Coastal Aquaculture, Rural Livelihoods and Environment Insight from Orissa, India

The paper examines the diverse impacts of coastal shrimp aquaculture on communities in Orissa (India). Shrimp farming has played an important role in generating employment opportunities and raising per capita income. This, in turn, has resulted in decreased dependency on agriculture and artisan fisheries for food and income. Unfortunately, the development of shrimp farming has also had a detrimental impact on coastal ecosystems. Environmental degradation and concerns over shrimp farming practices, now threaten the long-term viability of shrimp farming. Unless suitable measures are taken to overcome the problems faced by the local farmers, the potential that shrimp farming has to provide a basis for sustainable livelihoods will not be realised.