Sustainability of Community Aquaculture – a Study of Transaction Costs from Sri Lanka

Over the last decade there has been a major push within policy circles to strengthen community initiatives related to natural resources management. The success or failure of such projects is an important issue for decision-makers who are interested in poverty alleviation. The study looks at the factors that affect the performance and sustainability of one such group of projects. It focuses on Community-Based Aquaculture (CBA) schemes in the interior of the country. Although these have the potential to be an important source of protein for poor communities, many CBA projects in the country are failing [Policy brief No. 17-07].