Dataset of production characteristics and performance of small-scale carp aquaculture systems in Bangladesh

Abstract

Small-scale inland aquaculture has considerable potential to generate socioeconomic benefits in low-and middle-income countries. Hundreds of millions of people globally rely on inland aquaculture, contributing substantial economic and employment benefits to national and regional economies (FAO, 2022). Inland aquaculture also contributes substantially to rural livelihoods and poverty alleviation (Béné et al., 2016), nutrition and food security (Wang et al., 2024) and gender empowerment (Dam Lam et al., 2022), among others. Carps are the most widely produced inland aquaculture species (particularly in Asia), accounting for 53.8% of global inland aquaculture production in 2022 (FAO, 2024). Carp aquaculture (especially in Asia) has contributed substantially to global inland aquaculture expansion (Zhang et al., 2022), especially through carp polyculture systems (Naylor et al., 2022) Small-scale aquaculture systems generally rely on relatively small farms and simple (if not rudimentary) technologies, which often constrain the actual output, productivity and efficiency of the sector, and as an extension its potential to enhance food security and offer sustainable livelihoods (Wang et al., 2023). However, far from being homogenous, small-scale inland aquaculture systems (incl. carp) have radically different characteristics in low-and middle-income countries in terms of production models and commercialization practices (Short et al., 2021). Many efforts have sought to improve the performance of small-scale inland aquaculture systems in low-and middle-income countries. Improvement efforts mainly rely on the promotion of improved production practice/technologies, dissemination of knowledge about production/processing/marketing/nutrition, promotion of improved fish feed and species, or combinations of the above (Henriksson et al., 2021). However, many factors have constrained such efforts (Morgan et al., 2017), including our incomplete understanding of differentiation in the characteristics and performance of aquaculture systems (particularly small-scale systems), as well as of the differentiation in the needs, preferences and capacities of producers (Short et al., 2021). This is compounded by the general lack of comprehensive and consistent national/regional aquaculture statistics, the dynamic and fast-changing nature of the sector, and the lack of high-quality and fine-grained datasets compared to land-based agricultural systems. Collectively such information gaps contribute to the general failure to appreciate the considerable heterogeneity in the sector (both between and within countries), and design fitfor-purpose policies and interventions to improve the performance of small-scale aquaculture systems (Short et al., 2021). Bangladesh experiences many of these circumstances. Aquatic food contributes significantly to the growing demand for animal-based protein due to various interconnected environmental, cultural and socioeconomic reasons. Inland aquaculture caters currently for most of the national fish demand, with the country currently ranking as the 5 th largest aquaculture producer globally (FAO, 2022). The aquaculture sector has expanded substantially in the past decades, with an estimated 4.3 million households (20% of the rural population) operating at least one homestead pond that is usually small in size (0.08-0.10 ha on average). Carps are, by a wide margin, the most widely produced aquaculture species in Bangladesh, accounting for 55.4% of the total aquaculture output (DoF, 2022). Carp aquaculture is practiced across the entire country, and is overwhelmingly geared towards household selfconsumption and/or the national market (Henriksson et al., 2018). However, despite this clear importance of carp aquaculture systems in Bangladesh (and the broader region) we lack consistent and comprehensive datasets about their characteristics and performance across the country (and other parts of South and Southeast Asia). Although many public and private organizations have been actively trying to improve the performance of the sector through diverse interventions, these efforts are constrained by the lack of good understanding of producer differentiation among producers (and especially among small-scale producers that are one of the most dynamic segments in the sector) (Henriksson et al., 2018;Karim et al., 2016). Arguably, the good understanding of the characteristics, performance and needs of (small-scale) producers could help inform the design and targeting of aquaculture interventions in Bangladesh, and other similar contexts. This Data Report outlines such a dataset that contains the production characteristics and socioeconomic performance of small-scale carp aquaculture systems in Bangladesh. The dataset was collected through in-person structured surveys with 4,540 carp producers in 54 areas (upazillas) 1 spanning the entire country. In terms of production characteristics, the dataset contains variables related