International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Prashanth B, Shashidhara KK, C Vaishnavi, SB Goudappa, BS Reddy and Basavaraj Hulagur

abstract
Agriculture plays a crucial role in India's economic growth, significantly supported by the production of crops, fruits, vegetables, animals, and fish. Fish farming, one of the oldest human practices in livestock production, remains vital for stabilizing food supply and addressing nutritional needs. India, the world's second-largest producer of inland fisheries, has seen substantial advancements in fish production, contributing significantly to the national economy. However, fish farmers face numerous challenges, including produce perishability, water shortages, labor unavailability etc. Hence, to identify them and provide suggestions this study was conducted in Raichur district of Karnataka with 120 fish farmers using community based fish farming practices, The study identified that a large number of respondents (91.60%) felt that they had lack of knowledge of storing the product as it is highly perishable and incurred heavy losses. The other constraints faced by the fish producers were shortage of water during summer (88.33%), Non availability of fingerlings in time (85.00%) and non-availability of labour in time (81.66%). The suggestions provided by them are improving marketing systems, ensuring quality fingerling availability, enhancing transportation infrastructure, and demonstrating advanced fish production technologies. Addressing these issues through government intervention, community support, and scientific innovation can enhance the sector's efficiency and sustainability, improve farmers' livelihoods.