Enhancing fisheries productivity through improved management of reservoirs, dams and other water control structures

Dams and the reservoirs they create are increasingly ubiquitous in landscapes throughout the world. They have a major impact on fisheries, presenting both opportunities and constraints. This note, written for both water sector and fisheries sector practitioners, policy-makers and decision-makers, is intended to: i) increase awareness of the importance of inland fisheries; ii) highlight the impacts of dams and other water control structures on fisheries; and iii) outline approaches for increasing fisheries yields and benefits, both within reservoirs and downstream in rivers and irrigated areas. The focus of the note is on how reservoirs and associated water management structures, can be managed or modified to provide a wider range of benefits. In this context, we advocate a landscape approach with much more prominence given to fisheries since they represent a significant untapped potential for sustainably increasing landscape productivity. In future, much greater emphasis should be given to safeguarding and improving fisheries opportunities in the aquatic environments created and impacted by dams and other water control infrastructure

Summary of Baseline Household Survey Results: Ek Phnum district Battambang province Cambodia

The household baseline survey conducted from December 2014 to January 2015 collected data from 140 households in seven villages, including Rohal Suong village, in the Ek Phnum district, Battambang province, Cambodia. This is part of the baseline data collection activities in Rohal Suong Climate Smart Village of CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. The objective is to collect household baseline data where the data to be collected five and 10 years after on the same households will be compared to capture changes that may occur over time. Results showed that the households were highly dependent on farming and small livestock raising for food and income and had access to small landholdings. Households also diversified income sources by engaging in off-farm work, and experienced hunger, especially in the months of October to December. Farming was characterized by low crop and commercialization index. Climate change-related factors, particularly drought and flooding, were the main factors identified to influence farming decisions. Adaptation and mitigation measures need to be enhanced. Information on extreme weather events were commonly available, but not weather forecasts. Providing the farmers with correct information can help them make good farming decisions

Analyzing farm household strategies for food security and climate resilience: The case of Climate-Smart Villages of Southeast Asia

This paper develops a conceptual framework with an indicator-based approach to assess Climate-Smart Villages (CSVs) and applies it to case study sites in Lao PDR (Ekxang CSV), Cambodia (Rohal Suong CSV), and Vietnam (Tra Hat CSV) in Southeast Asia. The intensification, extensification, diversification, commercialization, alteration of practices, use of common lands, migration strategies that can augment climate resilience, farm income, assets, and food security are assessed based on a composite index of the strategies and key outcome variables. The study demonstrates a method that can be applied widely for assessing climate-smart agriculture strategies and finding possible entry points for climate-smart interventions. The influence of gender in resource control and livelihood strategies is also discussed. It is also evident that the climate-smart interventions can augment different livelihood strategies of farmers and enhance the developmental and climate resilience outcomes. There is a need to prioritize the possible interventions in each case and implement them with the help of donor agencies, local institutions, and government offices

Maintaining Diversity of Integrated Rice and Fish Production Confers Adaptability of Food Systems to Global Change

