Regional projects on Better Management Practices
Smallholder farmer capacity building in ASEAN
The project aims to raise awareness and capacity among small-scale ASEAN aquaculture farmers and assist them to become or remain competitive in markets, in line with the ASEAN vision. It will assist ASEAN small-scale farmers to improve their organisation and livelihoods by improving their farm management practices to deliver quality and sustainably produced aquaculture products that meet the requirements of international markets.
This ACIAR-supported project will promote the development and dissemination of BMPs that will assist small holder farmers. A robust regional mechanism for networking and exchange of information on BMPs will be established. The development of a BMP section of the NACA website has been undertaken as an initiative under this project.
Development of Better Management Practices for Marine Finfish Aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific Region
Marine finfish aquaculture provides an important livelihood option for poor coastal fishing communities in some parts of southeast and east Asia. The sector has been criticized by many for contributing to environmental problems such as coral reef destruction, high nutrient loadings and use of 'trash' fish as feed. There is an urgent need to encourage better management practices that will ensure the economic and environmental sustainability of small-scale farmers, and assist them to maintain market access in the face of increasing demand for environmental and social responsibility in aquaculture.
Better Management Practices for Catfish Aquaculture in the Mekong
Catfish farming in the Mekong Delta is one of the largest freshwater aquaculture industries in the world. Current farming practices need to be improved in many fronts and issues of environmental integrity addressed to ensure the industry continues to develop in a sustainable manner. The project aims to develop BMPs for catfish farming that will increase the productivity and sustainability of small-scale farmers.
National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture, India
A joint MPEDA/NACA project to support shrimp farmers in disease control and coastal management was initiated in 2002, leading to the participatory development of Better Management Practices (BMPs). The project supported farmers to implement BMPs through formation of self-help groups around local 'clusters'. Economic analysis of 15 farmer groups in Andhra Pradesh clearly demonstrated that farmers adopting BMPs have higher profitability, lower cost of production and are able to produce quality and traceable shrimp without using any banned chemicals. The activities of the project have been absorbed into the newly formed National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture, an outreach organization of MPEDA dedicated to supporting self help clubs and adoption of BMPs.
All levels of government in Indonesia actively promote shrimp farming to lift the prosperity of coastal communities and to generate foreign exchange. This project aims to help the shrimp industry lift productivity and profitability for 'traditional' and 'traditional plus' shrimp producers and associated supply-chain micro-to-small enterprises by improving biosecurity and enabling compliance with product quality and food safety standards for export and premium domestic markets.
Aceh Aquaculture Rehabilitation Project
More than half of all brackishwater aquaculture ponds ('tambaks') were destroyed or severely damaged by the December 2004 tsunami. The objective of the project is to rehabilitate the Brackishwater Aquaculture Development Centre at Ujung Batee, which was heavily damaged, and improve the quality of service it provides in support of aquaculture rehabilitation and dissemination of better management practices for aquaculture in Aceh. A linked program of infrastructure and capacity building will strengthen the primary role of the centre to produce seed and to introduce new seed production technologies.
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