To promote aquaculture as a sustainable livelihood option, a Fish Rearing Workshop was organised in Ilayankudi, building on the 16 farm ponds renovated in the previous year. The workshop aimed to activate these assets by initiating fish rearing activities and was attended by pond owners along with other interested farmers from the locality.
The session was led by Ms. Rajakumari from the DHAN Foundation, who served as the resource person and provided practical orientation on fish rearing techniques. Farmers were supported with educational leaflets to reinforce learning and discussed procedures for enrolling with the Fisheries Department (NFDB) to access technical and institutional support. As a tangible outcome of the workshop, seven farmers confirmed their willingness to begin fish rearing in their ponds. The programme also included field visits to two farm ponds to assess site readiness and discuss next steps.
Beyond the workshop, growing interest in prawn cultivation was observed during field interactions in Visavanoor. To strengthen technical understanding and peer learning, an exposure visit to the Viralimalai location was proposed, enabling farmers to interact with experienced practitioners and gain insights into best practices and problem-solving in aquaculture.
