Women in Assam adopt rice-crab farming to withstand erratic weather

Women farmers in Assam are cultivating indigenous Betguti rice alongside freshwater crabs in a system supported by the Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission (ASRLM). The method is being scaled across 219 blocks in the state as a response to increasingly erratic rainfall and prolonged dry spells that disrupt conventional paddy and paddy-fish farming.

Traditional paddy-fish integration has become difficult because fish cannot survive the long dry periods now common in Assam, said Samir Bordoloi, a farmer and natural-farming advocate. Hybrid rice varieties, which covered nearly 13% of the state's rice area in 2024-25 according to the Economic Survey of Assam, also fail to tolerate extended drought, whereas Betguti can withstand dry spells and be planted as late as July for a 150-day harvest.

In 2025, ASRLM and Bordoloi launched a pilot in Narayanpur block, Lakhimpur district, using Betguti seeds sourced from farmer Kusherswar Kochari. Krishi Sakhi Nikumoni Bora planted one bigha (0.33 acres) with 8 kg of seed and released crabs after the saplings rooted. The crabs consumed crop pests and aerated the soil, which Bora observed becoming softer and more conducive to rice growth.

Research cited in the report shows rice-crab systems improve soil nutrients, carbon, biodiversity, and water purification while reducing weeds and stabilizing soil nitrogen. Pallab Kumar Sarma, chief scientist at the All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture, said the integrated approach raises farmer income, ensures nutritional security, and cuts agrochemical use.

Bora harvested nearly two quintals of rice from her plot. The crabs quadrupled in weight in three months and sold for ₹300–400 per kilogram, contributing to a total income of ₹1.35 lakh over the past year alongside her Krishi Sakhi honorarium. She also sold saved Betguti seeds.

Encouraged by the results, 59 other women in Lakhimpur have leased 20 bighas (about six acres) for collective rice-crab farming, though they plan to stock crabs on only part of the area to manage harvest logistics. ASRLM has distributed 60 kg of Betguti seed to Dibrugarh district and planted 25 additional indigenous varieties on 12 bighas (about four acres) during a training for 260 women from 80 blocks.

ASRLM intends to develop a nutritional profile for Betguti and other indigenous varieties to promote them through the National Health Mission and school mid-day meal programs. The women involved say the low-input, dual-income system suits their families and the environment, and they plan to continue expanding the practice as climate conditions keep shifting.