Does aquaculture really benefit poor people in the Philippines?

Aquaculture is expanding steadily around the world. Despite some negative environmental impacts, many experts believe that aquaculture has the potential to resolve hunger and malnutrition in many countries. How much does aquaculture really benefit poor people?

Research from the University ofReading in the UK, and Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pourle Développement in France, examines aquaculture (fish farming) in five coastalcommunities in the Philippines. The researchers question whether aquaculturereally reduces poverty and contributes to sustainable development in ruralcoastal areas.

A review of the literature showsthat aquaculture potentially benefits poor people in several ways. For example,it can generate both year round and seasonal employment. Aquaculture requiresinputs, such as feed and stocks of seed fish, which have to be produced and transported.Increased fish production also generates a greater demand for processing andstorage, meaning further jobs. Fish farmers and labourers spend these increasedincomes on other goods and services, potentially spreading benefits beyondthose directly involved in the sector.

There is evidence of thesebenefits in the areas studied, where 59 percent of the population fall beneaththe poverty line. Aquaculture is an important activity, representing nearly onethird of total income. Most households also earn money from other activities,including retailing and construction.

The researchers also consideredwhether aquaculture increases the income of wealthier households more than ithelps poorer households move out of poverty. They found:

• Aquacultureprovides a larger share of income for poorer people; poor households earn 54percent of their income from aquaculture, compared to only 25 percent for theremaining households.
• Ofthe people interviewed, 71 percent felt that aquaculture was beneficial to bothpoor and non-poor members of their community.
• Fishfarms are mostly owned by a few individuals, who usually live elsewhere. Thefarms are still a vital source of employment, however, with more than half ofhouseholds involved in at least one activity related to aquaculture.
• Forsome tasks, labourers are paid in fish. This is particularly important forpoorer households, as fish are a crucial source of protein.
• Therewere clear barriers to poorer people benefiting more from aquaculture,including a lack of money and access to credit. However, some poorer people whobegan as labourers were able to develop their own aquaculture farms over time.

There is little evidence thataquaculture contributes to the marginalisation of poor people. Economicanalysis showed that the overall effect of aquaculture was to decreaseinequality in communities, especially compared to alternative sources of income.The researchers conclude:

• Thekey to benefiting poor people is how the income generated by aquaculture isdistributed amongst households.
• Aquaculturein the Philippinescurrently creates a large demand for unskilled labour, crucial in a countrywhere the primary cause of poverty is unemployment.
• Ifpolicymakers want to develop aquaculture in a way that has an impact onpoverty, they should consider the effects of new policies and technologies on employment.