Module 6 - Bangladesh: Listening to the Voice of the Poor

Benefits and Impacts

Although the impacts of the project have not been assessed fully, benefits include:

• Aquaculture production has increased by about 50 percent among target beneficiaries of 200,000 persons.
  
  
• A National Fisheries Strategy has been approved by the government for implementation.

A review has indicated that the poverty impact of the project remains unclear and that the aquaculture component encountered difficulty in targeting the poor, although the project target figure of 200,000 beneficiaries was reached.

Lessons Learned and Issues for Wider Applicability

Although the project achieved its purpose in terms of production increases, it is doubtful whether it will contribute to sustained poverty alleviation. Flaws in project design and operation meant that the project engaged wealthier members of the population and focused on aquaculture, for which access to appropriate water and other resources was a problem for the poor. The key lesson is that where poverty alleviation is the primary focus, aquaculture and fisheries management (including access control) may not always be the most appropriate entry points. Other lessons and suggestions include:

• In participatory management, it takes time to get the implementing partnerships right.
  
  
• Sufficient resources and time must be allocated to train partners.
  
  
• The project has five related but very different components. It is questionable whether they should have been implemented as a single project.
  
  
• Flexibility to move away from the original project design towards a more innovative approach is vital to success in participatory management.
  
  
• It is essential for the project to include sustainable monitoring and evaluation as a priority.