Protecting Inland Fishers and Strengthening Climate Resilience in Tribal Madhya Pradesh
Building Adaptive Capacities of Small Inland Fishers for Climate Resilience and Livelihood Security in Dhar, Jhabua & Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh (2015–2017)
For a small fisher, a pond is never just a pond. It is a source of fish, food and income—and often the foundation of an entire household’s livelihood. But across tribal Madhya Pradesh, the climate was beginning to change the terms of that relationship. Summers were becoming warmer, monsoons were arriving later, wet days were decreasing and extreme weather events were becoming more frequent. For fishers, these changes had very practical consequences: ponds dried or flooded, fish mortality increased, breeding periods shortened and catches—and therefore incomes—fell.
Supported by UNAFB through NABARD, TAAL’s 2015–2017 initiative set out to ask a larger question: how can small inland fishers prepare when the water they depend on is itself becoming uncertain?
The Problem
Climate change was not arriving as an abstract environmental problem. Fishers were experiencing it through their ponds.
Warmer days and nights, delayed monsoons and shorter post-monsoon periods were altering the conditions needed for fish to breed and grow. Fish spawning declined, production and harvesting periods became shorter, and erratic rainfall could swing between too little water and sudden flooding. The result was a direct threat to fish production and household income.
But water availability was only one part of the problem.
Small ponds were often carrying silt, losing water through poor retention and evaporation, or lacking the infrastructure needed to protect fish during changing conditions. Fishers also faced challenges around pond leasing, access to quality fish seed, technical knowledge, markets and financial protection against climate-related losses.
The project therefore treated the challenge as a connected chain. If the pond failed, the fishery failed. If the fishery failed, the livelihood failed. Building resilience meant strengthening every link.
Our Approach
TAAL began not by choosing ponds at random, but by asking which ponds had the potential to support a more resilient fishery.
At the regional level, GIS-based analysis brought together information on drainage density, landforms, geology, groundwater, soil, slope and perenniality, alongside village boundaries, land use and existing water bodies. At the village level, pond selection was then complemented by participatory processes and local understanding.
Once ponds were selected, the work moved beneath the surface—literally.
Ponds were modified to retain water for longer and protect fish. Bunds were strengthened, silt was removed, damaged structures were repaired and measures such as fish walls, collection tanks and fishermen’s platforms were introduced. In the catchments, contour trenches, earthen and boulder check dams, gabion structures and plantations helped slow runoff and reduce the movement of soil and silt into ponds.
But a stronger pond needed stronger fishers around it.
The project encouraged a shift from traditional fishing towards fish culture as an entrepreneurship-based livelihood. Fishers were supported to develop technical, managerial, marketing and sustainability skills. Fish breeding and feed production were also recognised as potential livelihood opportunities, while a FRP hatchery unit at Jawaniya was developed to make fish seed available locally and at lower cost. Nursery ponds offered another opportunity—both as an adaptive fisheries strategy and as an additional source of income.
The project also recognised that resilience means being protected when things go wrong. Weather-indexed insurance was introduced as a mechanism to protect fishers from climate-related livelihood risks. At the same time, the project examined how fish moved from ponds and rivers to local and wholesale markets, helping communities think about fisheries not only as production, but as a business.
And gradually, the pond itself came to be viewed differently.
It was not only a place to grow fish. Small ponds also provided water, biomass and food, supported agriculture and livestock, helped recharge groundwater, reduced flood risks and supported biodiversity. The project therefore began looking at pond management through water budgeting, maintenance planning, pond networks and sustainability plans, with a role for Gram Panchayats in sustaining these resources.
The Outcome
The initiative moved climate adaptation from a distant idea into a practical livelihood strategy.
Fishers gained new skills in fish culture, pond management and enterprise development. Local fish seed production reduced dependence on distant sources, while nursery ponds created additional income opportunities. Improved pond infrastructure and catchment treatment helped strengthen water retention and fish protection, and weather-indexed insurance introduced a new layer of financial security.
But perhaps the most important outcome was a change in perspective.
The project showed that a climate-resilient fishery cannot be built by focusing on fish alone. It requires healthy ponds, reliable water, skilled fishers, access to seed and markets, financial protection and institutions capable of planning for the long term.
By bringing these pieces together, TAAL’s work in Dhar, Jhabua and Alirajpur demonstrated how small ponds could become the foundation of more resilient livelihoods—not simply by producing more fish, but by helping tribal fishing communities prepare for a climate in which uncertainty itself had become part of the livelihood equation.
