Baishnaba Charan Ratha
Agriculture is the backbone of India’s rural economy with 70 percent of households dependent on it. Mostly earning marginal incomes for the families, the sector holds the key to country’s development ambition. The Government of India, through its Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare launched the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan 2025 (VKSA-2025) as a flagship initiative under its broader vision for a developed India, ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’. As part of the development initiative, an intensive nation-wide farmer outreach program was conducted May 29–June 12, 2025, aiming to train and educate rural communities on modern agricultural technologies and government welfare schemes. Recognizing the critical role of aquatic foods and WorldFish’s scientific expertise and impact achieved in improving livelihoods and nutrition in communities, WorldFish was invited by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to provide outreach to more widely raise awareness and promote the adoption of technologies and innovations in fisheries and aquaculture and the supportive schemes.
WorldFish worked with a host of local partners in delivering a targeted campaign for inclusive development. It collaborated with ICAR’s Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture in Odisha, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, and district-level offices of Odisha’s Departments of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment and Fisheries and Animal Resources Development to tailor its global expertise in sustainable, nutrition-sensitive aquaculture and fisheries, gender-responsive approaches, and small-scale fisheries systems to the strengths and development priorities of coastal communities in Odisha.
The tailored campaign delivered trainings and outreach materials in local language reaching 7,449 farmers, including 2,371 women, from 110 villages.
Through 16 thematic sessions, communities learnt about modern fisheries and aquaculture technologies, welfare measures for fishers and their applicability, and the importance of both dietary diversity and fair distribution of food within households under nutrition awareness, emphasizing small fish as an affordable, nutrient-rich food to combat anaemia and malnutrition.
WorldFish also disseminated information and educated farmers and fishers on central and Odisha’s state government fisheries schemes, such as Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana and Mukhyamantri Matsyajibi Kalyan Yojana, financial assistance and infrastructure development.
The activities helped increase awareness and promote fish-based livelihoods and nutritional awareness, supporting India’s national campaign objectives of community-level inclusion in sustainable agricultural development and to strengthen the lab-to-land continuum through direct engagement between farmers and scientists.
Most importantly, WorldFish-led activities underpinned the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration and research-backed outreach as key to effectively motivating and engaging rural communities to achieve production efficiency, resilience, nutritional gains, and sustainability in agriculture and allied sectors. By working alongside national, state- and district-level offices, institutions and departments and grassroot organizations, WorldFish helped ensure that relevant knowledge, schemes, and innovations reached farmers at the last mile.
WorldFish’s participation in the VKSA-2025 reinforced its commitment to being a part of and to contribute to country-led agenda and initiatives that are promoting inclusive, nutrition-sensitive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems in India.