Recommendation Domains for Pond Aquaculture

Abstract

"Raising fish for food, or aquaculture, is a long tradition spanning many centuries in some countries. In others, it was introduced only relatively recently. In either case, aquaculture development is rapidly gaining prominence in many countries that face reduced supply from capture fisheries for various reasons such as overfishing, natural resource degradation from environmental pollution and climate change. In many developing countries, freshwater aquaculture plays an increasingly important role in smallholder farming systems toward improving the availability of affordable animal protein for household consumption, diversifying production, reducing risk and supplementing household income. Recent decades have seen increased research efforts in aquaculture to develop various technologies that are viable for newly entrant farmers and also help small-scale farmers to evolve and expand their production toward greater market orientation. Unfortunately, though, smallholder-oriented aquaculture technologies have been successfully disseminated beyond the demonstration phase to larger numbers of poor rural farmers in only a few countries. Even in these countries, such as Bangladesh, more rapid development is required to keep up with the growth in demand for fish.

"The number of farmers who can potentially benefit from aquaculture research and extension is very large, and governmental and nongovernmental efforts to promote various aquaculture technologies continue. However, the benefits from these efforts have yet to be realized. An informed basis for recommending particular aquaculture practices and technologies would improve the chances of their successful and sustained adoption. Central to this recommendation is the ability to (1) identify where and under what conditions various types of aquaculture would be feasible and (2) recognize what constraints need to be overcome. These are challenges faced by planners, managers, extension workers and researchers concerned with aquaculture development."