WorldFish Digital Repository
WorldFish research is regarded as international public goods, and we are committed to the widespread dissemination of all our information products. One of the organizational objectives of WorldFish is to make all of its products open. This is in line with both the Center’s Research Data Management and Open Access Policy and the CGIAR Open Access and Data Management Policy. Opening our research, including publications, data and tools, ensures that more people can read and apply our research findings, thereby increasing the efficiency, reach and impact of our work.
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Fish smoking in Madhya Pradesh is largely a women-driven activity. Indigenous fisherwomen are deeply involved in the entire value chain, from harvesting fish in rivers and reservoirs to processing, smoking, and selling the final product in local markets. In districts such as Mandla, Narmadapuram, Betul, and Jabalpur, this work plays a crucial role in household food security and income generation.
This document is a user guide designed to support aquaculture practitioners, extension officers, policymakers, and other stakeholders in effectively using the digital climate risk management tool for aquaculture. The guide provides step-by-step instructions on tool navigation, interpretation of climate information, and application of outputs to enhance climate-informed planning, risk reduction, and adaptive decision-making within the aquaculture sector.
Boeng Sneh Lake, one of Prey Veng’s most important floodplain ecosystems, has reached a new milestone in its journey toward sustainable water and fisheries management. In late 2025, the District Technical Working Group (DTWG) in Ba Phnom successfully secured support from the Provincial Department of Water Resources and Meteorology (PDoWRAM) to replace the deteriorated water gate that regulates flows in and out of the lake. This achievement is far more than an infrastructure upgrade-it is a clear demonstration of how local cooperation, cross-sector dialogue, and community-centered planning can translate into real investment and tangible improvements for people and ecosystems.
Rice cultivation in Cambodia faces challenges from climate change, including intensifying droughts, erratic rainfall, and declining market prices, which undermine the sustainability of traditional monoculture systems. Integrated Rice-Field Pond (RFP) systems, piloted under the CGIAR–Asian Mega Delta initiative, offer a climate-smart alternative by transforming rice paddies into multifunctional, resilient micro-ecosystems. Strategically embedded ponds provide water security, enhance aquatic biodiversity, diversify food and income sources, and strengthen household resilience against climate shocks. Demonstrations under the CGIAR–Multifunctional Landscapes (MFL) program in Prey Veng and Kampong Thom highlight significant benefits: fish harvests through improved pond management, integrated farming profits were several times higher than rice monoculture, and household nutrition and dietary diversity improved. Community adoption has been strong, with low investment requirements enabling scalability to thousands of households. However, management gaps such as widespread pond draining, passive use, and inconsistent practice adoption, limit system resilience. Addressing these challenges requires targeted capacity building, improved governance, and national policy alignment to formally recognize RFPs as climate adaptation assets. Scaling the vision of “One Pond, One Family” could transform Cambodia’s rice landscapes into interconnected, biodiverse of productivity and resilience, securing livelihoods and food systems for millions of rural households.
The Inter-Provincial Workshop on Sharing and Dissemination of Results of Decentralized Governance of Food Systems, Food Security, and Nutrition in Cambodia was convened at the Prey Veng Provincial Administration. The workshop brought together 83 representatives from national and sub-national government institutions, development partners, research organizations, and community stakeholders to reflect on lessons learned and explore pathways for scaling decentralized food systems governance across Cambodia. The workshop was co-organized by the Council for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD), WorldFish Cambodia, and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), with support from CGIAR’s Scaling for Impact (S4I), Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Food (SAAF) and Multi-Functional Landscape (MFL) program. It focused on sharing experiences from the implementation of District Working Groups on Food Security and Nutrition (DWG-FSN) in Ba Phnom District (Prey Veng Province) and Santuk District (Kampong Thom Province), including ecosystem-based sub-working groups in Boeng Sneh Lake and Boeng Ream Community Fish Refuge (CFR)
Aquaculture plays a vital role in Egypt’s food and nutrition security, producing more than 1.5 million tonnes of fish annually and accounting for approximately 80% of national fish production. Despite its importance, the sector is increasingly exposed to risks arising from climate change and socio-economic pressures, including population growth, rising food demand, land-use change, and evolving governance systems.
