MEL Karnataka

This document is part of the Dried Fish Matters Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning workflow. Deliverables listed here are taken from the Terms of Reference (Schedule B) of contracts between the University of Manitoba and partner organizations for Scoping Research.

Name	Description	Comments	Due
Publication on the weights and measures in the dried fish value chains of Karnataka	Completed manuscript for a journal article or book chapter summarizing measurement units and practices used in dried fish value chains in Karnataka Includes photographs and diagrams	2022-01-17: Submitted to the DFM e-book.	2022-01-31
Journal article on the role of fisheries in food security	Completed and submitted manuscript for a journal article addressing the role of fisheries in food security in Karnataka Provides attention to the role of dried fish value chains	2022-01-24: Manuscript submitted to Agricultural Economics Research Review MarineFisheries_FoodSecurity_IndiaKarnataka_DFM.pdf	2022-01-31
Report on marine fish landings in Karnataka	Report of 20-40 pages analyzing fish harvesting data on the Karnataka coast supplied by NETFISH Contains graphs and illustrations	2022-02-17: Sent by Prasanna. Please find attached a report on fish landings in Karnataka's major harbors. We (the DFM Karnataka team) have prepared this report by analyzing a very unique database on fish harvests in Karnataka coast. The database was provided to us by NETFISH, who have been immensely cooperative in our DFM efforts (such as conducting survey interviews). This exercise will help in further cementing our partnership with NETFISH, which will be beneficial for our upcoming DFM initiatives. The main purpose of this report is to gain a clear idea about the catch profile of the fisheries of coastal Karnataka. Uniqueness of this data comes from the fact that it is almost a real-time census of fish landings in the major harbors of Karnataka, thus reducing estimation errors while also providing a comprehensive picture of the fisheries. For example, we find that the Indian Oil Sardine fishery has dramatically declined even as the share of trash fish increased. Currently available databases in India do not capture such developments. This allows us to map the fisheries resources which can be helpful, for example, in understanding dried fish supply scenarios across the Karnataka coast and hence an important report in dried fish resource mapping in Karnataka context. It only helps that the dried fish producer surveys under DFM were also conducted around these same harbor areas on which we will be doing our analysis sooner. We intend to use this report in creating a bilingual booklet (in English and Kannada) for further dissemination into the community by conducting a couple of workshops and giving back to the community who were instrumental in data collection. This will also create an opportunity for us to engage with the stakeholders and policymakers. Given this relevance for the booklet, I request you to consider it as one of the deliverables for DFM Karnataka team. To make the formal printed booklet we may need a forward from Prof Derek Johnson, for which, Dr. Jyotishi will be reaching out to him separately. KarnatakaFishLandingsDataAnalysisReport_DFM.pdf	2022-02-28
DFM Karnataka production and market survey	Report on pilot visits and survey of the dried fish production and wholesale markets in Karnataka, India. Around 20 page report on the pilot study with photographic illustrations. The report should summarize preliminary findings and outline changes to the research plan that the pilot visits and survey reveal.	2022-04-25: Response from Amal. We will revise the document based on your comments. You may (including yourself and Eric) like to find someone to take forward this to a publishable work. If it requires a few quick visits to some of the markets, we can do that as well. However, let's do it once we have a clear idea of some of the gaps for a research paper. How to thematically position it as a paper is also an important question. I was thinking putting it in the context like " Role of markets in the domestic food system" could be a plausible option. The thematic area would guide us to figure out important literature. 2022-04-23: Response from Derek. Some of the mark-up is simply to note points that I thought were particularly interesting or valuable. Some of my comments are pointers or thoughts for future research. Others comments are suggestions for small revisions to the report. I really like the report. It is very informative, clear, well-written, and provides a first rate example for DFM of the kinds of outputs we were hoping for from the scoping. The figures, tables, and pictures are also excellent supplements to the text. The pictures are great. Really, it’s an excellent piece of work and a great basis for follow up research. I don’t expect any significant revisions to the report, but do have several fairly minor requests for changes as follows: Please provide us a version in Word so that we can format the report according to the DFM report template and do a minor language edit. The language overall, though is excellent. Just a few changes to prepositions and other minor edits needed. Please insert the tables and figures into the body of the text at appropriate places. It is awkward to have to go back and forth to appendices while reading the report. You mention in the introduction and conclusion that this study is one of only a few on dried fish marketing in Karnataka. It would be valuable if you could be more specific. What is the other work? How is the research that you report different from the other references on the subject? You state on page 9 that the diversity of species dried has declined yet it still seems that lots of species are being dried. Can you provide any more detail on this decline? You note in several places striking declines in the number of processors and traders. Is there any evidence of consolidation and growth in size among