The Indian fisheries sector has experienced an average annual growth rate of 8.61% over the past eight years, underscoring the potential of aquaculture as a driver of employment and livelihood generation. Despite this growth, facilitating effective large-scale training in freshwater aquaculture remains a significant challenge, especially for small-scale farmers in rural settings.
To address this gap, the Indo-German SAFAL project, funded by BMZ and implemented by GIZ in partnership with India’s Ministry of Fisheries, conceptualized a scalable training model integrating didactic principles and andragogical approaches. The model was co-created through participatory research, stakeholder consultations, and design-thinking workshops involving trainers, learners, curriculum designers, practitioners and scholars. The resulting ecosystem comprises (i) context-specific training content tailored to learner profiles, (ii) a standardized trainer framework using adult learning techniques, and (iii) lean information, education, and communication (IEC) materials for field-level application.
The model was deployed across selected districts in Odisha and Assam, reaching over 6,000 small-scale farmers through 17 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and 100 Producer Groups (PGs). Preliminary assessments indicate improved content retention, increased adoption of best aquaculture practices, and enhanced learner engagement.
The integrated training model demonstrates that combining didactics and andragogy within a structured ecosystem of knowledge resources and field-ready materials significantly improves training efficacy. However, contextual limitations need to be considered. This approach could be replicable across similar geographies and holds promise for scaling sustainable aquaculture practices.
Key Words:Scalable training model, Didactics, Ecosystem of training materials, Adult Learning.