Baseline Assessment:
Shajiao Village is located in Qinnan District, Qinzhou, bordering Beibu Gulf, with unique resources from the mountains and the sea, and has excellent conditions for the development of characteristic planting, livestock breeding, and aquaculture. The development of mariculture is one of the main initiatives of Qinnan District to promote the revitalization of rural industries. In order to improve the quality and efficiency of fish and shrimp and other special industries, Qinnan District focuses on increasing the investment in science and technology to improve the farming yield and farming success rate through the standardization of ponds, the introduction of new and efficient farming techniques as well as the high-quality fry. Qinzhou is located on the northern coast of Beibu Gulf where there are various fish and shrimp. Since the announcement of the 13th Five-Year Plan, Qinzhou has given full play to its resources, vigorously developing large-scale, ecological, and healthy aquaculture, and witnessed the continuous growth of the total economic volume of the fishery, along with remarkable achievements in this industry. By 2017, the municipal output of aquatic products was 537,100 tons, including 323,200 tons of mariculture, 110,000 tons of freshwater aquaculture, 96,000 tons of marine fishing, and 7,900 tons of freshwater fishing. The aquatic product output ranks second among the 14 cities in the region. In 2017, the output value of Qinzhou's fishery was?8,316 million. The output value of fishery accounted for 22.06% of that of modern agriculture. In 2017, the breeding area of shrimps was 3205 hectares and its output was 45,400 tons, with pond culture as the core, along with factory with circulating water and insulation greenhouse in winter. Although Qinzhou has achieved good results in aquaculture production and scale, it also faces problems such as limited species or fauna, backward aquaculture technology, deterioration of the environment for aquaculture, and imbalance of the ecosystem. The main methods adopted in Qinzhou include intensive aquaculture in seawater ponds, coastal net box aquaculture, and industrial aquaculture. With the expansion of the farming area and the increase of the aquaculture volume, the amount of residual bait and the excretion of the aquaculture organism also increases accordingly. Phenomena such as pollution of farmed seawater and red tide in farming areas occur frequently. At the same time, the community residents acquired backward skills, mainly from handed-down experience, so the shrimp output is of low quality, and the market price is relatively low (only ?10-15/kg). Only a small number of farmers can make a profit from shrimp farming. The sustainability of the local small-scale fishery is not strong enough.
Qinzhou is located on the north coast of Beibu Gulf, and the Beibu Gulf is located in tropical and subtropical regions. It is affected by the cold air masses from the mainland in winter and often typhoons in summer. The annual average temperature in Beibu Gulf rises obviously, and the monthly average temperature peaks from June to August, which is consistent with the global annual average temperature trend. Beibu Gulf is the most rainstorm-prone area in Guangxi and even China. The Beibu Gulf Region suffers the highest average number of rainstorm days in the whole year. Natural disasters are a serious hazard to crop farming and livestock breeding. According to incomplete statistics, the survival rate of shrimp farmed on the beach in Qinzhou is only 20 to 30%. The main reason is that the growth of shrimp and the environment are closely linked. Typhoons, heavy precipitation, high temperatures, and other factors can cause stress in shrimp, which often results in anorexia, illness, and death, so the weather and climate have a great impact on beach aquaculture. Aquaculture is extremely dependent on weather changes, and global warming exacerbates this effect.
In March 2021, the Office of the Qinnan District People's Government issued a notice to Qinnan District of Qinzhou on the plan to establish a national demonstration area for healthy aquaculture and ecological aquaculture. Combined with the realities of the aquaculture industry in Qinnan District, the District plans to complete the construction of a national demonstration area for healthy aquaculture and ecological aquaculture by 2022, vigorously promote ecological aquaculture, strengthen publicity, and strive to create a good atmosphere where aquaculture companies and individuals are actively involved and supported by all government departments. In 2022, supported by the Asian Development Bank, a project on climate change and environmental sustainability in the Greater Mekong Subregion is in mobilization. The project team has made an application to conduct a community demonstration project on beach aquaculture disaster preparedness and mitigation and climate change adaptation at the demonstration site targeting aquaculture enterprises and individuals. The project can be carried out in conjunction with associated demonstration activities. The project team has closer ties with the local community, laying a good foundation for project implementation.


