Socio-economic and environmental impact of various shrimp farming practices in SW region of Bangladesh

Title : Socio-economic and environmental impact of various shrimp farming practices in SW region of Bangladesh

Abstract:

Aquaculture has become one of the fastest-growing economic subsectors of the Bangladesh economy, providing protein-rich food, source of employment and foreign currency earnings.  In parallel with the significant contribution of the shrimp sector to the local and national economy, it has caused some negative impacts on local ecosystems. Ecological impacts include some deterioration of soil and water quality, depletion of mangrove forest, decrease in population of native fish and shellfish species, intrusion of saline water, water pollution and changes to local hydrology. There have also been some socio-economic consequences, most acutely on the livelihood patterns of people living in coastal areas and on rural to urban migration, particularly among the poor and unskilled.  Other impacts include deterioration of drinking water quality, loss of land for grazing of livestock and changes in agricultural cropping patterns, which has particularly affected the landless agricultural laborers. Social and environmental sustainability may have been overlooked during the expansion of shrimp farming. In Bangladesh farmers mainly follow the privative shrimp culture practices. In this research to justify the social, economic and environment impact, organic, traditional and control/extensive shrimp farming practices farmer has been considered. To assess the socio economic and environmental impact of organic, traditional and control/extensive shrimp farming practices information collected through key informer, case study and focus group discussion.

Biography:

Dr. Aksya Kumar Sarkar is a shrimp aquaculture specialist with 28 years of extensive experience in shrimp production, processing, and marketing. He holds an M.Sc. in Zoology and a PhD in Shrimp Aquaculture from the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, where his research focused on the impact of harmful agents on shrimp farming productivity, income, and biodiversity. He has worked with several internationally funded development projects, including FTEP-II (DFID funded), ATDP-II (USAID funded), and initiatives with the WorldFish Center. He also contributed his expertise to private sector organizations such as WAB Trading Asia Limited (Germany-based), KMI International, and the Organic Shrimp Project in Bangladesh and abroad. He has traveled widely across major shrimp-producing and marketing countries, gaining strong global exposure to aquaculture practices and trade. Dr. Sarkar is the author of two practical books on shrimp farming for Bangladeshi farmers and has seven scientific publications in national and international journals. He has actively participated in fisheries and aquaculture conferences in countries including India, Thailand, Vietnam, the Czech Republic, and Belgium. He is recognized for his contributions to sustainable shrimp aquaculture development, farmer education, and industry advancement.