Integrated Gher Farming System

This solution was shared by Wageningen University , 04 March 2022

Print date: 14 April 2024 10:21

Description of the innovative solution

Collaboration Community building Education - youth Food biodiversity Regenerative agriculture Solar energy Women empowerment Behavior change Consumer choice Nutritious food Closing nutrient loop Healthy diet Traditional food Food environment - external

Traditional Gher farming is practiced in some coastal regions and presents an alternative system that produces a staple food crop (such as rice and fish) in conjunction with a high value cash crop (such as prawns) with the aim of providing social, economic, and environmental benefits to the local community. Often, areas primarily focused on fish production are low in farming diversity. Instead of cultivating a single crop, Gher farming systems could change cropping patterns and include a wide range of products, like prawn, carp fish, boro paddy, and other vegetables into the local diet. Communities' diets could be diversified by adding an elevated platform on which to grow vegetables and other crops even during the monsoon season. An integrated Gher-focused program could include a school meal system that connects students with farmers around diversified fish production methods. This integrated program could train farmers around Gher production, connect a fish-to-meal network for school meals, engage with local women in the preparation of the school meals, and enable teachers to facilitate the knowledge exchange on nutrition and farming between students and farmers.

Primary users

Subsistence farmers
Small & medium commercial farmers
Livestock farmers
Fishers
Children & youth
Schoolstudents
Teachers
Low/Middle income households
Rural communities
Rural consumers
Coastal Communities
Women
Global Financial Institutions
Natl. Financial institutions
Investors
Non-Government Organizations

Dietary impact

Gher farming systems could increase farmers and local community knowledge around practices that improve diet diversity. An integrated system could improve nutritional status while strengthening community bonds through training that discourage consumption of foods of low nutritional value with foods of higher nutritional value. For instance, knowledge and awareness of the importance of a nutritious diet in school systems can be an important contribution to the implementation of the Gher system. By involving students, teachers, and families in the supplying school meals from gher produce could improve the diets of young women and children.

Planetary impact

Gher farming could increase agricultural income for renting farms which can increase local income and livelihoods of farmers. An integrated system that takes into account local food networks can increase resilience to climate change as the farm-to-fork linkage of diverse diets is shortened. Capacity building through cooperatives about sustainable practices around gher farming could improve the biodiversity and quality of the crops. Finally, Gher farming could increase food production and provide employment opportunities for small-scale farmers

Equity impact

Gher farming systems play a potentially a win-win agricultural development strategy that can increase the consumption of nutritious foods as well as promote the jobs and livelihoods of farmers and local populations. A collaboration with schools to bring an awareness of this system of farming could also increase the nutrition status of school students.

Main concerns

One challenge of this system is that it can be very context-specific and leaves out other parts of the country. If this system relies on a marginalized region, a number of challenges such as weather (flood, drought and cyclone), fish diseases, constraints for marketing of safe foods, and social conflicts could inhibit its expansion to other regions of the economy. Since this innovation is still at an early stage, another risk is that for this system to be introduced, investments and resources are largely needed to support pilot projects around gher farming system approaches.

Supply chain segment

Agricultural inputs and primary production practices

Maturity level

Prototype

Criteria

Food quality Food availability Food desirability Climate adaptation Increasing agrobiodiversity

SDG target

SDG 2: Zero Hunger SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being SDG 4: Quality Education SDG 5: Gender Equality SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth SDG 10: Reduced Inequality SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production SDG 13: Climate Action

Context

Rural Marine/Coastal

Examples and additional resources

Real-world examples

See this solution in action in different contexts and settings around the world

Gher farming in Bangladesh: Case Study of Khula District

Business information

The paper evaluates the impact of rice prawn gher farming on agricultural income as well as household income in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh

researchgate.net/publi...STRICT

Shared by Wageningen University

Additional resources

Learn more about this solution through studies, articles, business cases, and other information

‘Gher’ Farming System of Bangladesh

Scientific paper

The present chapter provides a detailed examination of the present status of ‘gher’ farming system, i.e., an integrated prawn-fish-rice joint culture, which is practiced widely in the southwest region of Bangladesh.

researchgate.net/publi...2937_&