Agriculture, irrigation and poverty reduction in Cambodia: Policy narratives and ground realities compared

This report is a contribution to an assessment of the current status of agriculture in Cambodia, focusing on the linkages between agriculture and water, mainly in the form of irrigation. It seeks to view current government policies on agriculture and irrigation in the context of experiences on the ground, as communicated through the many field studies that cover varied aspects of performance in the agriculture sector and irrigation schemes. In an effort to identify future research areas, this review examines the status quo, and connects or disconnects with stated policy through a broad lens to capture strengths and challenges across crop production, irrigation management and post-harvest contexts. It places irrigation under scrutiny in terms of its value as a major area of government expenditure in recent years, and asks whether it presents the best potential for future gains in productivity, when compared with the prospects offered by investments in other aspects of agriculture. The fieldwork and review of current literature that form the basis of this report were undertaken at the request of, and partly funded by, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). It is also intended to contribute knowledge to the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) led by WorldFish, who co-funded the activities.

Aquaculture and food security, poverty alleviation and nutrition in Ghana: Case study prepared for the Aquaculture for Food Security, Poverty Alleviation and Nutrition project

This study provides an overview of the aquaculture sector in Ghana. It assesses the actual and potential contribution of aquaculture to poverty reduction and food security, and identifies enabling conditions for and drivers of the development of Ghana’s aquaculture sector. The study uses data collected from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including key informant interviews with actors within the aquaculture sector and relevant secondary literature.

Environmental and social impact monitoring of the Bujagali Hydropower Project (BHPP), Uganda Fisheries Component: monthly patterns in physico-chemical conditions and fish catch in the immediate vicinity of the Bujagali Hydropower construction site, 29th September - 28th October 2007

Following the commencement of construction works of a 250 MW hydropower plant at Dumbbell Island in the Upper Victoria Nile in September 2007, BEL requested NaFIRRI to conduct continuous monitoring of fish catches at two transects i.e. the immediate upstream transect of the project site (Kalange-Makwanzi) and the immediate downstream .transect (Buyala-Kikubamutwe). The routine monitoring surveys were designed to be conducted twice a week at each of the tWo transects. It was anticipated that major immediate impacts were to occur during construction, and these needed to be known by BEL as part of a mitigation strategy. For example, the construction of it cofferdam could be accompanied by rapid changes in water quality and quantity downstream of the construction. These changes in turn could affect the fish catch and would probably be missed by the quarterly monitoring already in place. Therefore, a major cbjective of the more regular and rapid monitoring was to discern immediate impacts of construction activities by focusing on selected water quality parameters (total suspended solids, water conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH) and fish catch characteristics (total catch, catch rates and value of the catch)

Economics of operation of 38' G.R.P. fishing vessels issued by the A.D.B. Fisheries Project: a case study

The author gives a financial and economic valuation of the operation of vessels in the 38 foot GRP class. He discusses particularly the materials and methods of fishing they use, species composition of their catches, their rate of return, break-even analysis, financial and social analysis.

Impact of Bashundhara Baridhara Housing Project on the status, abundance and species diversity of fish in Bashundhara Housing lake in Dhaka, Bangladesh

A study on the status of fisheries and environmental impact assessment (EIA) was conducted on Bashundhara Baridhara Housing Project (BBHP), Dhaka, Bangladesh for prediction and measure the effects of housing project related development activities that have already been implemented and planned for future implementation. The project is still under development phase and so far allotted 10,000 plots of different sizes. The study shows that the original water bodies and natural fish production there from have greatly declined due to earth filling carried out for development of land for the housing. The physico-chemical parameters of the existing water body within the project area were found to be suitable for fish farming in the estate. A number of economically important fish species are found available in the existing lake. However, the natural fisheries resources of the existing lake is under great stress due to the changes made in the ecosystem, siltation, construction of building and dumping of house building and household waste materials. This has caused some important fish species of the lake to become critically endangered and vulnerable which have been documented in this paper. Appropriate regulatory and mitigating measures with respect to water management, disposal of construction garbage and other biomedical toxic substances far away from the water bodies are required to be taken to keep the water safe and suitable for fish production as well as for multipurpose use of the lake water.

