Most of the Sundarbans, particularly Minakhan and Hasnabad blocks of Sundarbans now looks like lakes after lakes. As we travel through these blocks of Sundarbans, people on their bicycles are carrying fish in particular varieties of shrimp to sell in the nearby market and some are busy in fishing and maintaining their fisheries and ponds. Traditional agriculture was previously their primary source of livelihood. But successive cyclones along the years – exacerbated by climate change –have forced farmers to shift to fisheries, especially shrimp farming.
“I started cultivating shrimp after converting my agricultural plots after the Cyclone Amphan, which hit during the Covid Pandemic. This decision of mine has changed our life, for good”, says Nurujjaman Molla, a fish farmer from Bhatka village, Minakhan Block of Sundarbans, by the side of his fisheries.
The increasing frequency of cyclones has led to significant challenges for communities living in Sundarbans. Following each cyclone, floods and the collapse of riverbanks exacerbate the suffering of people, as farmlands are inundated with saline water, rendering them infertile for cultivation. It takes considerable time, usually three to four years, to restore these lands to some semblance of normalcy, while the struggle for food continues. In between again some cyclone struck.
The Indian Sundarbans delta witnessed five cyclones in the past five years, two of which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cyclone Bulbul, a severe cyclonic storm, struck the region on November 11, 2019, with heavy rainfall. Cyclone Amphan made landfall in the South 24 Parganas District (Sundarbans comes under this district) of West Bengal, India, on May 20, 2020, followed by Cyclone Yaas, a very severe cyclonic storm which made landfall in Odisha, but also affected West Bengal badly on May 26, 2021. Cyclone Remal and Cyclone Dana being the latest in the list.
Cyclone Aila (2009) remains a landmark event for the Indian Sundarbans region, having brought about significant changes in the delta. The storm was responsible for around 350 deaths across India and Bangladesh and more than 1 million peoples were left homeless. The impact of cyclone Aila on the livelihood of the people of Sundarbans has been critical in determining outcomes and coping strategies people employ to sustain in such testing times.
Climate and Development Sector expert, Adarsh Kataruka says, “Climate change poses a significant threat to society and affects farmers dependent on predictable rainfall patterns. Unpredictable weather, including floods and droughts, disrupts crop cycles, making agriculture less profitable.”
After Aila, farmers in Sundarbans tried several methods to revive their cultivable lands from saline contents but failed miserably at every year. We tried to get back the land and cultivate paddy and other vegetables, but nothing worked as the water is saline”, says farmer Amit Patra, from Jhikra Village, under the Minakhan Block of the Sundarbans. Patra began helping his family by cultivating shrimp, in 2017, on two plots of land that were once traditional paddy fields. Today, these fisheries are his family’s only source of income.“Over the years we found fisheries would help us at least survive. After many trails and errors we found shrimp farming is profitable”, he says. 
Now, every season, he cultivates more than four quintals of the fish, earning an annual profit of around 1 lakh rupees (1182 USD). His total income from shrimp farming is between 3 (3547 USD) to 4 lakhs (4730 USD) every year. What once seemed like an impossible dream has now become a thriving business, allowing his family to enjoy a decent standard of living.
Shrimp farming has evolved in Sundarbans over the course of time. ASHA, an NGO working in the Hasnabad and Minakhan blocks, has conducted a survey after Cyclone Amphan in 2020, which shows approximately 838 families shifted from traditional farming to fish farming in that area. Minakhan records say 506 families and Hasnabad records say 332 families have shifted from traditional farming to aqua farming. The trend shows shrimp farming is becoming very popular in the Indian part of Sundarbans.
“Since Cyclone Aila in 2009, we have seen cyclones hit Sundarban almost every year, breaking river embankments and flooding villages with saline water. This has forced around 70% of farmers to shift to shrimp and prawn cultivation, while the remaining 30% grow climate- resilient crops”, says Debayan Kalsar, Project Coordinator for ASHA’s Nutrition Smart Project.
