Changing landscapes of fish drying

Students enrolled in the M.A. Development programme at Azim Premji University (APU), Bangalore,  undertake a field project consisting of research, action-project or intervention in areas such as rural livelihoods, disability rights, agriculture and land rights, citizenship and identity, gender and sexuality. The project entails 30 weeks of research, fieldwork and analysis at the end of which the students present their findings and observations through posters and presentations.

The poster by Nritya Mala Giridhar studies the changes in the practice of fish drying and its subsequent impact on fishing communities in the coastal district of Uttara Kannada, Karnataka. It observes that fish drying is predominantly practised by women but younger women are no longer taking up the craft. The poster also notes that although several women engage in fishing-allied activities, they are absent from positions of authority.