Longitudinal Effects of Improved Pond Aquaculture Techniques on Household Well‐Being: A Case Study From Rural Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Despite the important role of aquaculture for food security in Bangladesh, the long‐term sustainability of using improved pond management techniques (IPMTs) is understudied. This study thus investigates the effects of adopting these techniques in homestead pond polyculture of carp with small indigenous fish species (SIS) in rural Bangladesh. We raise three research questions: (1) How have IPMTs been adopted and developed over time? (2) What are the costs and returns of adopting IPMTs? In addition, (3) what are the effects of adopting IPMTs on household well‐being? Using data from a two‐wave panel survey of 234 households conducted in 2014 and 2022, we employ rigorous econometric methods, including random effects two‐stage least squares regressions with instrumental variables and a control function approach to account for endogeneity. The findings indicate that although the project interventions significantly increased initial adoption rates of IPMTs among project households compared to non‐project households, sustaining these practices over time poses considerable challenges. By 2022, adoption rates of several IPMTs declined in project households by up to 60% for stocking of fast‐growing species, whereas they increased in non‐project households by up to 64% for supplementary feeding. Differences in wealth have a further influence on adoption rates, with wealthier households more likely to adopt IPMTs that require a financial investment. The analysis also shows significant positive effects of adopting four IPMTs–sunlight exposure, pre‐stock liming, supplementary feeding and fertilizer application together on household well‐being: One unit change in the IPMTs adoption increases the daily per capita fish consumption by about 58 g/person and reduces poverty by 34%. Despite these benefits, the adoption of IPMTs remains low among fish farmers in Bangladesh. We conclude that there is a need for greater awareness, sustained training programs and financial support for small‐scale farmers. This will help to ensure the adoption and sustainable use of the IPMTs to improve food security and livelihoods in rural areas in the long run.