Aquaculture farmer organizations and cluster management: concepts and experiences

BMPs for shrimp farming in Indonesia
In Indonesia, BMP experiences from India were used in the rehabilitation of the 
shrimp farming sector in the Province of Aceh following the 2004 tsunami. A practical 
BMP manual was prepared during 2006 based on the “International Principles 
for Responsible Shrimp Farming”, and the manual has been widely promoted by 
various agencies involved in assistance to rehabilitation of livelihoods in Aceh and 
used by shrimp farmers and FOs. The results from practical implementation are also 
promising, with similar outcomes of reduced disease risks and improved productivity 
in traditional shrimp farms compared with farmers not adopting better practices. The 
adoption of BMPs has been supported by the development of Aquaculture Livelihood 
Service Centres.
FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES AND PRIORITIES
Improved service provision to the sector
Provision of improved inputs to the sector through the facilitation of sector-servicing
initiatives could help to further strengthen and sustain the small-scale shrimp sector. 
Such an initiative could encompass services, including finance, microcredit, diagnostics, 
insurance, quality inputs and technical inputs. A critical priority for societies is access 
to credit and reducing their current interest burden on loans from moneylenders and 
other private sources.
Linking farmers to processors to achieve increased market access
Establishing links between societies and output markets is vital to the success of societies 
but, so far, despite some progress, has proved difficult. Developing partnerships with 
local processors provides a good opportunity for societies to access better markets 
as well as bank credit (agreements with processors provide societies with a market 
guarantee, which is a major concern of banks). NaCSA will continue work towards 
bringing processors and farmers together for market access and to obtain premium 
prices for farmers for a quality product. The implementation of BMPs by farmers 
provides them with an opportunity to achieve higher prices for a high-quality product 
and also to create a niche for such products in the global market.