In this study, we adapt the GOMAP model for land-based aquaculture systems to project aquaculture production potential (APP) under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP1–2.6, SSP2–4.5, and SSP5–8.5) across five key governorates: Behera, Damietta, Kafr El-Sheikh, Ismailia, and Port Said. The analysis integrates species distribution models for major farmed fish species in Egypt, machine learning–based projections of pond water temperature, and dietary requirements of cultured species.
The results show that under SSP1–2.6, most regions are able to maintain or enhance their APP throughout the 21st century, with Ismailia and Port Said preserving nearly 100% of their production potential relative to the 2020s. Under SSP2–4.5, APP becomes increasingly uneven across regions; Behera and Kafr El-Sheikh experience declines of up to 79% and 74%, respectively, by the 2090s, while Port Said and Ismailia remain comparatively resilient. Under the SSP5–8.5 scenario, declines in APP are most severe and widespread, particularly for tilapia, with production potential falling below 50% in several regions by the end of the century. In contrast, mullet and catfish exhibit greater resilience to climatic stress across all scenarios.
These findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted adaptation strategies, including selective breeding, shading and aeration technologies, and spatial reallocation of aquaculture activities to climatically stable areas. The proposed modelling framework provides a valuable decision-support tool for promoting sustainable and climate-resilient aquaculture development in Egypt.
Rice is central to Cambodia’s food system and rural livelihoods, yet climate change and market volatility are increasingly undermining the sustainability of traditional rice monoculture. Evidence from Kampong Thom and Prey Veng under the CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes program demonstrates that integrated rice-based systems offer a viable pathway toward more resilient and productive landscapes. By integrating rice, prawns, and vegetables within a single field, these systems transform conventional rice plots into multifunctional ecosystems that enhance farm income, nutrition, and ecological resilience. Through targeted field redesign, such as improved dikes, strategic canals, reduced chemical inputs, and careful environmental management, farmers can diversify production without compromising rice yields. Findings show that diversified rice systems outperform monoculture economically, nutritionally, and ecologically, proving that climate-smart innovations can deliver both technical feasibility and tangible livelihood benefits for Cambodian smallholders.
This report provides a general insight into IMTA farming systems and species from the Khulna district, with a focus on farmer practices, species management, health risks, and future opportunities for development. A variety of stakeholders were consulted to gather preliminary information on the current health status and key risk factors impacting the health of potential IMTA systems and species, including government institutions, researchers, farmers, as well as WorldFish employees involved in parallel aquaculture projects in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) in Bagerhat, the Department of Fisheries (DoF) in Khulna, and Khulna University (KU) were among the Bangladesh Government and research stakeholders approached for the health consultation. Farmers were visited in various locations in 3 upazilas of the Khulna district, namely Paikgacha, Dumuria and Batiaghata upazilas. Following the field visits, an introduction to future AABS IMTA health activities and a summary of the gathered information were presented to WorldFish Bangladesh staff in Dhaka, with whom information on selected aquatic species across different trophic levels was further discussed in breakout group sessions.
