What is it about?
Eco-standards for shrimp aquaculture are an increasingly important sustainability tool. The inclusion of farmers is thought to improve the technical relevance and implementation of these standards. We find that farmers, like many other public and private groups, express their own interests and agendas through these standards. 'Participatory eco-standards' are therefore not necessarily more objective and equitable. Social science input is therefore needed at all steps of the design process.
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Why is it important?
For eco-standards to be more effective in improving the performance of aquaculture, or any other sector, they need to demonstrate improvement while being more inclusive of small-holders and maintaining their credibility. Participatory design processes might be one way to achieve these goals. But such processes should not be assumed to be 'better' per se. Understanding how the interests and agendas of farmers and others are expressed in the design process can help improve standard setting processes.
Perspectives
Better management practice (BMP) standards are promoted in nearly all of the major aquaculture producing countries of Southeast Asia. While they are thought to be more inclusive, they are also thought to be less stringent and credible. This paper explores this challenge to BMPs and finds that they can offer more locally relevant guidelines for producers. But we also find that they don't exist in isolation from global standards like the aquaculture stewardship council (ASC). We also find that increased farmer participation does not necessarily lead to objective technical outcomes. But if local processes were better supported by global initiatives, as seen in other sectors like forestry, greater local participation may well lead to more effective aquaculture regulation.
Dr Simon Bush
Wageningen Universiteit
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Co-producing Better Management Practice standards for shrimp aquaculture in Indonesia, Maritime Studies, December 2015, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1186/s40152-015-0039-4.
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