28–31 October 2025, Sundarbans
In a significant stride towards inclusive, climate-resilient livelihood transformation, the ICAR–National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources has extended its Mission Navshakti an FAO-recognized grassroots innovation model to the Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and global biodiversity hotspot. The initiative aims to empower tiger widows and marginalized Scheduled Caste communities in the Gosaba Block of South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, through community-led entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihood diversification.
Building on its proven success in Uttar Pradesh’s freshwater ornamental fisheries sector, Mission Navshakti is now being tailored to the mangrove-based socio-ecological realities of the Sundarbans. The initiative operates under the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) mandate, integrating systemic design thinking and a hub-and-spoke cluster model to nurture bottom-up innovation and promote caste equity, gender empowerment, and ecological harmony.
Understanding the Challenge: Voices from the Field
An Empathetic Systems Mapping Survey conducted between 28th and 31st October 2025 across the fringe villages of Bally-1, Bally-2, and Kumirmari revealed acute socio-economic and ecological vulnerabilities. Indiscriminate fishing and mangrove degradation have forced fishermen deeper into tiger habitats, resulting in escalating human–tiger conflicts and tragic loss of lives.
Interviews with 43 tiger widows and affected families brought to light harrowing experiences of households mostly from SC communities who lost their sole breadwinners and are now surviving on minimal pensions of ₹1,000 per month, with limited livelihood options or social support. The findings informed a participatory design framework prioritizing local voices and indigenous wisdom over prescriptive, top-down solutions.
Grassroots Innovation: A Hub-and-Spoke Model for the Mangrove Ecosystem
Drawing inspiration from Mission Navshakti’s Uttar Pradesh success where over 425 SC women were trained and empowered as micro-entrepreneurs in sustainable aquarium crafts, mini-aquarium kits, aquarium management, and handmade agri-products—the Sundarbans extension adopts a context-specific co-design approach.
In Uttar Pradesh, the model functions through a hub-and-spoke network anchored at the Navshakti Aquagiri Business Incubation Centre, with spokes in Barabanki, KVK Sitapur, and KVK Unnao. The model has earned UN FAO recognition for its leadership in inclusive aquaculture and community-led innovation.
Adapting this structure to the Sundarbans, women participants expressed interest in integrated fish farming, goat and duck rearing, crab fattening, ornamental fish culture, and value addition of traditional products rooted in local cultural heritage. Startup kits, including rechargeable solar flood lights, were distributed to support immediate livelihood activities. Regular follow-ups and capacity-building sessions will ensure iterative learning and sustainability.
From Vulnerability to Vitality: A Community-Led Transformation
This bottom-up movement, grounded in lived experiences and propelled by women’s aspirations, marks a transformative shift from vulnerability to vitality. Mission Navshakti’s systemic design embeds innovation within community hubs and micro-enterprise spokes, creating self-sustaining ecosystems of empowerment that balance human survival with ecological conservation.
By converting victims into entrepreneurs, the initiative exemplifies inclusive innovation in high-risk ecologies, demonstrating how grassroots ingenuity can turn environmental challenges into pathways for equitable prosperity.
Collaborative Implementation and Outreach
The initiative was implemented in collaboration with local stakeholders, including Ms. Pritilata Ghoshal (People’s Representative, Matsyaoprani Sampada Karmayadha, Gosaba Block), Dr. Subrato Ghosh, Assistant Fisheries Officer, Department of Fisheries, Government of West Bengal, and local NGOs, under the guidance of the Block Development Officer, Gosaba Block.
To promote intergenerational engagement, outreach activities were also extended to school-going children from SC households. Team members interacted with students while navigating the waterways, distributing Rubik’s cubes to foster problem-solving skills and mental agility symbolizing the integration of intellectual empowerment with livelihood resilience.
Through this extension, ICAR–NBFGR continues to uphold its mandate of fostering sustainable, inclusive, and climate-resilient livelihoods, positioning the Sundarbans as a frontier of caste–gender–ecology synergy and a model for global replication.
(Source: ICAR–National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow)
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