| In Focus |
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 Finding Our Way Back
The people of Malakayalanka struggle to convert abandoned shrimp farms into lush paddy fields
In the little village of Malakayalanka about 31 kilometres from Machilipatnam, fishing has long been the traditional livelihood and mainstay of the people. Like in other coastal villages, for a long time, entire families depended completely on the waters to provide their sustenance. The men left home early to battle the seas and bring in a catch and the women trudged to nearby markets to sell it. But nature has its vagaries and sometimes, there was not enough fish to even feed the family, let alone sell for extra money. With no alternative means of livelihood, the frequently meagre catch led to increasing levels of poverty, particularly during the summers when the waters yielded fewer fish.
At one time, the people here had cultivated paddy as an alternative means of livelihood but when shrimp farming and aqua culture were touted as a promising means of income in the nineties, many were misled into this tempting new opportunity. Lush green fields of paddy were converted into shrimp culture farms en masse and the people waited eagerly for their luck to change. In the beginning, all seemed bright. The shrimp culture farms yielded good results and bouyed by the new wave of optimism sweeping through the village, many sold their paddy fields to others in exchange for prow shrimps.
The bubble burst in 2000 when people realised that aquaculture was not the dream answer they had imagined. Fertile agricultural lands had been converted into aquafarms but inadequate knowledge and technology as well as vested industrial interests had led to a host of environmental and legal problems. As usual, the small farmers faced the worst fallout—they sold or leased out land to large investors and the unscientific methods had resulted in depletion of coastal resources and destruction of the surrounding environment. As the yield dwindled, so did their profits. Many lost everything they had and had to migrate to other places in search of work. Others went back to fishing as their only form of sustenance. The shrimp farms were left to languish, the physical remnants of an empty promise.
“In our village, we had been depending on fishing for sustenance. But we did not get adequate fish to even cook curry for our household. In the past, we cultivated prawns but we had to abandon the ponds and incur heavy losses,” laments N. Darma Rao, a farmer from Malakayalanka.
The Coastal Environment Rehabilitation Development project started work here in 2005 and provided an alternative means of employment in mangrove restoration. People were encouraged to explore new ways of earning such as nursery cultivation, canal digging and plantation. The project also encouraged the villagers to start cultivating paddy again in the abandoned shrimp ponds after a detailed feasibility study. It extended financial support to farmers who were willing to start the difficult process of changing the shrimp farms back to paddy fields. In 2001, the process of cultivation was started in 19 acres in the area.
The early results were not heartening. Shrimp farming had increased the levels of salinity in the water, a condition unsuitable to the growth of paddy. But by the second crop, levels of salinity had gone down and the farmers harvested 122 bags of paddy in 9.5 acres of land with much better results. “I started cultivation in my four acres and harvested just 15 bags rice and we lost this,” informs Darma Rao. “But by the second crop, I was able to get 52 bags for which I invested Rs. 12,000 and got back Rs 25,000 as profit. Now, we are so happy because we have enough food grains with us.”
P Venkateswara Rao, another farmer adds: “In our entire panchayat region, we are the only villagers cultivating paddy. The CERP Project helped us to renovate our irrigation canal and recultivate paddy in the abandoned shrimp ponds. During the first crop, I harvested 35 bags and by the next crop I was able to harvest 50 bags of rice without the project’s help.”
The battles are far from over, however. Shrimp farming continues to be practiced in 60 acres surrounding KPT Palem, a neighbouring village. This affects the paddy fields because it continues to increase the saline content in the waters here. A Swamulu, a farmer, informs: “A few farmers are still cultivating prawns and as a result, the water is getting polluted by the time it reaches to our fields. So we’re unable to go for the third crop this year.”
The project continues to work in the area to repair some of the environmental ravages and seek new solutions that will help the people of Malakayalanka become more economically self-sufficient.
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