CIFE is organizing an international training course on 'Fisheries Co-management for Sustainable Livelihood Development' where the focus will be on exploring and analyzing  a variety of inter-related perspectives helping learners to build up comprehensive field capabilities.

Aquaculture in Asia is primarily practiced by the resource poor. Aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector in the world. It is a viable and alternative option to the depleting trend in the capture fisheries sector. Aquaculture assures substantial cash income from the sale of domestic surplus and has great potential for its expansion in areas like saline soils, swamps, flood plains etc., which are not suitable for agriculture. The existing aquaculture services are not much available to the poor farmers.

The prime objective of aquaculture/fisheries extension is to persuade and help aquafarmers and fishing communities to improve their socioeconomic condition and quality of life by making improvement in their farming practices resulting in increased fish production and income.

Every country in the region has developed its own aquaculture extension services delivery system with its own methods and approaches. The major hurdle faced in the aquaculture extension service delivery system has been the dearth of extension officers. It becomes imperative to address these issues. With this background there is a need to introduce an 'Aquaculture Extension System' which would deliver adequate extension services without time over run to huge masses.

What is Trickle Down System?

 TDS approach of aquaculture extension is a participatory farmer to farmers' extension approach which involves an initial bottom-up participatory planning of extension programme and thereafter a lateral spread of knowledge and skills of improved culture technology. TDS ensures an active flow of information from the Result Demonstration Farmers (RDFs) to the Fellow Fish Farmers (FFs) by involving both categories of participating farmers in the extension programme.

Objectives:

· To provide an overview of Aquaculture Extension

·  To provide a comprehensive knowledge about the Trickle Down System (TDS) of Aquaculture Extension

·  To encourage the participants to prepare their action plan that can be implemented in their area of operations.

· To train and develop change agents who could effectively facilitate the transfer of technology

· Further strengthening the TDS by incorporating recommendations 

Training Methodology:

Contemporary learning methodologies like lectures, group work discussions, field level demonstrations, case studies, instructional games and PRA techniques to mention only a few will be employed. Participants will be encouraged to develop key skills and adopt proactive attitudes through participation in interactive lectures and reflection on a range of key issues raised during discussions and practical activities. An online pre-training interaction will be held to have a competent participatory curriculum content as per the needs, knowledge and skill sets of learners. In addition, post training evaluation in form of concept and measurement will be done to analyze the subject knowledge. 

Expected outcome:

In the context of paucity of funds and dearth of extension personnel the expected benefits of the effective technology transfer and service delivery system are to suffer a time over run.

It is this hurdle that the trickle down system of extension approach tackles in an effective manner. The participatory approach involving the primary resource users with the application of seeing is believing and learning is doing will lead to a higher pace of technology transfer and service delivery system. The training programme will help to create change agents or progressive farmers who will become potential innovators who are not averse to risk in the decision making process.

In this manner this training programme will provide an ample opportunity where professionals from all over the regions share experience, capitalize on cultural diversity and share views and experiences.

Target training beneficiaries:

· Primary resource users : fishers/ fish farmers

· Resource managers

· Non government organizations

· Representatives of government agencies

· Department of fisheries personnel

· Community-based groups and local traditional authorities

· Fishers co-ops, fishers / farmers federations

· Elected government officials

· Academicians and scientists

· Policy planners

Course Content:

The possible course content for the training programme is listed here but in addition online pre-training session will be held to have a competent participatory curriculum content as per the needs, knowledge and skill sets of learners.

· Relevant aquaculture practices for the poor

· Aquaculture extension

· Genesis and Concept of TDS

· Planning, Design and Operation of TDS

· Results and Lessons Learnt in implementing TDS

· Designing Future Strategy

Faculty:

CIFE has experienced faculty of global competence and international exposure to conduct such training programmes. The institute also has multidisciplinary faculty to enrich the participants on the concerned sub-topics.

Course Director

Dr. V.K. Tiwari

Central Institute of Fisheries Education

Deemed University

Indian Council of Agricultural Research

 Seven Bungalows, Versova

Mumbai – 400 061

Phone: +91-22-26361446/7/8,

 Fax:   +91-22-26361573

E-mail: contact@cife.edu.in or

          vktiwari@cife.edu.in

website: www.cife.edu.in