Abstract
The floating net culture is a major aquaculture activity in Maninjau village in West Sumatra, Indonesia. This study aimed to determine the typology of fish farmers on the basis of the livelihood capital variables. Data were collected from 118 fish farmers (households) in surrounding Lake Maninjau in West Sumatra province using structured questionnaires interviews with stakeholders. Factor and cluster analysis were used to establish the farmer typology, which included 3 groups of farmers. Group 1 included farmers with relatively poor access to aquaculture supplies who had another source of income. Farmers in this group had moderate capital and reported low fish mortality. This group seemed to have a sustainable livelihood as fish farmers as long as donors or government paid attention to the distribution of aquaculture supplies. Group 2 was characterized by high accessibility to physical capital and financial aid, but limited access to natural capital, and no other source of income. The second group of farmers was seen to be highly vulnerable to production failure and price shock. Group 3 had higher capital than the other groups, but often encountered massive fish mortality and needed to reduce the density of fish to avoid this outcome. The typology created from this study will help in prioritizing intervention needs.
