In this conflict, however, the combatants are primarily women. It has leased in close to 1000 ponds from the government in the northern region of the country. GFF has introduced modern fish farming systems and also has organised the poor fishermen and women who live around the ponds, using the well tested organisation development techniques of Grameen Bank. With the support of GFF which operates pond side hatcheries, providing production inputs and also marketing services, more than 2700 poor fishermen families have been organised and trained. Fish output has gone up dramatically from 40 tons in 1987 in the Joyshagar Fish Farm, which covers 406 ponds with 980 acres of water area, to more than 1000 tons in 1996.
Production can increase much more in future.
This is a supplementary income, as each member provides five hours of labour every week and pursues his or her other primary occupation rest of the time. GFF is showing the way as to how the millions of small ponds could be developed to fight poverty in the villages of Bangladesh. The tactic is a new frontier in supplying food called aquaculture, or fish farming. Not only is it helping tens of thousands of people worldwide win the battle against constant hunger and disease, it is also providing new stature to women in traditionally male dominated societies. Aquaculture is turning an age old pastime into an occupation, thanks to new fish breeds and oral training that circumvents illiteracy or, in the case of Hoang Thi Ma, a member of the Hmong minority, the absence of a formal written language altogether.