32 MARCH 2013 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG FIGURE 5. Shrimp harvest diversity and direct icing of organic shrimp. FIGURE 6. Shrimp and fish for selling at the local market. productive and financially possible. Indeed, a strong case can be made that to simply cut trade in Bangladeshi shrimp and leave almost 5 million people without a livelihood would be highly irresponsible. Researchers from the SEAT project have been travelling to Bangladesh to ask those in the shrimp industry and their surrounding communities what they value and what they foresee as a sustainable future for the industry. In a workshop with about 60 participants from along the Bangladeshi shrimp value chain, held in Khulna in March 2012, participants worked in groups to define sustainable scenarios for the future of the sector, together with indicators for measuring progress towards these different futures. As a result, participants in the workshop saw organic shrimp as a sustainable future. Organic Shrimp as an Ethical and Sustainable Alternative? The Organic Shrimp Project According to SEAT project research, a growing number of Bangladeshis see an organic future for the shrimp sector. This shift has come from an appreciation of the growing group of ‘political’ consumers in Europe who place a premium on ethically produced food and the existing state of shrimp farming in Bangladesh, with extensive family-owned farms already conforming in many ways to organic principles but not certified as such. Through codes of conduct, certification and education, the Organic Shrimp Project is trying to make shrimp aquaculture in southwest Bangladesh more ethical and sustainable. The goal of the Organic Shrimp Project (OSP) is to develop smallholder organic shrimp production in Satkhira region of southwest Bangladesh. It was initiated in 2005 by the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) with the help of a local NGO and, in 2007, the private company WAB Trading International (Asia) Ltd took over responsibility and management of the project. By 2012, 1831 farmers were certified organic according to EU organic regulations, with certification underwritten by the private German organic farmers association Naturland and monitored by a Swiss, independent third-party body called IMO - Institute for Marketecology. Organic shrimp farming is an approach to aquaculture that follows the criteria of the EU and other organic regulations (Naturland 2012) to minimize any adverse effects on the environment. This means: 1) protection of adjacent ecosystems; 2) prohibition on the use of chemicals; 3) natural treatment in the case of disease; 4) employing only natural and necessary inputs; and 5) prohibition on the use of genetically modified organisms. It also demands an extensive culture technique with a low stocking density (maximum of 15 post-larvae/m2). Organic shrimp farming does not allow the use of any chemical inputs (such as inorganic fertilizer, pesticides or antibiotics), or wild-caught post-larvae for stocking, and if feed is used it must be certified organic as well. The OSP also supports farmers to prepare natural compost for regular use in shrimp ponds to support the development of natural food. This allows the farmers to save on input costs (like chemical fertilizers). Moreover, 5070 percent of the dikes surrounding the gher must be “greened” with natural vegetation. To ensure traceability the farmer is required to keep detailed documentation of all inputs and outputs of the farm (Naturland 2012). From a Supply-Chain to a Value-Chain The OSP is organised with an internal control system, consisting of quality management procedures, training and inspection undertaken by 47 staff members based in the head office in Kaligonj to ensure compliance with organic regulations and product quality. One key aspect is to provide traceability. Any farmer wishing to join the project must first sign a contract and register with the OSP, including an evaluation of the status of the farm. Every pond is located and recorded in a GPS system with information on its important features. Following this, the farmer receives training on farming practices (Stark and Bocquillet 2009), and at least once annually all farmers are evaluated on a broad variety of issues. The OSP has a separate and much shorter value chain than conventional shrimp production. Harvested shrimp are placed into an insulated container with ice and brought directly to a dedicated collection center, which is under the supervision of internal inspectors. At the collection center, shrimp are sorted by size, weighed, iced again and the price documented with
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjExNDY=