The VGMs who are the pond operators collaborating with GMPF in fish farming activities are gainfully employed for only few hours a week and the GMPF is incurring heavy expenditures in purchasing the cattle manure to be used as fish feed in the ponds. It was realized that introducing livestock into the fish farming system would overcome these problems. CLDDP by utilizing the Micro-capital Grants (MCG) from the UNDP is contemplating an integrated crop-livestock fish farming practice in the GMPF areas and thereby supplement the income of VGMs and the profitability of fish farming of GMPF. The project has an average of Tk. 18,000 as the micro-credit loan per VGM for individual livestock investments. The project will also provide seed capital for equipment for pilot community investments in small scale feed mills and milk processing plants.

Within the VGM target groups, special emphasis has been given on the empowerment of women by giving preference to the formation of female village groups during the new VGM creation process because initially there was only 16% women participation in fish farming activities as the fisheries activities naturally leads to more involvement of man. However, the project with diversification into livestock would allow more involvement of women providing a shift of gender balance. The project envisages women participation by 50:50.