Abundance, migration and management of Jatka (juvenile hilsa, Tenualosa ilisha) in the Gajner Beel, Pabna, Bangladesh

Studies on the abundance, migration and management of Jatka (juvenile hilsa, Tenualosa ilisha) were conducted in the Gajner Beel, located at the south-east corner of the Pabna Irrigation and Rural Development Project (PIRDP) in Sujanagar Upazila of Pabna district, Bangladesh. The main Jatka season was found to be extended from mid August to mid October. Veshal/Bandh/Khora Jal (lift net) and Ber Jal (beach seine net) were found as the major gears involved in Jatka fishing. The estimated total amount of Jatka caught from the Beel during the studied season was 46.2 t. The migratory route of Jatka is extended from the Padma and/or Jamuna rivers to the Badai river and then to the Beel through the sluice gate. The possibility of breeding of hilsa in the Beel was nullified. Finally, a community based management plan was suggested for implementation by the Gajner Beel management committee.

Hydrobiological studies of an irrigation tank with reference to the culture of large murrel, Channa marulius (Hamilton) and striped murrel Channa striatus (Bloch)

The importance of selection of species for culture according to the ecological niches and fish food organisms is highlighted with respect to the Fox Sagar, an irrigation take. The tank was infested with submerged vegetation as well as minnows and weed fishes, which rendered the tank unsuitable for the culture of Indian major carps. The tank was stocked with 8000 fingerlings of Channa marulius and C. striatus during 1981 by the local fisherman co-operative society. Only partial harvest was possible during 1982 because of high water level. The final harvest was in April-May, 1983. The yield obtained was 3640 kg during the culture period of about 20 months.

Mainstreaming gender in the BOBLME Project

The paper presented a gender audit of international and regional instruments in the eight BOBLME countries. Uneven progress in tackling gender inequalities was found. Entry points to mainstream gender in the Strategic Action Plan(SAP) were identified and key recommendations to BOBLME partner countries were made.

Seawater irrigation systems for intensive marine shrimp farming in Thailand

The aim of the seawater irrigation system (SIS) is to clean up shrimp pond effluent and provide high quality seawater for shrimp farming. The system has 3 components: water intake; treatment reservoir and discharge system. There are criteria for site selection because shrimp farmers are required to form associations so they can work closely together. The construction site must be on the coastal area outside a mangrove forest and located away from a production agricultural area. All construction sites must have undergone an environmental impact assessment, and should be located on the area listed in Thailand's Coastal Zone Management Plan. Five SIS projects, which cover a culture area of 6,500 ha with 1,300 farmers (families), were completed and operated. The Department of Fisheries has planned for another 28 projects, that will cover almost 44,000 ha of culture area.

Capture fisheries in Uganda: why Bujagali hydro-power project and ecological monitoring?

Human use of water resow-ces in Uganda has grown and intensified along with population growth and increasing demand to meet the diverse human needs. In the case of Uganda's rivers, the main uses include fisheries, hydropower generation, abstraction for potable water supply, discharge of sewage and navigation. All these uses can disrupt the integrity of the aquatic ecosystem and may affect the survival of the diversity of organisms. In consideration of the need to increase electricity to meet demand, the Bujagali Hydro-power Project (BHPP) and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) recognised the importance of safeguards to mitigate impacts of the project. The National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) was assigned the role of providing baseline information on the aquatic ecosystem of the Upper Victoria Nile and to follow up the findings with a monitoring framework during construction and post-commissioning phases.

Final report of the baseline data reconstruction for the Quality Assurance for Fish Marketing Project

A baseline survey for the project which had been conducted in 2009 had gaps that could not allow assessment of project performance in the outcome and impact indicators to be made. This study was, therefore, commissioned to reconstruct the baseline data, aligned to the impact and outcome indicators on the project logframe and results framework, against which project achievements could be assessed. The purpose and scope of the study was to reconstruct the baseline data and analysis describing the situation prior to QAFM Project inception, taking 2008 as the baseline year, which was aligned to the project logframe outcome and impact indicators; to collect data on current status to compare project outcome (and where possible impact) in improved fish handling sites in comparison with the baseline as well as with comparable non-improved fish landing sites as control group. The study was conducted through secondary data search from sources at NaFIRRI, DFR and ICEIDA. Field data collection was carried out using a sample survey covering 312 respondents including boat and gear owners, crew members, processors and traders at eight project and two control landing sites. Key Informant Interviews were conducted with DFOs and BMU leaders in the study districts and landing sites respectively.