Abstract
Shrimp farming has the potential to create jobs and improve the livelihoods of Sri Lanka’s rural poor. With past disease outbreaks having caused production losses, farm abandonment, and unemployment among smallholder shrimp farmers, growth in this industry must be ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable. We evaluated sustainability statuses of farms in two Sri Lankan provinces and assessed management practices associated with lower disease prevalence. Farms in the more established North Western Province, despite having disease problems, had higher sustainability scores than farms in the Eastern Province. Variables such as disease outbreaks and poor water quality may therefore drive increased implementation of sustainable practices. Additionally, farms that followed more best management practices were less likely to report disease. Implementation of best management practices should be encouraged, particularly practices associated with lower disease prevalence. This thesis may help target education and policy programs to improve sustainability of smallholder Sri Lankan shrimp farms.
