Master thesis 2020, Raj Kumar Khadka
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Prospects of Aquaculture for Sustainable Livelihood Development in Majhi Community
A case from Julunge, Sindupalchowk
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Abstract
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In recent decades, the aquaculture practice in Nepal is raising and its contribution for foods is remarkable. Aquaculture has not only contributed to the field of food security; it has created huge employment opportunities and potential economic activities in the global context.
To take these advantages, Majhi people from Bhimtar- Sindupalchowk are also practicing aquaculture in 5 ponds with total area of 2000 sqft.
This Master thesis was conducted to understand the existing scenario of aquaculture being practiced in this Nepalese community and assess their livelihood outcomes, so that area of improvement in practice can be figured out.
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The thesis applied the Sustainable Livelihood Approach framework developed by Department for International Development (an analytical tool to improve our understanding of livelihoods of the poor/ vulnerable people) as a foundation to identify the means and ways to enhance the livelihood of fish farmers. The survey was conducted into 13 HHs out of them 5 were fish farmers and they are producing 124kg fishes in a year.
It was found 1 sqft of pond, 0.06 kg of fishes were produced in the year 2075. But this production is very low in compared to other farms. The case study of Srijansil Mahila Macha Palan Samuha has reported 0.2 kg fish production per sq ft from similar size backyard aquaculture. Lack of capital investment, lack of institutional support, dependency on donor organization, lack of site and technical knowledge are found as major constraints and are discussed to find mitigating approaches in the final phase of the study.