WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2014 47 A major geographic feature of the Begumgonj is paddy lands that are cultivated in the dry season, but the area becomes too deeply waterlogged in the rainy season for rice cultivation. Following acute shortages of water during the dry season, canal and tributary levels resulting from heavy rains during the monsoon season lead to waterlogged conditions (Das and Hossain 2005). Geospatial analysis of satellite imagery identified more than 22,000 ha of seasonal waterlogged land in Begumgonj of Noakhali (Das and Hossain 2005). The waterlogged area (locally called hator) remains almost dormant for about six months. Naturally produced fisheries resources are used by poor residents of nearby communites. Waterlogged areas have a much greater potential for aquaculture development than currently realized. The sustainability of waterlogged areas, especially ricebased farming systems, is important from an ecological and economic perspective. When flooded, ricefields become a rich and productive ecosystems that can produce an additional crop of plants and animals. Traditional paddy-fish farming uses mainly on-farm and agricultural by-products, while modern paddy-fish farming involves a shift to sciencebased technology using improved breeds, inorganic fertilizers, formulated feeds and time-sharing of land and water resources (Hossain 2009). To develop farmer confidence in new methods, agri-aqua model farms based on scientific principles need to be developed and demonstrated in these waterlogged areas. Regular waterlogging means that only a few alternative livelihood opportunities are available. Many poor people have been forced to move away from their home villages to seek alternative employment as day laborers or in occupations such as rickshaw/van pulling (threewheel manually driven transport). Different types of natural calamities associated with climate change add to the vulnerability of local people. This situation leads them to live at a marginal level and always fighting to supply their daily needs. A number of studies recognize the area of prawn farming (Karim 1989, Alam 2001) and impacts of prawn stocking on biodiversity and local livelihoods (Chowdhury et al. 2003) in waterlogged paddy lands, thus supporting a means of meeting dietary protein requirements (Das et al. 2009, Hossain 2009) of local people. A capacity-building and income-generating approach by community-based aquaculture in underutilized waterlogged areas is considered. Using locally available inputs such as indigenous human resources, available self-recruited fish species, feed ingredients and innovative aquaculture methods can be an option for income generation and a method for vulnerable people to adapt to climate change. Moreover, expansion of comprehensive and effective utilization of waterlogged areas by community-based aquaculture and its related activities in the surrounding villages would result in additional income and an adaptive spirit for rural people in the face of climate change. Study Area Begumgonj upazila (sub-district) of Noakhali is located in the central coastal zone of Bangladesh, along the northeastern coast of the Bay of Bengal (Fig. 1). Begumgonj is located between latitude Community-Based Aquatic Food Production in Waterlogged Areas of Noakhali, Bangladesh A.K.M. Ruhul, Amin Sarker, M. Shahadat Hossain and Nani Gopal Das FIGURE 1. SPOT and Landsat satellite images showing the study site at Begumganj of Noakhali, Bangladesh. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 48) A capacity-building and income-generating approach by community-based aquaculture in underutilized waterlogged areas is considered. Using locally available inputs such as indigenous human resources, available self-recruited fish species, feed ingredients and innovative aquaculture methods can be an option for income generation and a method for vulnerable people to adapt to climate change.
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