the remaining operators? You don’t mention online marketing at all. Did this come up in the research, particularly as a response to Covid? After such a fine market study, your main recommendation for more infrastructural support to df processors, particularly for better driers, doesn’t seem to fully capture the implications of your careful research. Your research suggests that a major transition is taking place in the dried fish sector that likely requires a more comprehensive evaluation of the drivers of change and probably a multi-faceted response that includes attention to questions of fisheries management, institutional supports for actors and organizations involved in dried fish trading, attention the specific needs of women producers and traders, and consideration of changing consumer preferences. I would appreciate it if you could take a small amount of time to consider my suggestions here and my comments on the manuscript. I’d be curious to read your responses to some of my comments in a further layer of mark up from your side on the attached draft along with a second new revised version of the report. I don’t think addressing my suggestions should take much time, and some are just matters for further reflection and work at a later stage. MarketMappingKarnatakaDFM_Final_dj.pdf 2022-03-10: received from Prasanna. MarketMappingKarnatakaDFM_Final.pdf	2022-03-05
Journal article on fish utilization patterns in India	Completed manuscript for a journal article on the topic of fish utilization and consumption patterns in India Describes and analyzes competition between dried fish and fishmeal value chains	2022-03-16: From Amal. . We have two additional tasks in hand, 1. the submission of utilization shift paper to a journal, 2. A paper we are writing on Karnataka's blue economy development for a MAST special issue proposed by Amrita and Jenia. By mid April, we would be done with both these tasks. MARE conference presentation: Amalendu Jyotishi, “From Dried Fish Processing to Shrimp Culture: Analyzing Utilization Shift of Marine Fish in India” (Conference paper presented at the MARE 2021 People and the Sea Conference, Online, July 1, 2021). 2022-02-17: "Almost ready, pending some changes"	2022-03-15
Methodological summary document	Compendium of questionnaires and other research instruments used in field research by the DFM Karnataka team Provides a summary of field research and trainings completed		2022-03-21
Visual documentation	A set of photographs and/or videos illustrating key aspects of the social economy of dried fish in Karnataka State, India. These should have metadata with the place, date, and photographer. Images, where faces are visible, should only be shared if consent for the photographs has been obtained. Images are released under the terms of a Creative Commons license and uploaded to the DFM online platform		2022-04-30
Communication on the Blue Economy and New Populism	Presentation, encyclopedia article, or similar communication on Blue Economy and New Populism in India Includes reference to dried fish value chains	2022-02-17: Manuscript available; can't be circulated yet, but may be shared internally.	2022-05-01
Master's thesis research	At least two completed Master’s theses on Karnataka social economy of dried fish.		2022-06-30
DFM Karnataka Zotero library	Gray literature references and other references identified during literature review uploaded to Zotero with metadata.	2021-08-06: Added collection contents to the DFM Karnataka Zotero library description page. There are 7 items in the DFM India / Karnataka collection, one of which is blank.	2022-06-30
Scoping report	Report of at least 40 pages in length summarizing the existing literature and new knowledge created by the DFM Karnataka team. MAY be revised for submission as a journal article. Includes details of the different participants, methods involved in the research activities. Comprehensively maps the macroeconomic geography of dried fish value chain in Karnataka. Details the social and market linkages (actors, roles, relationships, sites of activities, internal and external) that characterize the different segments of the dried fish value chain in the state. Compiles species composition of dried fish at the major landing/ processing sites and markets by organized and artisanal sectors. Indicates the materials and methods used in sorting and drying different fishes across sites. Includes a review of secondary data from various sources including export data from Department of Fisheries, MPEDA, CMFRI, Consumption survey and Nutritional evaluation studies conducted by State Government, among others. Analyzes secondary literature to provide an overview of the types, volume and value of dried fish products, nationally and by province. This will be supplemented by import and export data of key commercial dried fish products. Time series analysis should also be conducted on these data sets to look at patterns and changes that may have taken place in the last 10 years. Reviews policies related to the fisheries sector and make an assessment of their on the conduct and performance of the dried fish economy Includes the annual budget analysis of the state with a view to assess fiscal priorities with respect to fisheries in general and dried fish in particular. Identifies priority areas for further investigation within the scope of the mandate of DFM.		2022-07-01
Community knowledge mobilization	At least two workshops with community organizations and other stakeholders to disseminate and discuss the findings of the DFM Karnataka team A narrative summary report with photographs provided for each workshop A bilingual pamphlet or brochure is published to disseminate the findings of the DFM Karnataka team and its collaborators		2022-07-10
Data sharing	Primary data created during the course of the sponsored research, including interview summaries and aggregated survey responses, are supplied with sufficient metadata for storage in the University of Manitoba research repository		2022-08-01