Fish farming and its effect on household income: micro-level study in Bangladesh

A significant assessment of the reasons for the interest of rural farmers in fish farming has shown how the income from fish farming affects the household income at a higher rate than that of crop farming. Basically, this study is a comparative discussion of the current socio-economic situation between fish and crop farming families which explains why rural farmers are so interested in fish farming and what kind of management can be adopted for further expansion of fish farming. In total 210 fish farm and another 210 crop farm households were randomly selected from six Upazilas of Mymensingh district. Independent Sample t-test, probit model, Heckman two-step model and constraint index were used to analyzing the quantitative data. The results indicate that the socio-economic status of the fish farm household is better than that of the crop farm household. Six of the seven socio-economic factors were positive and significant, indicating that the socio-economic position of the farmer was more affected by the fish farm rather than the crop farm. The results further show that educational status, health status, training and housing status had a positive effect on household income which was significant at 1% and 5% levels. Fish farms have improved their livelihoods by increasing household income, although some constraints continue to hamper fish production, such as low quality fish fry, lack of credit and low prices of fish produced, among others. Public–private initiatives should be taken to ensure quality fish fry, financial assistance, advanced training and setting up of fish processing centers or cold storage in local areas. In addition, the country needs to formulate a developed and distinct land use policy that will allow fallow lands to be brought under improved fish farming without compromising on crop production.