Globalization and agrarian change: a case of freshwater prawn farming in Bangladesh

Ito, Sanae

doi:10.1002/jid.1152

Cited by 35 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The rapid development of integrated prawn farming in southwest Bangladesh has been likened to a 'blue revolution' 1 (Ito 2004;Islam 2007). The term 'blue revolution' refers to the remarkable emergence of aquaculture as an important and highly productive agricultural activity (McGinn 1998;Movik et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Rice fields to prawn farms: a blue revolution in southwest Bangladesh?

2009

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This paper examines freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) farming in southwest Bangladesh where a large number of farmers have converted their rice fields to export oriented prawn farms, locally known as gher. The gher design potentially provides good opportunities for diversified production of prawn, fish, rice and dike crops, that has brought about a 'blue revolution'. The average annual yield of prawn, fish and rice was estimated at 467, 986 and 2,257 kg ha -1 , respectively. Large farmers produced higher production due to more inputs, larger farm size and longer experience of prawn farming than others. All farmers in different gher size categories (i.e., small, medium and large) made a profit, with seed and feed dominating variable costs. Despite a higher production costs per hectare, the average annual net return was higher in large farms (US$2,426), compared with medium (US$1,798) and small (US$1,420) farms. Prawn production in gher systems has been accompanied by a great deal of social and economic benefits. Most farmers associate the blue revolution with increases in income and living standards. Socioeconomic benefits of the households of prawn farmers depend on resource ownership (i.e., farm size) and are very apparent. Nevertheless, a number of significant challenges, particularly social and environmental issues, are vital in translating its benefits effectively to the thousands of rural poor.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Rice fields to prawn farms: a blue revolution in southwest Bangladesh?

2009

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“…The prawns are often cultured in combination with rice, and these farming systems occupy more than 0.2 million hectare in the southwest coastal area of Bangladesh and contribute to the main livelihood for poor people in the region (FRSS, 2017). Rice-prawn farming is practiced in modified rice fields, locally known as 'gher' (Ito, 2004). The Bengali term 'gher', meaning 'perimeter', refers to an enclosure made for prawn culture by modifying rice fields through building higher dikes around the field and excavating a canal several feet deep inside the periphery to retain water during the dry season (Ahmed and Garnett, 2010).…”

Section: Agro-ecosystems In Bangladeshmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rice-prawn farming is practiced in modified rice fields locally known as 'gher' (Chapman and Abedin, 2002;Ito, 2004). The Bengali term 'gher', meaning 'perimeter', is an enclosure made for fish and prawn cultivation by modifying rice fields through building higher dikes around the field and excavating a canal several feet deep inside the periphery to retain water during the dry season (Ahmed and Garnett, 2010; Figure 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of insecticides on aquatic ecosystems in Bangladesh

Sumon

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“…The for-export shrimp industry has also become a major part of life in the Southwest. Up to the 1970s, Bagerhat had a low, rice-based agricultural system, due to the extensive spread of beel (swampland) (Ito, 2004). Conditions in the area changed rapidly in the late 1980s, as a result of the expansion of the shrimp industry, and the Farakka Barrage, which have both contributed to the accumulation of salinity in Southwest rivers and land (Faruque et al, 2016;Ito, 2002).…”

Section: Source: Local Government Enginnering Deparment (2017b)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Up until the 1970s, Bagerhat had low agricultural production, due to the extensive spread of beel (swampland) (Ito, 2004). Farmers began salt-water shrimp farming in the 1980s, bolstered by good returns on the international market (Ito, 2002) (as Munazza [Fakirhat, 2] described, "you people eat the shrimp").…”

Section: The Blue Revolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change adaptation in Southwest Bangladesh: vulnerability and gender inequality

MacMahon¹

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The threat of climate change looms large for Bangladesh, located between the Ganges Delta and the Bay of Bengal. Climate change is expected to impact the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh, particularly those who live in coastal areas and are poor or disadvantaged. Women are considered to be particularly vulnerable as a result of gendered roles, responsibilities and limited entitlements. While there is a growing body of work regarding the ways in which gender, class, and livelihoods contribute to climate change vulnerability in Bangladesh, there is little scholarship examining adaptation in terms of its capacity to address the social and political aspects of vulnerability. In addition, much gender and climate change research suffers from static representations of women and gender relations.To address these gaps in the literature, this thesis uses adaptive capacity vulnerability theory, in conjunction with feminist political ecology, to examine the transformative capacity of adaptation initiatives in the Bagerhat region of Southwest of Bangladesh. By adopting a bottom-up approach to social enquiry, this thesis investigates, 1) The nature and community experiences of environmental and climate changes in the region; 2) The social factors that mediate experiences of environmental and climate change, including gender, class and governance; and 3) The ways in which adaptation initiatives interact with underlying causes of vulnerability, with a focus gender.Employing an embedded case study approach and utilising a range of participatory methods, this thesis makes four key findings. Firstly, climate change in Southwest Bangladesh is situated within local political, economic and ecological contexts. The impacts of climate change were found to be 'magnifying' a range of pre-existing environmental challenges that have occurred as a result of political and economic interventions in agriculture in the Southwest. Secondly, women's experiences of, and responses to, environmental change were being shaped by gendered roles, responsibilities and expectations. Gender in this context was undergoing changes as a result of material needs, and women's own agentic desires to help their communities. However, these shifts were having little impact on women's broader capabilities and entitlements. Thirdly, the adaptation initiatives observed were doing little to enhance community capacities in climate change adaptation, and were failing to respond to macro political and economic issues. Most adaptation initiatives, including small-scale improvements to farming and livelihoods, had largely failed to address poverty, gender inequality or the underlying causes of environmental change. Rather, these iii initiatives were assigning obligations to communities, allowing governments to abdicate their responsibilities. Finally, what these findings suggest is that in order to initiate adaptation measures that are sustainable and socially just, there is a need for an approach that is inclusive and transform...

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Globalization and agrarian change: a case of freshwater prawn farming in Bangladesh

Cited by 35 publications

References 2 publications

Rice fields to prawn farms: a blue revolution in southwest Bangladesh?

Rice fields to prawn farms: a blue revolution in southwest Bangladesh?

Effects of insecticides on aquatic ecosystems in Bangladesh

Climate change adaptation in Southwest Bangladesh: vulnerability and gender inequality

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