Seaweed farming
Seaweed Farming
Amid escalating climate risks, including rising sea levels, salinity intrusion, frequent cyclones and declining marine resources, traditional coastal livelihoods in Odisha are becoming increasingly vulnerable. Seaweed farming offers a climate-resilient and adaptive livelihood alternative for the affected coastal communities.
Seaweed cultivation is a sustainable aquaculture practice carried out in shallow coastal waters and is significantly less exposed to climate shocks compared to traditional fishing. With a short cultivation cycle of around 45 days, the practice is low-cost, low-maintenance and scalable.
Recognising this opportunity, the ECRICC project in Odisha has introduced seaweed farming as a climate-adaptive livelihood intervention to diversify incomes, reduce pressure on marine resources and strengthen coastal community resilience.
Benefits of Seaweed Farming under ECRICC
Climate-Resilient Livelihood:
Less vulnerable to climate variability and extreme events compared to traditional fishing.
Low-Investment and Scalable:
Requires minimal infrastructure, no freshwater or chemical inputs, and offers quick returns due to short production cycles.
Alternative Livelihood Opportunity:
Generates seasonal and supplementary income, especially for women and youth in marine fishing villages.
Environmental Benefits:
Acts as a natural carbon sink, improves water quality, and supports marine biodiversity.
Supports Blue Economy Value Chains:
Contributes to food, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial value chains.
Technical Support under ECRICC
To ensure effective pilot implementation, the ECRICC project has engaged Brahma Kamal Research LLP as the Technical Support Agency (TSA). The TSA is providing focused technical guidance, capacity building, and field-level support on site selection, cultivation practices, and harvesting, enabling communities to adopt seaweed farming in a technically sound and environmentally sustainable manner.
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