Main Problems:
1. Addressing climate change. Residents of the project demonstration areas lack effective measures to cope with climate change. They are less climate resilient, and their income is highly influenced by climate and weather. There is scarce use of weather-related early warning and forecasting technology in the targeted location. The efficient early warning forecasts that can be used on mobile devices is not well spread among farmers who do not know much about sophisticated weather warning. They mainly depend on the weather for their livelihood and lack methods and measures to raise their awareness of climate change adaptation. Once a meteorological disaster occurs, they will lose everything.
2. The impact of aquaculture on the ecological environment of the sea. During the breeding process, excessive input of synthetic bait, decomposition of residual bait, shrimp excrement, and other resources can lead to water eutrophication. When a large amount of sewage from shrimp aquaculture is discharged into nearshore waters, it causes an increase in nutrients and a decrease in dissolved oxygen in the waters, causing water pollution in the area. A large amount of water used in shrimp farming pollutes nearshore waters while also polluting itself. For example, the excessive density of shrimp farming leads to the deterioration of the pool water, resulting in increased water injection and discharge. Polluted pool water is discharged into nearshore areas, and polluted seawater is pumped back into shrimp ponds, causing groundwater pollution. This creates a vicious cycle.
3. The fragile relationship between aquaculture farmers and relevant parties in the supply chain. Information asymmetry in the supply chain has led to generally poor returns for the farmers.
4. The social status of female and youth groups in aquaculture companies and self-employed families in the pilot communities is low. The overall income of residents in the project area is low. Most adult males from the families of shrimp farmers in the project work in cities away from their home places. The aquaculture industry is mainly dependent on women in the family. Most of these women are not well educated and do not possess professional skills. The lower income obtained through farming gives women a relatively low status in the family.

Proposed Activities:
Activity 1.1 A baseline survey on community aquaculture risks and climate change vulnerability.
Activity 1.2 Popularizing science and special training on the prevention of risks in aquaculture, combating climate change, and nature education.
Activity 1.3 Promoting the latest science and technology related to the prevention of aquaculture risks and disaster prevention and mitigation and refined weather warning products.
Activity 2 Experts are hired to conduct technical training and research and exchange on issues concerning shrimp farming technology and waste and sewage treatment.
Activity3.1 Matchmaking meetings, symposiums, research, and exchange for aquaculture enterprises and individual farmers and supply chain management parties such as aquaculture buyers, non-government organizations, and other partners are held.
Activity 3.2 A kick-off meeting on "Building a Community for Sustainable Beach Aquaculture" is held to develop sustainable beach aquaculture programs suitable for the community.
Activity 4.1 Interesting activities such as "aquaculture risk prevention knowledge quiz" and "sustainable aquaculture skills competition" are held, mainly participated by women.
Activity 4.2 At least two "Women's Empowerment Symposiums" and other activities are held to select small-scale fishery practitioners represented by women for empowerment.
Activity 4.3 We promoted the participation of families and youth from relevant universities in activities such as National Low Carbon Day, World Environment Day, and Ocean Day.
Activity 4.4 We set up a climate change awareness squad comprised of teenagers to enhance the residents' sense of participation and ownership.
Activity 5.1 Publicity: We write copies or make short videos to promote the project and share the experience through various methods such as WeChat Official Accounts, WeChat Videos, and promotional videos to enhance the influence of the project.
Activity 5.2 We write work reports at different stages and form policy recommendations and proposals.


Anticipated Results:
1. We expect to help the community establish comparative data accounts for technology applications and promote the formation of a long-term management mechanism for sustainable aquaculture.
2. Through regular popularization of science and training, the awareness of the community and the ability to apply technology to address climate change and disaster prevention and mitigation will be enhanced. Residents' awareness of "sustainable beach aquaculture" will be raised, enabling them to influence family members to make changes together.
3. To improve the level and ability of community residents to prevent the risk caused by meteorological disasters.
4. To improve the aquaculture technology and environmental pollution treatment capacity of the aquaculture companies and individual farmers at the demonstration sites.
5. To promote the sustainability of aquaculture for community residents and increase their income.
6. A multi-participant model to improve aquaculture efficiency for community residents and increase their income will be built.
7. These activities can give full play to women's strengths and promote sustainable resident-themed, family-based participation.
8. Women will be encouraged to participate in fishery management, public affairs, and decision-making, which can enhance their influence.
9. The project will raise awareness of climate change among youth and increase opportunities for youth to have hands-on experience in addressing climate change in the community.
10. We will enhance teenagers' sense of participation and ownership.
11. Sustainable aquaculture will be optimized in local policies.