From salty waters to stronger futures: crab farming boosts livelihood resilience along Bangladesh’s coast

Article type Story
Publication date 07 Jun 2025

Shyamnagar, in the Satkhira District of southwestern Bangladesh, is bordered by the Sundarbans—the world's largest mangrove forest—a coastal landscape with low-lying terrain.

Known as the coastal region of Bangladesh, this area faces three main climate challenges: salinity intrusion, cyclones and storms, and tidal floods.

Twenty-five years ago, this area was a vibrant green paradise where all varieties of crops thrived in the fertile soil. Increasing soil salinity threatens agriculture, and the local community is moving towards fisheries, such as shrimp and crabs, for their livelihood.

Alarming levels of sea rise cause seawater to enter the mainland, affecting the vast and unique river systems of Bangladesh. Day by day, the river becomes saline which affects access to potable water.

Alamgir Hossein, Director of the Nowabenki Gonomukhi Foundation (NGF), explains that cactus doesn’t grow without salty soil, so it symbolises salinity. If you see cactus growing, you know that the soil has high salinity level.

The saltwater inundation has left the land unable to sustain the crops of what was once a rich and self-sustaining land. Banana trees, once a common sight, have now disappeared, unable to survive the high salinity of the soil. Today, fresh vegetables and fruit are transported from the other side of the country.

With vegetables and rice struggling to grow, farmers in the region turned to an alternative farming method: shellfish.

Shrimp farmer at dawn cultivating their harvest.

Shellfish are highly sensitive to changes in salinity, and prolonged exposure to high levels of salt disrupts their ability to survive and thrive in their natural habitat. Over time, it became apparent that shellfish farming was no longer a viable source of income for local farmers.

A coastal lifeline: crab hatcheries

To support and enhance the resilience of the vulnerable coastal communities of Bangladesh from the impacts of sea-level rise, GCF is funding a USD 50 million coastal resilience project, implemented by the Palli Kharma Shayak Foundation (PKSF).

GCF is funding the development and establishment of crab farms and hatcheries. Soft and hard-shelled mud crabs are resilient to salty waters, providing a promising livelihood opportunity for coastal communities.

In traditional crab farming, crablets (baby crabs) are often collected from the wild, particularly from the Sundarbans, using nets and traps. However, for every single crab harvested, an estimated 39 other fish species are unintentionally caught and killed in the process. This bycatch includes fish, which are crucial in maintaining the region’s aquatic biodiversity and supporting local fisheries.

A crab hatchery is a dedicated facility designed to breed and rear crabs, especially commercially valuable species like mud crabs, from eggs to juvenile stages before transferring them to nurseries or ‘grow-out’ farms.

A lack of technology, investment, and market access previously discouraged small-scale farmers from establishing hatcheries and building strong, sustainable supply chains.

By supporting the establishment of a crab hatchery, GCF is supporting farmers to cultivate crabs in a controlled environment instead of relying on wild collection. This approach ensures a steady supply for farming and protects vital ecosystems of the Sundarbans by reducing the accidental loss of fish and other species.

Once the mud crabs mature from an egg to an early phase of development, they are transferred to crab farms.

Farmer checks his yield of soft-shell crabs.

Soft-shell crab farming involves growing mud crabs until they moult, after which they are harvested before their new shells harden. These crabs are then processed and exported, with the aim of reaching international markets where soft-shell crabs are in high demand.

Farmers selling their yields through an open bidding process at the local market from 7:00-9:30 A.M. The wholesaler will purchase and take the crabs to a processing factory before being transferred to international markets.

As sea levels rise, the coastal community of Shyamnagar, Satkhira, have hope and resilience to sustain their livelihoods while preserving the vital coastal ecosystems on which they depend.

By Zeenia Dastur