1. Production of small indigenous fish
for nutrition and gender outcomes
Rumana Akter, Manika Saha, Shakuntala Haraksingh
Thilsted

2. Bangladesh has made great strides in
aquaculture in the past 25 years
Focus on:
• Production and productivity
• Large fish
• Men in aquaculture
• Household income

3. FTF Aqua Component:
Household Pond Aquaculture
Production Technology:
• Polyculture of Carps (large fish)
and Nutrient-rich Small Fish,
carried out by both men and
women
Focus on:
• Partial Frequent Harvesting of
Small Amounts of Small Fish
• Household Consumption,
especially in Women and Young
Children
• Sale of Carps for Household
Income

4. Small Fish
• Irreplaceable Animal-source
Food
• Rich Source of Multiple Nutrients
• Animal Protein
• Essential Fat
• Minerals and Vitamins
• Improves Diet Diversity (cooked
with Veg, oil, and spices)
• Enhances Mineral Bioavailability
from Foods in the Meal
• Adding Nutrients and Growth-
promoting Substances
• Processed (dried), Stored -
Prolonging Duration of
Consumption, Reaching Non-fish
Producing Areas

5. Aquaculture - Nutrition Linkages Approach
in FTF Aquaculture
Components:
• Pond polyculture of carps and small
fish
• Vegetable production in homestead
garden and on pond dykes
• Promotion of micronutrient-rich small
fish and vegetables, especially in
women, adolescent girls and young
children
• Behaviour change communication
(Essential Nutrition Actions (ENA),
Essential Hygiene Actions (EHA);
• Gender norms, attitudes and
practices
• Monitoring and evaluation

6. Promotion of Orange Sweet Potato (OSP)
• Suitable for small areas -
homestead gardens and dykes
• Requires minimal labour,
fertilizer and pesticides; grows
well in marginal soils
• Leaves and roots are
consumed
• Valuable in times of food
scarcity and natural disasters
• Vines are easily preserved by
households for planting in
subsequent season

7. Gender and OSP
• Women in charge of
production and harvesting
• Work is in the homestead
• Women have easy access to a
well-liked, nutrient-rich food
• Root is suitable for
complementary food
• Potential for income
generation through sale of
leaves, roots and vines
• Income in the hands of women

8. Gender, Nutrition Awareness and
Decision Making
Imparting ENA and EHA to
Decision Makers
Addressing Norms, Attitudes
and Practices
• Engagement of all community
and household members
• Men - responsible for food
shopping
• Mothers-in-law - in charge of
kitchen and food distribution
among household members

9. Gender and Work Load
13
31
40
61
53
43
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Husband Wife Mother-in-law
Is it embarrassing for a man to help with
household work?
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
Helen Keller International (HKI) 2012

10. Moving Forward
• Female friendly technologies for
agricultural production and food
processing
• Work load sharing among
household members
• Aquaculture staff to be interested in
nutrition and gender
• Partnerships - untraditional
• Scaling up and out
• Sustainability of processes and
activities by communities

11. Experience sharing from some other projects of WF

12. Quotations from “Lead farmers”
from Focus Group Discussions
• “Before the project, we never went out from our house and I never spoke
with other people, but after the project started, we learnt many things and
spoke with many other people and are now going out from our houses”.
Female Lead Farmer, Sunamganj
• “Whenever we have a meeting, there are always people who are not part of
the project who like to attend and they come and receive information, and
sometimes other people come and ask us for information - for health too”.
Female Lead Farmer, Dinajpur
• “ (the) Development of society is not just for the project members, we
should give advice to all”. Female Lead Farmer, Sunamganj
• “If we go outside of our village, we also try to provide advice to other people
about young children and women” . Female Lead Farmer, Sunamganj

13. Behaviour change in mothers-in-law
through nutrition counselling
• Many mothers-in-law lamented how things have changed since the
were young;
• “Things are different now, in my time, we had to work all the
time when we were pregnant”.
• Knowledge about women’s nutrition during pregnancy and lactation –
about importance of nutrient-rich foods: small fish, egg, meat
• Women taking rest during pregnancy
• How to prepare food for young children
• Improved sanitation and hygiene
• Child care – mothers giving more time
• Grandmothers taking care of children and feeding them

14. Behaviour of some mothers-in-law
• In some instances, women did not have a good understanding of the
messages delivered by the lead farmers:
• Mothers-in-law had attended but not shared the information
• Did not let daughter-in-law attend training session
• Women not sharing information with mothers-in-law

15. Behaviour changes in husbands
through nutrition counseling
• Men consulting wives regarding which foods to buy
• Men assisting wives by buying seeds from the market for homestead
gardens and buying chicks and ducklings
• Husbands becoming aware of women’s need for nutrition and care
during pregnancy
• Becoming aware of child’s diet

16. Nutritional challenges in the 1,000 days
Woman’s diet:
• Low dietary diversity
• Little animal-source foods
Complementary foods:
• Predominantly plant-based diet
low in micronutrients, high in
antinutrients
• Do not provide adequate
energy and micronutrients
• Thin rice/wheat porrigde
• Limited time to prepare
• Safe storage needed

17. Nutritious Fish-based Products
Developed by WorldFish
• Fish chutney for pregnant and lactating women
• Fish-based complementary food for infants and young children
• Fish powder to be added to family foods

18. Fish chutney for pregnant and lactating women
• Rich in
micronutrients
(especially iron)
• Animal protein
• Essential fats
• Energy

19. • Ingredients: 37% dried small fish, 15% oil, 37% onion,
• 7% garlic and 4% red chili
Fish chutney for pregnant and lactating women
Protein, Fe, Zn, Ca
Energy density, EFA
Texture and flavor
Taste enhancer

20. Fish-based complementary food
• Made from local
ingredients
• High content of MN
(iron, zinc, vit A,
calcium)
• High energy density
• Low content of anti-
nutrients
• Include Animal Source
Food
• Culturally acceptable
• Acceptable taste and
texture
• Easy to prepare
• Hygenically safe

21. Mix in specified proportions
Oven-dry
Grind
Package
15 % Fish 45% Rice flour30% OSP flour 10% Soybean oil

22. Fish powder to be added to family foods

23. Fish powder to be added to family foods
preparation of Fish Powder
Nutrient composition per 100 gm Fish powder
Energy Protein Fat Iron Zinc Calciu
m
317 kcal 19 g 22 g 22 g 4.5 mg 1669
mg
Fish powder added to different types of family foods

24. Income Generating through Fish Products
• Community small-scale business
• Rural sales programmes
• Commercial sale

25. Multiple Benefits from Fish-based Products
• Improve nutrition and health of women
• Improve nutrition and health of children
• Better decision making regarding nutrition by all family members
• Income generation
• Capital improvement of communities and nation

26. DRAW ATTENTION TO THAT YOU CAN TASTE
THE PRODUCTS AT THE TABLE BY THE DOOR
1. Fish chutney for pregnant and lactating women
2. Fish-based CF product for infants and young children
3. Fish powder to be added to family foods

27. Thank you