Rethinking aquaculture for resource-poor farmers: perspectives from Bangladesh

Expectations about the unfulfilled potential of aquaculture as a source of animal protein for the poor of Bangladesh are currently running high. Evidence suggests that social and economic constraints to intensification are as yet poorly understood and may constitute an important barrier to improving resource utilisation. Both public sector agencies and NGOs are currently engaged in a range of aquaculture initiatives. This paper critically surveys a selection of ongoing aquaculture research and extension programmes. It is suggested that current approaches are unlikely to benefit those with low incomes in Bangladesh, since there are problems with both the conceptualisation of the `problem of aquaculture' and the types of institutional arrangements being deployed to tackle it. The paper ends with several recommendations about future priorities in terms of the nature and style of aquaculture research.