significantly higher than in polyculture systems (8404.7 ton/ha). Furthermore, despite the generally positive economic, food security, and environmental outcomes of several of the studied systems, some trade-offs emerge both between and within these sustainability dimensions

Baseline survey of Fish for Livelihoods project Myanmar

This survey is a baseline of Fish for Livelihoods project. It covered various aspects including production, Better Management Practices, Marketing, Feeds, Income and assets, expenditure, credit and extension, food security, Health and sanitation, and Climate perceptions and adaptation strategies

Human wellbeing outcomes of involvement in industrial crop production: Evidence from sugarcane, oil palm and jatropha sites in Ghana.

An extensive body of theoretical work has advocated the use of multiple human wellbeing indicators to assess the outcomes of agricultural investments in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). However, few studies have actually achieved it. This study investigates the human wellbeing outcomes of involvement in industrial crop production in Ghana by comparing the levels of different objective and subjective wellbeing measures for groups involved in industrial crop production as plantation workers and smallholders, and groups not involved (i.e. control groups). We use household income, adult consumption and the multidimensional poverty index (MPI) as indicators of objective wellbeing. We measure subjective wellbeing through self-reported levels of satisfaction with life, worthwhileness, happiness and anxiousness. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) analysis is used to assess whether involvement in industrial crop production increases household income and consumption. Overall, for most indicators of objective wellbeing industrial crop outgrowers, smallholders and independent smallholders are better off compared to other groups in their respective sites (in terms of mean scores), but involvement does not necessarily brings human wellbeing benefits (PSM analysis). On the other hand plantation workers are either worse off or have similar level of objective human wellbeing with control groups in their respective sites (in terms of mean scores), but involvement sometimes brings human wellbeing benefits (PSM analysis). However, workers tend to benefit from access to plantation infrastructure, which has a positive effect to their multi-dimensional poverty. In most cases the objective wellbeing measures do not correlate well with self-reported levels of subjective wellbeing. It is important to combine such indicators when evaluating the human wellbeing outcomes of agricultural investments in order to obtain a more comprehensive outlook of whether industrial crop production can become a valuable rural development strategy in SSA

Do voluntary certification standards improve yields and wellbeing? Evidence from oil palm and cocoa smallholders in Ghana

Cocoa and oil palm production are major agricultural activities in Ghana, contributing substantially to the national economy and rural livelihoods. Even though smallholders produce practically all cocoa and a large fraction of oil palm in Ghana, their production is currently characterized by low yields and negative environmental and socioeconomic outcomes. Different certification standards have been promoted to enhance oil palm and cocoa sustainability in Ghana. This paper assesses the impact of certification standards on farm yields and the wellbeing of oil palm and cocoa smallholders. We focus on two sites of Ghana using a combination of monetary and non-monetary wellbeing indicators and Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Through certification, oil palm and cocoa smallholders adopt sustainable production practices (albeit to different extents), with certification having a mostly significant positive effect on farm yields, income and multidimensional poverty for both types of crop smallholders. However, certified cocoa smallholders have a relatively lower income diversification, which increases their vulnerability to price and yield fluctuations. It is important to build farmer capacity with income diversification strategies, possibly through the certification training received and the re-investment of the economic gains obtained through premiums and yield gains

Report on Bangladesh characterization study - Fish production baseline at country level

Characterisation study at country level (Bangladesh): Executive summary and initial findings

Mobilizing participatory approaches to introduce transdisciplinary research elements when exploring the interface of commodity crop production and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa

The production of commodity crops such as oil palm, sugarcane, cotton or cocoa has important ramifications for sustainability at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Food security is among the most heavily debated impacts of commodity crop production, especially in developing regions characterized by high rates of malnutrition and food insecurity such as Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Studies have identified diverse pathways through which commodity crop production can have positive or negative impacts on the different pillars of food security. This Methodology paper outlines how different participatory approaches can be mobilized to introduce transdisciplinarity research elements when exploring the adoption and impacts of commodity crop production, especially in developing regions such as SSA. It draws from the lessons learned during the design and implementation of five research projects that explored the food security outcomes of commodity crop production in different countries of SSA. Collectively these research projects mobilized very diverse participatory approaches such as expert interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), participatory mapping, mediated modeling, and participatory scenario analysis. Beyond being instrumental for data collection, these participatory approaches served multiple other research functions. In particular they helped (a) identify research priorities, knowledge gaps, and underlying phenomena, (b) formalize impact mechanisms and develop methodology, and (c) interpret data and validate findings. Furthermore, they contributed to the credibility and relevance of the research, and to a lesser extent to the legitimacy and effectiveness, all of which are considered important principles of transdisciplinary research. Through these diverse contributions they were instrumental in integrating valuable insights from stakeholders holding very complementary expertise in commodity crop value chains at different scales. In this sense they can act as valuable entry points to introduce transdisciplinary research elements in projects exploring the interface of food security and commodity crop value chains (or food systems more broadly), especially in contexts that truly transdisciplinary research is not feasible or desirable

Blood Donors’ Age, Haemoglobin Type, G6PD Status, and Blood Group Impact Storability of CPDA-1 Banked Whole Blood: A Repeated-Measure Cohort Study in Cape Coast, Ghana

Background. The high prevalence of haemoglobin variants and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase disorder (G6PDd) in sub-Saharan Africa means that substantial proportions of donor blood units carry these red cell abnormalities. Aim. This study investigated the impact that inherited haemoglobin variants and/or G6PD status have on whole blood banked at 4–6°C for 35 days. Method. This repeated-measure cohort study was undertaken on 103 donor blood units collected into blood bag containing CPDA-1 anticoagulant. On days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 35, full blood count, osmotic-induced haemolysis, and plasma K+ levels were estimated. Also, on day 0, G6PD status, haemoglobin variants, % foetal haemoglobin, and blood group of donor units were determined using methaemoglobin reductase, cellulose acetate electrophoresis, modified Bekte alkali denaturation assay, and slide haemagglutination test, respectively. Result. Overall, although plasma K+ levels increased during storage, donor units from individuals ≥20 years, G6PD normal, Hb AC, or blood group B had comparatively higher percentage change in plasma K+ during storage. Osmotically induced haemolysis of donor units was significantly decreased in Hb AC (compared with Hb A or AS) donor units on days 7, 14, 21, and 35 (p<0.0001 in each case). G6PDd donor units had comparatively reduced osmotic-induced lysis compared with G6PD normal units, reaching a statistical significance on day 35 (p=0.043). Also, Hb AC units had comparatively nonstatistically higher plasma K+ at all time points (compared with Hb A or AS). Furthermore, whereas donor units from individuals ≥20 years showed significantly higher median free haemoglobin on day 21 (compared to donor <20 years), when donor units were stratified per Hb variants, only Hb AS units had median free haemoglobin below the 0.8% threshold after 35 days’ storage. Conclusion. Age of donor, blood group, Hb AC variant, and G6PD status may be important considerations in the storability of whole blood