Rohu (Labeo rohita) is a major aquaculture species in Bangladesh, but poor broodstock management has compromised seed quality and growth performance. To address this, WorldFish launched a genetic improvement program in 2012, yet the on-farm performance of the widely available third generation (G3) rohu remains poorly studied. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the growth and profitability of G3 rohu and commercial local rohu under typical smallholder pond polyculture systems in Bangladesh. A total of 120 ponds across two locations were randomly assigned to Selected (30 per location, G3 rohu) or Control (30 per location, local rohu), with rohu stocked at an average of 2470 ha−1 in typical smallholder polyculture systems alongside 5287 ha−1 of other cocultured species. The study was conducted over a full production cycle from July 2023 to March 2024, and differences in performance were assessed using multivariate regression and ANOVA models. Water quality remained within acceptable ranges for aquaculture, despite fluctuations. The Selected rohu demonstrated significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) harvest weight, weight gain, survival rate, and specific growth rate (SGR), growing 32.6% faster than Control rohu. Productivity of cocultured species did not differ significantly (p ≥ 0.05) between ponds with Selected or Control rohu. Furthermore, G3 rohu yielded significantly higher returns per ha than local rohu, with total productivity, gross revenue, gross margin, net margin, and benefit–cost ratios (BCRs) all significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in ponds with Selected rohu. Regression analysis identified pond size, commercial feed use, inorganic fertilization, and stocking density as positive drivers of rohu productivity, whereas pond age had negative effects. Findings are based on data from two districts in southern Bangladesh and may vary elsewhere depending on local farming intensity and management practices. These results suggest that wider dissemination of genetically improved fingerlings, coupled with improved pond management, could enhance smallholder productivity and profitability in Bangladesh.
ECOFISH II (2019-2024), a USAID-funded project led by WorldFish in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries (DOF), aimed to enhance the resilience of Bangladesh’s coastal fisheries and communities. Building on the ECOFISHBD, the project supported 72,000 women, youth, and fishers from 15,010 coastal artisanal fishing households, with a focus on those impacted by the Rohingya crisis. ECOFISH II improved ecosystem health by engaging 140 local youth as blue guards (BGs) to combat ghost gears and plastics. It also advanced scientific research on fish larvae, salinity impacts on fish diversity, seasonal water quality, biodiversity, and the role of phytoplankton in hilsa nutrition. The project assessed various aspects of marine conservation, including MPA suitability, tourism impacts on ghost crabs, small-scale fisheries in Nijhum Dwip, riverine catfish hotspots, and non-conventional fishery products. Catch data from 10 fish landing centers and 40 citizen scientists revealed a 330% increase in small hilsa landings and stable marine fish catch, while the price of larger hilsa doubled. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) data highlighted fluctuations in species such as Bombay duck, hilsa, and thryssa anchovy. ECOFISH II expanded co-management from hilsa to broader marine fisheries by forming 369 Fisheries Conservation Groups, involving 15,010 small-scale fishers, and piloting a fish landing center-based co-management model at 10 landing centers along the Bay of Bengal coast. It also trained 1,508 boat skippers and built national capacity through EAFM training for 48 professionals and 322 committee members, laying the groundwork for sustainable fisheries governance. The project contributed to the development of more than eight key policies, including a revised Hilsa Fisheries Management Action Plan (HFMAP), MPA delineation, the Nijhum Dwip management plan, blue economy guidelines, and low-extractive mariculture strategies, all essential for advancing coastal and marine fisheries management in Bangladesh.
Small-scale fishers are highly impacted by conservation measures, so balancing their needs requires just, equitable, and inclusive strategies. ECOFISH II addressed this by supporting the fishing households through diversified livelihoods, women’s empowerment, and improved access to technology and markets. It helped establish Community Savings Groups (CSGs) and Women Income and Nutrition Groups (WING), empowering 6,575 women and raising BDT 10.6 million in savings. The project also promoted safe dried fish production and climate-resilient horticulture, leading to improved nutrition and dietary diversity. The project also changed nutrition behavior through targeted training and BLS sessions. As a result, 77% of households adopted year-round vegetable cultivation, increasing household income by 78.5% and enhancing dietary diversity for 90% of households. The project also developed nutritious fish and seaweed powders, which generated strong consumer interest. Additionally, it tested various fish-based technologies, such as low-trophic mariculture, dried fish, crab fattening, and seaweed farming, offering new opportunities for technology adoption and market linkages.
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