One of the largest Mangrove Ecosystems in India, the residents of Bhitarkanika, Odisha depend mostly on aquaculture and agriculture, both of which is dependent on the mangrove ecosystem. A dramatic increase in the Shrimp farming has resulted in hectares of agricultural lands converted into saline ponds. This unsustainable practice is causing massive crop failures, further supplemented by lack of awareness and technology available in this climate vulnerable area, placing much of the coastal zones at high risk.
SAFE intervened in 7 villages and approximately 4000 households with sustainable livelihood alternatives. Cage & Fish Pen culture, crab fattening and collective algae culture are few of the initiatives undertaken with the communities. Additionally, SAFE had carried out a detailed study through surveys in the hamlets to evaluate the current status of the environment and the community for developing an action plan for improvement.
Intervention Objectives:
• Conduct sensitization workshops and capacity building in villages (Narayanpur, Garta, Keruapal, Uddan, Bhajaprasad, Sailendrasar, and Khasmunda) of Bhitarkanika and ensuring conservation of mangroves and forest.
• Analytical framework for planning & management of sustainable aqua farming for alternate livelihood of coastal communities.
• Capacity building and development of the coastal communities, ascertaining gender justice and preparing them for the disaster mitigation in the milieu of impending climatic catastrophes.
Project action plan:
• Livelihood dependence indexing, participatory vulnerability assessment and resource mapping done in all seven villages through sociometric survey and analysis for identifying households as direct beneficiaries.
• Sensitization programs organized in each village with the inhabitants for general acquaintance with place based integrated aqua farming.
• Feedback review and sensitization in each village.
• Two join liability Eco-clusters (JOLECs) in each village comprising 10 members in each are formalized as local institution in aqua-farming for training and marketing.
• Awareness on financial inclusion and bank linking of JOLEC members in each village.
• Community revalidated the ecosystem service through male & female in each village to get gender specific inputs for mapping.
• One stakeholder meeting in each village with line departments, fisheries, rural development, cooperative, blocks, environment & agriculture was done.
• At least two awareness workshops in each village with 50 heads along with representative from line department.
• Hamlet plantation campaign for 500 mangrove saplings done after every awareness workshop in the area by the village beneficiaries.
• Structural set up for pen-culture, float culture and crab culture in the identified pond was established and aqua farming is initiated by JOLECs.
• Comprehensive results are prepared, feedback is analysed and inputs from beneficiaries are collated for developing the framework document.