Cage fish farming for the livelihood improvement of the local people in Kulekhani, Nepal

Abstract

In Nepal, cage fish culture in the lake and reservoir has plays important role in the improvement of the livelihood of local people through creating employment, improving incomes, and assuring food security. Cage fish farming in Kulekhani was implemented with the support of the International Development Research Centre, Canada (IDRC) and the Nepal government to improve the livelihood of those people who were displaced by the impoundment of the reservoir. The local people in Kulekhani reservoirs have been practicing semi-intensive fish farming over extensive farming system because of its satisfactory production with low investment cost. This study is conducted to find out how cage fish farming in Kulekhani contributes to the changes in the local people’s livelihood. The study also aimed at finding out the social and economic obstacles faced by potential local people for cage fish farming. In Kulekhani, Balami, Majhi, Tamang, and Pode are those ethnic communities who are involved mainly in fishing for their living, and recently they are adopting cage fish farming for better living. Cage fish culture has helped the displaced people, poor, indigenous, and marginalized communities by providing income, food security, and a healthy community where everyone is living without being discriminated. Nowadays, cage fish culture in Kulekhani reservoir has been observed as valuable to all people from the community, not only to those who were displaced by the impoundment of the reservoir, landless, poor, or untouchable groups. Cage fish culture has gained popularity in Kulekhani but the establishment of more cages in the area is hampered due to various problems. The result shows that the major constraints related to the adoption of cage fish farming are lack of knowledge, lack of capital and discrimination between upper and lower caste, rich and poor people were major.