This document summarizes two case studies on community-based inland fisheries in villages in West Bengal, India. In the first village, Jadurbankata, the approaches were scattered and subsistence-focused. Challenges included lack of credit, infrastructure, and understanding of management practices. In the second village, Saluni, the community convinced men to participate and had innovative solutions for water supply and theft protection. They also had stronger market focus and calculations. Overall, lessons indicate a need for more leadership, infrastructure, capacity building, and shifting attitudes from subsistence to profit-focus. The recommendations include developing local water supplies, capacity building, and converging other programs to access funds.

1. Case Studies on Community Based Inland
Fisheries: Village-Jadurbankata and Saluni
Chinmoy Bandyopadhyay
Consultant-MIS and Documentation
Watershed Support Services and Activities Network

2. Objectives of the Study
• To get to know the approaches, activities and planning process
of the community in inland fisheries;
• To build an understanding on challenges, difficulties and
setbacks the SHG members face related to inland fisheries;
• To identify the sources of different inputs;
• To understand the profitability and future plans of the
community;

3. CASE STUDY: ONE
Village:Jadurbankata;Gram Panchayat: Baharamuri;Block:Hirbandh
Name of the SHG: “Marangburu Mahila Swanirbhar Gosthi”

4. Field Observations

5. Approaches, Activities and Planning Process
• Water testing is done by group
members;
• Cumulative/collective seed purchase
from Baharamuri;
• Own labor;
• No calculations regarding
productivity;
Preventive measure from theft

6. Approaches, Activities and Planning Process
• Less seriousness about recommended management practices;
• Subsistence attitude;
• Notion of alternative source of income;
• Scattered planning

7. Challenges, Difficulties and Setbacks
• No credit facility;
• Less active block fisheries dept.;
• Lack of required infrastructure (like- one fishing net for the whole block);
• Less understanding about planning, collective marketing, productivity and
profitability calculation;
• Non-availability of required infrastructure and inferior level of
understanding leads to lower adoption of recommended management
practices;

8. Challenges, Difficulties and Setbacks
• Theft is one of the evident
problems;
• Lack of water supply leads
to distress harvesting;
• Subsistence attitude;

9. Sources of Inputs
• Seedlings: Baharamuri;
• Infrastructure related:
Pradan/Fishery dept.;
• Food for fish: Own;
• Consultancy and capacity
building services: Pradan/Fishery
dept.;

10. Profitability and Future Plans
• Seed and seedling cultivation through group;
• Planning to purchasea big net through group;
• On a short term basis they are planning to purchase seed
and seedlings from SHG members of Baragajra village;
• Selling of produce to the fish vendors

11. Community Speech
- Mamoni Mandi (SHG member);
- Malati Mandi (SHG
member)
“
-Tulshi Mandi
(Leader of the group)

12. CASE STUDY: TWO
Village:Saluni; Gram Panchayat: Maliyan; Block: Hirbandh
Name of the SHGs: “Subha Kamana, Maa Saraswati, Jai Guru”

13. Field Observations

14. Approaches, Activities and Planning Process
• Convinced their male counterparts;
• Innovative water supply system;
• Localized theft protection system;
• Localized marketing system;

15. Approaches, Activities and Planning Process
• Timely calculations;
• More market driven attitude;
• Sensitization related to the potentiality of inland fishery as a
profitable livelihood option is quite evident;
• Better decision making under the leadership of Parbati didi

16. Challenges, Difficulties and Setbacks
• No credit facility;
• Less active block fisheries dept.;
• Lack of required infrastructure (like- one fishing net for the whole block);
• Less understanding about planning, collective marketing, productivity and
profitability calculation;
• Non-availability of required infrastructure and inferior level of
understanding leads to lower adoption of recommended management
practices;

17. Challenges, Difficulties and Setbacks
• Theft is one of the evident
problems;
• Lack of water supply leads
to distress harvesting;

18. Sources of Inputs
• Seedlings: Baharamuri;
• Infrastructure related:
Pradan/Fishery dept.;
• Food for fish: Own;
• Consultancy and capacity
building services: Pradan/Fishery
dept.;

19. Profitability and Future Plans
• Seed and seedling cultivation through group;
• Planning to purchase a big net through group;
• Planning to use surplus earning ;
• Selling of produce to the fish vendors

20. Some Lessons Learned- a Synthesis
• There is a potentiality in both the
villages, some strengthening is
needed in the marketing and
infrastructural front;
• Local level leadership is very
important to put things in right
shape;
• Promoting inland fisheries as one
of frontline livelihood measure
needs an attitudinal shift in
community;

21. Conclusions and Recommendations
• Shift in attitude from subsistence type to a profitable
market driven approach is needed;
• Some local level water supply to water bodies should be
devised;
• Some capacity building program on the recommended
management practices and collective marketing should be
carried out;

22. Conclusions and Recommendations
• Convergence with other programs like- ATMA, RKVY,
NMSA, BRGF may be done to access fund ;
• SHG members must have the control over the whole
value chain for lesser dependency;
• Some capacity building program on the recommended
management practices and collective marketing should be
carried out;

23. Thank You!