Livelihoods analysis, aquaculture and irrigation in India

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Livelihoods analysis, aquaculture and irrigation
in India
Cecile Brugere, John Lingard
Department for International Development
Dept. of Agricultural Economics and Food
Marketing University of Newcastle
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Structure

• Economics Livelihoods hypothesis, Sustainable
  Livelihoods Framework
• Vulnerability, assets, access, strategies
• Poverty-focused aquaculture and potential
  beneficiaries
• Aquaculture costs, resource allocation, and
  comparison with other income generating
  activities
• Livelihood benefits
• Constraints, Policy implications

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Economics Livelihoods hypothesis

• Varying gradients of water availability

? Poverty and livelihood strategies adopted
? Potential for aquaculture interventions

• 2 canals
• - LBP (120 miles)
• - Arrakankottai (40 miles)
• 6 villages
• Head - Middle - Tail

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Sustainable livelihoods framework
Key H Human capital S Social capital N
Natural capital P Physical capital F
Financial capital
LIVELIHOOD ASSETS
LIVELIHOOD OUTCOMES
POLICIES, INSTITUTIONS AND PROCESSES
VULNERABILITY CONTEXT
- More income - Increased well-being -
Reduced vulnerability - Improved food
security - More sustainable use of natural
resources
LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES
TO
- SHOCKS - TRENDS - SEASONALITY
STRUCTURES Levels of government
Laws Private Policies sector Culture
Institutions
PROCESSES
Influence Access
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Methodology of investigation
LIVELIHOOD OUTCOMES
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Vulnerability context

• SHOCKS
• natural
• agricultural
• economic

droughts, floods
crop failures
changed prices

• TRENDS
• agricultural
• economic
• physical
• social

intensification, mechanisation
non-farm employment, improved welfare
improved infrastructures
erosion of community values
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Livelihood assets (1)
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Livelihood assets (2)
Human capital 2 (for HH wellbeing) - food
expenditure - non-food expenditure - fish
consumption
Physical capital - house - privately owned water
sources
Human capital 1 (for IGAs) - workers - education

• Natural capital
• - land
• - water

• Financial capital
• - savings
• - credit (bank loan)
• - cattle / goats

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Livelihood assets (2)
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Pentagons
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Access

• Highlight that the notions of assets and
  access are very close when it comes to
  measuring them.
• Focus on access to water sources and water uses
  present summary stats

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Livelihood strategies
Long-term, short term, weakening (long-term)
trends.
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Livelihood strategies

• Classification - type 75

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Livelihood strategies, poverty vulnerability
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Summary livelihoods in the irrigation system

• more landless
• more agricultural labourers
• more poverty
• more cattle, larger land
• more physical capital

• more farming
• more wage empl.
• more rich landowners
• higher education
• more natural capital

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Poverty-focused aquaculture

• Definition
• small-scale
• extensive / semi-intensive
• affordable
• low risk

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Aquaculture interventions - done by DL???
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Beneficiaries
Potential conflicts
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Aquaculture in canalsCosts (1)

• Aquaculture trials

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Aquaculture in canalsCosts (2)

• Main results of sensitivity analysis
• What the best options are

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Competition for resources

• Farming
• - labour
• - capital
• - land
• - water
• - seasons

Cage aquaculture - labour - capital - cycles

Versus
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Farming Vs Aquaculture LP matrix

• To redo with Lindsays cage aqua data

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Farming vs Aquaculture Results

• To redo

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Alternative income generating activities

• Summary of main IGAs encountered in the area of
  study.
• How does aquaculture potentially compare with
  these (based on a qualitative comparison of
  initial investment, training, time required,
  flexibility, returns)

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Livelihood benefits

• Summarise main points raised before (target
  groups, types of aqua
• Potential livelihood benefits (provided aqua is
  done in a certain way)
• - increased income
• - improved status for women
• - show how one entry point (I.e. aquaculture)
  can have an effect on all other corners of the
  pentagon)

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Constraints - Policy implications

• Aquaculture yes but
• profitability?
• shift in resource allocation

• possible with
• strengthening of credit provision, in particular
  to women (self-help groups)
• aquaculture awareness knowledge transmitted to
  resource-poor groups
• modified canal water management to target tail
  end of the irrigation system