ASHA has been promoting integrated farming system, where alongside scientific methods of shrimp farming, ASHA trains farmers in smart farming practices that allow them to grow crops like bananas, tomatoes, eggplants, beans, and other green vegetables alongside their fisheries. Our project aims to encourage farmers to maintain traditional farming methods alongside fisheries through integrated systems”, says Debayan Kalsar.
That is what farmer Riyaz Rahman Molla has been trying to do. He started aquafarming seven years back in 2017, and now practices integrated farming methods, were alongside the fishery he grows multiple vegetable crops and paddy, which are sufficient for him and his family for a year. 
Riyaz says that aquafarming is very profitable. He converted his 36000 square feets of his family land into fisheries. Now he earns more than a 1 lakh rupees (1182 USD) a year. He says: “Earlier every year more than 60,000/- rupees (709 USD) to 65,000/-rupees (768 USD)was spent on buying fish for our own consumption. Since 2017 we are not spending any money in buying fish from market, rather we buy fish seeds, which costs around 10,000/- (118 USD) to 15,000/- rupees(177 USD) annually, apart from this we gain profit around 50,000/- rupees ( 591 USD) by selling the extra fish that we cultivate, so fish cultivation has been a boon for us”.
Farmers in the Sundarbans cultivate various shrimp species, including Tiger Prawn, Giant Prawn, Vannamei Shrimp, Indian Prawn, and Brown Shrimp, all of which thrive in saline conditions. Farmers sell their produce by 500/- rupees (6 USD) to 900/- rupees (11 USD) per kilogram in local markets like Malancha, Hasnabad, Deuli, and Ghushighata, with much of it distributed to metro cities or exported abroad. Many farmers have adopted shrimp farming without any formal training, using traditional methods which passed down through generations.
The success of shrimp farming is accompanied by many challenges, though. The shift has directly impacted dietary habits, health and economic structure of households in the Sundarbans. Earlier, families could consume their own cultivated crops, which were naturally healthier. Now, they are compelled to buy vegetables from the market, often grown with chemical fertilizers, which negatively impacts their health.
Income from fisheries is received in lump sums and at one time, unlike the steady income from agriculture. This has influenced households spending patterns and savings. The shrimp farming supply chain is dependent on local markets for the purchase of feed and medicine, which adds to transportation costs as farmers often travel long distances. Disease outbreaks, which can wipe out entire shrimp farms and natural calamities like cyclones and floods, are constant threats.
Nurujjaman Molla acknowledges the risks, “Shrimp farming gives better yields and profits compared to traditional crops like paddy, but we still face problems such as diseases. So far, we haven’t faced large-scale losses, but the threat is always there.”
In neighbouring Bangladesh, virus outbreaks and other difficulties are prompting farmers to switch from aquaculture to mixed cultivation. Watermelon cultivation has proven to be significantly more profitable than shrimp farming, particularly in the salinity-affected southwest region.
Environment Scientist Dr Swati Nandi Chakraborty notes that focusing solely on shrimp cultivation could be short-sighted. “Climate change is affecting all aspects of life, from rising sea levels to increasing sea surface temperatures, which impact shrimp farming. Some species are at risk of extinction, and the frequent cyclones linked to global warming exacerbate these problems. We must also address the anthropogenic stress on the ecosystem, particularly from tourism, which adds to the strain on the Sundarbans delicate environment.”
Shrimp farming in the Sundarbans represents a significant shift in livelihood strategies as communities adapt to the challenges of climate change and recurring cyclones. 
The Sustainable practice is also emerging as viable solutions to balance economic needs with ecological preservation, safeguarding livelihoods while maintaining the delicate balance of the Sundarbans ecosystem.
Despite the challenges, farmers remain convinced that shrimp farming is, so far, the most viable way to cope with the consequences of climate change. As Riyaz Rahman Molla puts it, “Shrimp cultivation is the future of this region. By incorporating scientific methods like integrated farming, we can ensure both nutritional and financial security, thereby contributing to the economic growth of the region and the country.”
Report and Photographs: Joydeep Dasgupta
The story was produced with the help of Thomson Reuters Foundation. The content is the sole responsibility of the author and the publisher.
