Archetypes of community-based pond aquaculture in Indonesia: applying the social-ecological systems framework to examine sustainability tradeoffs

Abstract We analyze archetypes of farmer groups conducting pond aquaculture across the province of Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia using Ostrom’s social-ecological systems framework. Pond aquaculture farmers share coastal irrigation infrastructure as common property, among other resources, and are encouraged by the government to organize into groups with varying sets of evolved rules, norms, social practices and environmental conditions shaping what they produce, how and how much. Yet little is known about the diversity of these pond aquaculture communities, or what factors—both social and ecological—shape production trends and sustainability outcomes. We designed a standardized survey to collect data on 26 indicators from 85 diverse community-based fish farmer groups across the province. Data included indicators on ownership, rules, history, production trends, demographics, government involvement, livelihood dependence, environmental characteristics and risks. Clustering analysis was applied to identify five unique archetypes of pond aquaculture communities, each distinguished by a different set of development challenges and opportunities. Our findings highlight the need to move beyond a ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy approach. We suggest moving towards a locally adapted capacity building strategy that can recognize contextual needs so that policy programs can better target and differentiate between farmer groups that face similar challenges. We further discuss how empowering collective action among the farmers can reduce risks associated with producing blue food for local consumption and regional markets.