Women-led rice-crab farming offers climate-resilient alternative in Assam

Farmers in Assam are turning to a climate-resilient farming method that combines rice and crab cultivation, providing a second source of income and reducing the need for agrochemicals.

The harsh summer sun was beating down on the backs of farmers in Assam's Borborua block in Dibrugarh district as they planted indigenous Betguti rice, a variety that holds the promise of withstanding unpredictable weather patterns.

Once the planting is done, the farmers will release freshwater crabs in the field, alongside the rice. The crabs will grow alongside the rice, sustaining each other and offering the women a way to sustain their families amid rising concerns of climatic change and land degradation.

This women-led integrated rice-crab farming method is emerging as a climate-resilient alternative to traditional paddy cultivation in Assam.

## Climatic changes challenge traditional ways

Traditionally, paddy-fish farming has been practiced in pockets of Assam, particularly areas that are vulnerable to floods. However, the long dry spells that Assam has been witnessing have made this type of farming challenging.

Erratic weather patterns have also had an impact on agriculture as a whole, including paddy cultivation. In such a context, hybrid rice varieties promise better productivity, but even those hybrid varieties cannot tolerate long dry spells.

## Giving indigenous rice a chance

In 2025, a conversation between Samir Bordoloi, a farmer and advocate of natural farming techniques, and officials of the Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission (ASRLM) on promoting organic farming, steered towards indigenous varieties of rice.

ASRLM leads a women-led organic and natural farming programme across 219 blocks in the state. With the support of ASRLM, the Narayanpur block of Lakhimpur district was chosen for this project that started the same year.

Nikumoni Bora, a farmer, stepped forward to try this crab-paddy farming on one bigha (0.33 acres) of her farmland. For Nikumoni, the primary motivation was personal. She wanted to save indigenous varieties of rice from disappearing.

## How crabs supported rice cultivation

In the paddy fields, the crabs played an important role. They ate the pests of the crop, and as they grew, the soil in the field became soft because the crabs were aerating it, which helped the rice plants grow better.

Studies on rice-crab farming have shown improvement in soil nutrient levels, rice productivity and nutrient uptake, soil fertility, soil carbon and C:N ratio, biodiversity, water purification, and effective utilisation of available resources in the form of land and water.

## More women taking up rice-crab farming

Enthused by her success, other women in the locality have now come forward to try their hand in rice-crab farming, too. Anjali Bora in Lakhimpur is one of them.

Anjali, Nikumoni and 58 other women of the locality who are part of a women-led farmers producer group have now leased a 20-bigha (about six acres) land to plant indigenous varieties of rice.

| Block | Total Rice Cultivation Area | Hybrid Rice Cultivation Area (as a share of total rice cultivation area) | High-yielding Varieties of Rice | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2018-19 | 8% | 13% | 74% |

| Year | Hybrid Rice Cultivation Area (as a share of total rice cultivation area) | | --- | --- | | 2018-19 | 8% | | 2024-25 | 13% |

The women-led integrated rice-crab farming method is being scaled across 219 blocks in the state, and ASRLM plans to promote this integrated, natural farming in all the blocks.

The women hope their efforts will bear fruit, and as climate change continues to reshape Assam's agricultural landscape, farmers like Nikumoni and Anjali are constantly experimenting and rewriting the rules of cultivation.