Rice and fish are preferred foods, critical for healthy and nutritious diets, and provide the foundations of local and national economies across Asia. Although transformations, or "revolutions," in agriculture and aquaculture over the past half-century have primarily relied upon intensified monoculture to increase rice and fish production, agroecological approaches that support biodiversity and utilize natural processes are particularly relevant for achieving a transformation toward food systems with more inclusive, nutrition-sensitive, and ecologically sound outcomes. Rice and fish production are frequently integrated within the same physical, temporal, and social spaces, with substantial variation amongst the types of production practice and their extent. In Cambodia, rice field fisheries that strongly rely upon natural processes persist in up to 80% of rice farmland, whereas more input and infrastructure dependent rice-shrimp culture is expanding within the rice farmland of Vietnam. We demonstrate how a diverse suite of integrated production practices contribute to sustainable and nutrition-sensitive food systems policy, research, and practice. We first develop a typology of integrated production practices illustrating the nature and degree of: (a) fish stocking, (b) water management, (c) use of synthetic inputs, and (d) institutions that control access to fish. Second, we summarize recent research and innovations that have improved the performance of each type of practice. Third, we synthesize data on the prevalence, outcomes, and trajectories of these practices in four South and Southeast Asian countries that rely heavily on fish and rice for food and nutrition security. Focusing on changes since the food systems transformation brought about by the Green Revolution, we illustrate how integrated production practices continue to serve a variety of objectives to varying degrees: food and nutrition security, rural livelihood diversification and income improvement, and biodiversity conservation. Five shifts to support contemporary food system transformations [i.e., disaggregating (1) production practices and (2) objectives, (3) utilizing diverse metrics, (4) valuing emergent, place-based innovation, (5) building adaptive capacity] would accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 2, specifically through ensuring ecosystem maintenance, sustainable food production, and resilient agricultural practices with the capacity to adapt to global change.This work was undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH) led by WorldFish with contribution from the CGIAR Research program on Water Land and Ecosystems (WLE) led by the International Water Management Institute. Both these programs are supported by contributors to the CGIAR Trust Fund. Additional funding support for this work was provided by the Australian Government and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research grant work was provided by the Australian Centre for International Research through the Development of Rice Fish Systems in the Ayeyarwady Delta, Myanmar (ACIAR project FIS/2016/135). The support through the United States Agency for International Development under Cooperative Agreement No. AID-OAA-L-14-00006 and KAES contribution number 20-317-J and grant number AID-442-IO12-00001 are duly acknowledged. Photo credits: Anon., Finn Thilsted, Anon., Anon., Todd Brown (Figure 1)

Towards Effective Participatory Decision-Making on Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Technologies: A Case Study of Rohal Suong Climate-Smart Village, Battambang Province, Cambodia

ភូមិរលសួង កនុងេខត្តបត់ដំបង គឺជភូមិៃវឆ្លតេទនឹងកសធតុ (CVS) ដំបូងេគបង្អស់េន ្របេទសកមពុជ ែដលសថិតេ្រកមកមមវិធី្រវ្រជវ CGIAR ស្តីពីករែ្រប្របួលកសធតុ កសិកមម និង សន្តិសុខេសបងេនសុីេគនយ៍។ ភូមិេនះបនផ្តល់ឱកសកនុងករកំណត់ និងព្រងីកករអនុវត្តែដល មន្រប់ទុកជឧទហរណ៍អំពីករងរកសិកមមៃវឆ្លតេទនឹងកសធតុ (CSA) ។ ករអនុវត្តទំង េនះ ចេធ្វើឲយមនលកខណៈទូលំទូយជងមុន និងកន់ែតទំេនើបជងមុន េនមកែន្លងេផង និង ក្រមិតេផង។ កិចច្របជុំស្រមប់ករកំណត់ទិភពេយមនករចូលរួម ស្រមប់ករអនុវត្ត CSA ្រតូវ បនេរៀបចំេឡើងជមួយអនកពក់ព័នធទំងអស់េនកនុងភូមិ រលសួង ។ កមមវិធីេនះបនជួយ សេ្រមចថ េតើបេចចកេទស CSA ចជួយ េលើកសទួយជីវភពរស់េនរបស់អនកភូមិ និងបនបំេពញមត្រមូវករ របស់សហគមន៍ែដរ ឬ យ៉ង ។ េដើមបីធនឱយបនយុត្តិធម៌ៃនករអនុវត្តបេចចកេទស CSA ែដល ្រតូវបនេ្រជើសេរើសស្រមប់ករអនុវត្ត េនះមនករសេ្រមចមួយថ បេចចកេទស្រតូវែតពក់ព័នធនឹងបរិបទ កនុងតំបន់ េហើយបេចចកេទសទំងេនះ្រតូវមនករផព្វផយ និងេបើកចំហចំេពះបញ្ហ ្របឈមនន និង ករពិនិតយេឡើងវិញ ។ កិចច្របជុំេនះក៏្រតូវបនេរៀបចំឲយមនតុលយភព និងករយកចិត្តទុកក់េលើមតិ ខុសៗគនេនកនុងសហគមន៍ផងែដរ ជពិេសសេទេលើបញ្ហ ទក់ទងនឹងេយនឌ័រ និងមនុសែដលមន ថនភពេសដ្ឋកិចចទប។ េយយកភូមិ រលសួង ជគំរូៃនករកំណត់ទិភពែដលមន ករចូល រួម្របកបេយ្របសិទធភព ជបន្តេទៀត ្រកុមអនក្រវ្រជវបនបេងកើតេគលករណ៍ែណនំស្រមប់ករ កំណត់ទិភពែដលមនករចូលរួម ស្រមប់បេចចកេទស CSA េនះ។ េគលករណ៍ៃណនំទំងេនះច ្រតូវបនេ្របើ្របស់េដើមបីកំណត់ទិសេទិភពៃនករអនុវត្ត CSA នេពលអនគតេនកនុង ភូមិៃវឆ្លត េទនឹងកសធតុ (CVS) េផងៗេទៀត

