Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Animals: shellfish
Practices
- Education and Training: general education and training
- Farm Business Management: agricultural finance, budgets/cost and returns, new enterprise development
- Production Systems: agroecosystems
- Sustainable Communities: new business opportunities, sustainability measures
Proposal abstract:
During the first five years, newcomers to inland saltwater shrimp farming in Alabama have been confronted with a myriad of enterprise viability questions that have had limited satisfactory answers. Alabama in recent years has had a significant interest in shrimp farming as an alternative enterprise for small and limited resource farmers. Existing work does not provide enough good knowledge-based information that is readily applicable, nor is local viability of the industry well established for those producers who have immersed themselves in the business in this region. This project is a case study that has initiated one-on-one interviews with farmers in the State in order to gather descriptive data as well as economic data on currently saltwater shrimp farming operations. A semi-standard interview instrument will be used to collect data for this study. Interviews will be conducted after farmers have completed harvesting operations.
Project objectives from proposal:
The purpose of this study is to assess the economic viability and sustainability of inland saltwater shrimp farming in the study area. Specific objectives are to (1) describe the production of farm-raised saltwater shrimp as an alternative agricultural enterprise, (2) identify the constraints and risks associated with the inland saltwater shrimp farming industry, and (3) compare the cost efficiencies of farms via scales of production.
The semi-standard interview instrument that will be used in this study has been designed. It includes items about the farm, production and harvesting, costs and expected revenues, and socioeconomic characteristics about the farmers. Visits have been made to three sites to observe stocking, grow-out and harvesting practices. Preliminary information on the descriptive and economic aspects of the industry has been documented. The survey instrument has been pilot tested.