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Technical Assistance to UPSRLM - Fisheries Project

Background

Empowering rural women through fisheries is not merely a matter of social inclusion; it is a strategy for fostering economic resilience, nutritional security, and environmental sustainability. Rural women, particularly those organized into Self-Help Groups (SHGs), are ideally positioned to engage in fisheries due to their collective strength, local resource access, and growing exposure to government-supported initiatives. 

PCI India is extending technical support to the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM) for developing prototypes and scalable models around fisheries. One such model is biofloc fishery model which is a modern method for high density fish farming, in which the fish are reared in a tank. The model emphasizes water recycling and waste management.

Scope of Intervention

Fisheries as a sector offers a wide range of economic, social, and environmental benefits. For rural women, it presents a transformative opportunity to overcome poverty, malnutrition, and gender barriers.

  • Economic empowerment of the rural women: For rural women, fisheries provide sustainable livelihoods. From fish farming to processing and marketing, the sector enables women to earn independently. Unlike seasonal agricultural activities, fisheries offer year-round employment opportunities.
  • Nutritional security and improved health: Fish is a rich source of protein, essential fatty acids, and micronutrients like calcium and zinc. Women-led fisheries contribute directly to household food security, especially in rural areas where malnutrition remains a persistent issue.
  • Empowering leadership and collective strength: When women take active roles in fisheries, it breaks traditional gender roles and enables them to assume leadership positions in their communities. SHGs operate on principles of mutual support and cooperation, allowing women to tackle challenges collectively. In fisheries, this collective strength helps women access expensive inputs such as fingerlings, feed, and equipment.
  • Access to credit and government schemes: SHGs enable women to access microfinance and government subsidies. SHG women engaged in fisheries can avail loans with low interest rates, facilitating the purchase of critical inputs and expansion of operations.

The Technical Support Unit (TSU) by PCI India provides strategic and technical assistance to UPSRLM to expand entrepreneurial opportunities and facilitate asset creation for rural women, ensuring long-term, systemic change.

Program Lead & Collaborators

  • Lead Partner: PCI India
  • Government Collaborators:
    • Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM)
    • Directorate of Fisheries, Uttar Pradesh
  • Private Sector & Academic Partners:
  • Naturgenix LLP

What We Did

  • Partnership between UPSRLM and Directorate of Fisheries: PCI India facilitated partnership by getting a MoU done between UPSRLM, Directorate of Fishery and Naturgenix LLP for ensuring buy back of the final produce from the cultivation site.
  • Training and capacity building of Mission Staff: Mission staff from 10 districts and 40 blocks were capacitated on the biofloc intervention.
  • Mobilization and Capacity Building of SHG members: 2,919 members were mobilized for biofloc fish cultivation. Training and exposure visits of 569 SHG women were organized at district level to orient the women on biofloc fish management.
  • Formation of Producer Groups: The interested SHG members were grouped into 154 Producer Groups (PGs).
  • Developing Knowledge Product: Such as SoPs on biofloc fishery and training manual for Training of Trainers (ToT) and ToC.
  • Establishment of Fish Tank and Fish Cultivation
  • Institutionalizing Digital Solutions: To monitor the progress and capture the real-time information of the project, a robust MIS system was developed.
  • Preparation of Annual Action Plan 2025-26: PCI India supported mission in preparation of Annual Action Plan and a budget of 6.22 cr was allocated in the financial year 2025-26 for the Fishery Intervention.

Outcome

  • Mobilized 2,919 women, formed 154 PGs, trained 569 PG members
  • Set up 491 tanks, stocked 228 with Singhi fish
  • 1,922 applications sent to Directorate of Fisheries for linking to Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.
  • Designed Digital MIS to capture the real time progress and secured ₹22 Cr budget from the Government of India for training and capacity building of PG members