Aquaculture Development Project (AqDP) under Padakhep Fisheries Program

Project Overview

One of the greatest difficulties facing poor fishing communities in Bangladesh is to obtain access and user rights to water bodies. Until recently, water bodies were leased from the government by rich landowners who then hire fishers to work on them as laborers. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has persuaded the government to lease water bodies directly to fisher groups that can use their new-found security of tenure to develop such areas and maximize their fishing capacity.

IFAD initiated Aquaculture Development Project (AqDP) is working to improve the living standards and conditions of fishing communities and women's groups in the project area, where majority of the households living below the poverty line. The project focuses on two disadvantaged groups of rural poor people: (a) landless and near-landless people and women, a category that covers the majority of the small-scale fishing population and (b) marginal and small-scale farmers, including some large households that make their living from aquaculture.

The goal of the project was to improve the livelihoods of fishing communities, reduce poverty and empower women. Project attempted to enable fishing communities, the poor and women in particular to get access to water bodies, ponds and to arrange credit for generating employment and to increase the productivity of these fishery resources. As a means of empowerment, the aquaculture project reintroduced the concept of land owned by the community for the benefit of the community.

Padakhep has been implementing AqDP since 2002. The project offers financial support to the beneficiaries in the form of credit through Sonali Bank to carry out their IGAs. The project has a credit fund for a comprehensive credit program to support the aquaculture based IGAs of the beneficiaries with the support of IFAD. Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock is the sponsoring agency and Department of Fisheries is the implementing agency for this initiative. Padakhep has been implementing the project as the lead NGO since 2002 with 8 partner NGOs in Rajbari, Faridpur, Magura, Jessore, Jhenaidah, Chuadanga, Meherpur and Kushtia districts.

Major activities of the project

  • Boost fisheries/aquaculture production and the income of the people living in poverty.
  • Establish and strengthen community organizations to ensure access of the target group to the water bodies and as the institutions through which technical and social services can be provided to AqDP-target group on a sustainable basis.
  • Improve the status of women by including them in the project mainstream activity of pond aquaculture and by providing support for income generating activities.
  • Improve the resource base through the rehabilitation of suitable large water bodies and ponds.
  • Improve access, hence product marketing, to/from rural communities through improvement of rural roads and growth centers, and create productive physical infrastructure involving local bodies.

Project Objective

  • Padakhep has been implementing AqDP since 2002. The project offers financial support to the beneficiaries in the form of credit through Sonali Bank to carry out their IGAs. The project has a credit fund for a comprehensive credit program to support the aquaculture based IGAs of the beneficiaries with the support of IFAD.

Geographic Area

Padakhep has been implementing the project as the lead NGO since 2002 with 8 partner NGOs in Rajbari, Faridpur, Magura, Jessore, Jhenaidah, Chuadanga, Meherpur and Kushtia districts.

Project Partners

  • Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock is the sponsoring agency and Department of Fisheries is the implementing agency for this initiative.