Intensive commercial shrimp farming in southwestern Bangladesh historically resulted in severe environmental degradation, excessive chemical antibiotic usage, and widespread mangrove deforestation. Moreover, frequent viral outbreaks (White Spot Disease) wiped out marginal farmers' lifetime savings.
Under the BADS partnership, RUSTIC implemented an integrated ecological aquaculture model. By substituting chemical inputs with probiotics and bio-security screening of post-larvae (PL) seeds, smallholder farmers produce disease-resistant Tiger Shrimp (*Penaeus monodon*) alongside freshwater prawn (*Macrobrachium rosenbergii*) and carps.
