Bhubaneswar: A scientific mud crab farming initiative under the Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities (ECRICC) project is transforming lives in Odisha’s Ganjam district, helping vulnerable families replace distress migration with sustainable, climate-resilient livelihoods.
Implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Department of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Government of Odisha, the project is strengthening resilience across Odisha’s vulnerable coastline.
“Odisha’s coastline faces growing threats from cyclones, flooding, tidal surges and coastal erosion.
Through ECRICC, we are helping communities adapt by restoring ecosystems and promoting sustainable livelihoods that reduce climate vulnerability while creating economic opportunities,” said Prem Kumar Jha, State Project Director, ECRICC Odisha, and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife).
“Earlier, migration was our only option. Today, I can earn a decent livelihood while staying with my family in my village,” said Kumar Behera, a farmer whose journey reflects the project’s impact.
For nearly four decades, Behera, a resident of Kataru Panchayat in Chikiti block, alternated between traditional shrimp and mud crab farming and low-paid jobs in Bengaluru and Chennai. With poor pond productivity and limited technical knowledge, farming offered little financial security.
That changed when ECRICC introduced scientific grow-out mud crab farming. Supported by climate champions and partner organisations, Behera adopted improved pond preparation, water quality management, salini ty monitoring, scientific feeding practices, and stocked certified crablets instead of relying on wild-caught juveniles. The results were remarkable.
During a seven-month production cycle, he stocked 804 certified crabs and harvested around 306 marketable mud crabs. Nearly 70 crabs weighed over one kilogram each, fetching premium prices of Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 per kg.
With project support worth about Rs 67,000, Behera earned nearly Rs 1.6 lakh in sales, generating a gross profit of around Rs 93,000.