March 2025
Sustainable aquaculture includes practices that ensure ecological balance, reinforce environmental conservation and bring about community-driven sustainable agricultural transformation. SAFAL, with sustainable aquaculture as its core initiative has empowered 7000 fish farmers in Assam and Odisha in enhancing their livelihoods.
In rural India, aquaculture is emerging as a sustainable means to enhance food and nutrition security and increase farmer incomes. To empower small scale fish farmers with knowledge and skills to adopt resource efficient fish farming methods, the Food Security through Integrated Aquaculture (EIAA) project, locally known as Sustainable Aquaculture for Food and Livelihood (SAFAL) was implemented. Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), SAFAL is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoFAHD), Government of India. Closely working together with the Departments of Fisheries (DoFs) in Assam and Odisha, the project has trained over 7,000 fish farmers in 12 districts of Assam and 5 districts in Odisha, strengthening rural economies and fostering sustainable aquaculture practices.
SAFAL’s approach to strengthening aquaculture communities
To sustain its initiatives, SAFAL integrates sustainable aquaculture practices with the existing government schemes and policies. The goal is to enhance fish production, improve food and nutrition security and increase farmers’ incomes. The project is a collaborative effort and works together with local institutions such as the Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission, local Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), academia and other stakeholders in the sector.
A key component of this initiative is the training and mobilisation of over 500 Community Resource Persons (CRPs), supported by 140 CRP-trainers. CRPs become a part of Farmer Producer Organisations and Companies (FPO/FPCs), Producer Groups (PGs), and Self-Help Groups (SHGs), ensuring community-driven and sustainable knowledge transfer. FPOs serve as local hubs for farmers, offering training and advisory services while fostering peer-to-peer learning and collective economic empowerment.
Capacity building remains central to SAFAL’s approach. The project follows a hands-on training model that combines practical field demonstrations with classroom sessions. CRPs receive specialised training from aquaculture experts, not only about fish farming techniques but also about effective ways to teach and engage adult farmers. Each CRP trains up to 25 farmers through two-hour sessions, which can be scheduled throughout the farming season. They are designed to fit around their farming and household responsibilities, ensuring accessibility, especially for women. The sessions cover key aspects of fish farming, including pre-stocking, natural feeding, water quality management, post-stocking methods and basics of farm economics. Learning materials such as farmer handbooks, flipbooks, posters and farm record books were co-created among experts, stakeholders, and farmers to enhance knowledge retention and practical application.
Beyond individual trainings, FPO/FPCs and SHGs gained strength by enhancing their operational and business capacities. These institutions serve as platforms for farmers to engage in collective decision-making, improve market access, and share best practices. By reinforcing these farmer organisations, farmers have enhanced their bargaining power, improved access to quality inputs and structured possibilities for knowledge exchange.
FPOs/FPCs and CRPs host the newly established Cluster Information Centres and Satellite Centres that act as agroecological kiosks in rural areas. They are equipped with technologies such as computers or smartphones to gain access to information on finance through government schemes and knowledge on sustainable aquaculture, best practices and training material. These centres strengthen local knowledge dissemination, supporting farmers in informed decision-making and serve as community hubs for meetings and interactions.
Promoting sustainable aquaculture is at the core of SAFAL’s interventions. These practices ensure ecological balance, reinforcing environmental conservation and community-driven sustainable agricultural transformation. This supports the objectives of the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership (GSDP) between India and Germany. For more details visit: Global Programme on Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, GIZ & SAFAL, GIZ Panorama Solutions
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Impact and the Way Forward
Until today, over 7,000 farmers have received technical training through more than 500 CRPs, who are actively providing door-step support in their communities. For farmers like Sonmoni Devi (See Box 1), a CRP herself, the SAFAL project represents more than just an opportunity to increase earnings – it is a path toward resilience and self-reliance. “Receiving the CRP training was a life changing experience, enabling me to earn recognition by disseminating the acquired knowledge in my community while also advancing women’s empowerment”, she says.
SAFAL’s model could be replicated across other Indian states, strengthening the resilience of aquaculture communities. The project exemplifies how targeted grass-root capacity building initiatives work towards creating lasting change, improving food and nutrition security, and livelihoods for generations to come.
Bettina Renner Monitoring and Evaluation, Public Relations Jr. Specialist Email: E bettina.renner@giz.de
Pratap Sinha Project Leader, SAFAL GIZ Regional Office, Guwahati House no-54(a), Bonful Path Guwahati-781038 Kamrup (M), Assam http://www.giz.de
