Gender Roles in Development of Small-Scale Shrimp Farming and Recent Challenges in the Coastal Region of Bangladesh

In coastal areas of Bangladesh, small-scale shrimp farming is important because of its potential to generate employment and income. Export earnings from the shrimp sector constitute the second largest source of foreign exchange earnings, contributing about US$487 million in 2009/10. However, recent challenges in the shrimp sector include its inability to respond quickly to evolvingmarket demands such as food quality standards stipulated by importing countries. A post-project evaluation of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)-implementedBangladesh Quality Support Program (BQSP) was conducted to strengthen the capacity of theDepartment of Fisheries (DOF) in Good Aquaculture Practice (GAP) as well as to introduce inspection methods for shrimp and seafood products in line with international market demands.Observations made from this exercise suggest that involving female farmers and farming couples isa useful entry point to develop the fisheries sector and overcome many challenges. This paperpresents the results of gender-focused training for female farmers and farming couples in GAP heldin three coastal districts of south-western Bangladesh. It also sheds light on factors affecting thesuccess of gender-focused GAP training in a conservative society.