Socially sustainable economy in culture-based fisheries in reservoirs of Sri Lanka and implications for sustainable livelihoods of rural communities

Abstract

CBF can be used to achieve social and economic goals for reservoir-associated rural farming communities in Sri Lanka. The policy must be formulated for the integration of GFP production into Sri Lanka’s reservoir CBF through scientific investigation. This paper examines social science aspects for the improvement of productivity, efficiency and sustainability of GFP and finfish, based on evidence from 48 minor, medium-sized and large irrigations in 10 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The information was collected from fishers and non-fisher communities through the randomly selected sample surveys and case studies, using pretested questionnaires for face-to-face interviews to examine socioeconomic, cultural and local governance opportunities and constraints to maximise social equity and livelihood benefits, and inclusive, complete market-chain analysis from harvest to plate, to ensure both male and female actors in the supply chain gain maximum benefit for achieving equitable livelihood benefits for women and men. The 3 main analyses performed for each objective are sustainable livelihood framework, value chain analysis and the thematic analysis.The research reveals that the socioeconomic conditions and the value-chain mechanism are more favourable for medium-sized reservoirs to develop CBF to achieve both social and economic goals of reservoir fisheries. CBF integration should focus on equity and resilience within fishing communities to ensure sustainable and effective CBF production. CBF has the potential to benefit both men and women. However, the economic benefits currently accrued to men are greater than those received by women, due to the predominance of men in most nodes of CBF value chains. The CBF sector can maximise the productive potential of both male and female members and their wellbeing by fostering an inclusive atmosphere, which will increase sustainability, economic development and food security. However, challenges such as fingerling availability, water management, market fluctuations and the proper harvesting method must be addressed to ensure long-term sustainability. Therefore, we claim that the fisheries policy must be focused on the social equity of CBF to a more efficient, equitable and sustainable reservoir fishery system together with biological productivity.