Towards Effective Participatory Decision-Making on Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Technologies: A Case Study of Rohal Suong Climate-Smart Village, Battambang Province, Cambodia

Under the Climate-Smart Village (CSV) program of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), the village of Rohal Suong in Battambang Province was selected to be the first CSV in Cambodia. This provides the local community with an opportunity to identify and enhance existing practices, which can be classified as climate-smart agriculture (CSA) interventions, and to test new technologies that it can adopt. Those that were deemed appropriate as climate adaptation measures could then be out-scaled and upscaled in other places and in various levels. In this regard, a series of activities to support the participatory prioritization and selection of CSA technologies and practices (CSA T&P) was organized and participated by various stakeholder groups in Rohal Suong. These activities helped the community representatives identify the CSA T&Ps that could best improve their lives and meet their needs. As part of the CSA prioritization process, the representatives ensured that technologies and practices are relevant to the local context and are publicized for review and revision. The community workshop sessions considered the various issues within the community, especially those that affect different genders and people of lower socioeconomic status. Using Rohal Suong as an example of effective participatory priority setting, the researchers propose a procedural guide for the participatory prioritization of CSA T&P, which can guide the scaling process in other rural communities of Cambodia

Coping with resettlement : A livelihood adaptation analysis in the Mekong River basin

A major driver of change in the Mekong River basin relates to hydropower development and the consequent changes in landscape and natural resource access regime that it induces. In this paper, we examine how the livelihoods of resettlers evolve following resettlement, and examine the determinants of that process. The study takes place in the context of the Theun Hinboun Expansion Project in Lao PDR. Based on longitudinal household surveys conducted before resettlement as well as 1, 2, and 3 years after resettlement, we identify the process of livelihood adaptation in resettled communities. Results show varying capacity to absorb shocks and cope with change even within a small village with seemingly equal conditions. Our results suggest that a more detailed understanding of this adaptation process is key to improving interventions for rebuilding the livelihoods of those resettled by development projects in rural areas.</p

Fisheries Centre research reports, Vol. 12, no. 6

DIRECTOR’S FOREWORD. ABSTRACT. INTRODUCTION. Brief History of Fishing Gear. Impacts of Fishing Gear. METHODS. Data Sources and Documentation. Assignment Procedures. Mapping Results. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Global Catches by Gear. Gear Use by Major Fishing Countries. North America. Europe. Africa. Asia. Proportion of Catch Using Trawl or Dredge Gear. CONCLUSIONS. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. REFERENCES. APPENDICES. Annual average catch by fishing gear categories.Fishing gear associated with capture of marine fish families. Catch associated with trawl or dredge gear (URL link only).Fisheries Centre (FC)UnreviewedFacultyResearcherGraduat