Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainable Value Chain Approach to Climate Change Adaptation in the Fisheries Sector of Coastal Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world due to climate change. It experiences frequent natural disasters, which cause loss of life and damage to infrastructure and economic assets, and adversely impact the lives and livelihoods of people in cyclone-prone coastal belts. About 20 million people live in the coastal region of Bangladesh, and 20% of them directly depend on the coastal and marine resources for their livelihood. Bangladesh has extensive and highly diversified fisheries resources. Fish play a crucial role in the diet and nutrition of its people. The fisheries sector has been playing a very significant role and has the potential for future development of the agrarian economy of the country. Fishers and fish farmers play a vital role in collecting fish from natural water bodies and culturing fish in closed and semiclosed water bodies. But nowadays, climate change poses severe threat mostly to fisheries sector among all other affected sectors. This study analyzes the indigenous knowledge of sustainable value chains of fish species by the coastal communities in response to climate change vulnerability. In this regard, this study identifies the marketable and non-marketable fish species in the study areas and analyzes the potential value chains of the products and sustainable marketing channel establishment opportunities in the coastal area of Bangladesh. Overall, 20 in-depth interviews were conducted with influential stakeholders along with 16 focus group discussions with 150 beneficiaries. In addition, 420 beneficiaries were individually interviewed to get a sense of their status and views towards market development, along with suggestions to set up intervention in future. Ensuring sustainability within the value chains is important to deal with the challenges and changing demands of age. Strong private sector alliance along with public-private ventures and application of indigenous knowledge by the communities could bring sustainable value chain development in the fisheries sector in these most vulnerable coastal communities in Bangladesh