The physical productivity of the ponds in the province is low. The most obvious reasons are: deficient management practices, lack of inputs and poor stocking rates. These are, for a functioning extension service, great opportunities to improve the management conditions and the productivity of the ponds.
It is obvious in parts of Luapula that knowledge is the major missing ingredient. Here farmers are likely to accept suggestions on how to modify their practices or technologies, as long as the modifications are modest in terms of the additional outlays or efforts by the farmer or his household. In the immediate future it would seem that the farmers should be given information about:
feeds at the farm and in its surroundings which could be used to feed the fish
fertilizers at the farm and its surroundings which could be used to increase the fertility of ponds
reducing the overflow of water and the associated loss of nutrients
harvesting and stocking practices
The resources allocated to the Department of Fisheries staff in the province have not been sufficient for the staff to carry out its responsibilities. For them to do so and to carry out a teaching programme as identified above, additional resources must be allocated. Extension workers of calibre must be stationed in the province and provided with vehicles. In order to be qualified, extension workers should have theoretical knowledge about feed and fertilizer use in fish pond culture as well as practical experience in actually having applied them.
Intermittent harvesting has several socio-economic advantages for the farmer. Also, some observations made during the survey indicate that overall physical productivity may be higher in ponds where this is practised. As some fish farmers believe that to harvest fish intermittently is against the advice of the Department of Fisheries, it may be useful to systematically inform farmers about how to go about it --particularly important for those who just start their fish farming activity.
In Luapula there is a high number of unutilized ponds; 60% of the ponds contained no fish at the time of the survey. Thus a high priority should be to get as many ponds as possible back into production, and to prevent such a low utilization rate from occurring in the future.
The main reason for the high number of unstocked ponds is the lack of fingerlings and transport. This problem is of major concern, and resources have to be re-allocated to remedy the situation. It seems natural that farmers do not bother to maintain ponds in good working order if they cannot be sure of obtaining seed. In this context it may be worthwhile investigating what would be gained by permitting use of seines for capture of wild fingerlings. For many farmers, such fingerlings might be genetically better than the inbred fish which might have spent years in the ponds. For some it may be the only way of obtaining any fingerlings.
Other reasons for the high number of unstocked ponds are lack of water and the need for repairs. To a large extent this problem could be pre-emptied if farmers were instructed in preventive pond maintenance.
Almost one third of the fish farmers are constructing additional ponds and the majority intend to do so in the future. As potential farmers will also construct ponds, the total number of ponds under construction in the province per year at the time of the survey would seem to be of the order of 100.
As farmers and their families make a major effort to construct new ponds, it is important that the sites are the best ones and that the construction itself is done with appropriate materials and procedures. Thus, the extension service should actively identify those who construct ponds and advise them irrespective of whether they seek out the extension agent or not.
There are two main groups of action. Essentially the same as identified for the North-Western Province and discussed in ALCOM document GCP/INT/436/SWE.5. They concern adaptation of technology by the Department of Fisheries and the organization and focus of extension services.
It is recommended that one or more of the Department of Fisheries fish farms be employed to test the relevance of the observed management procedure of intermittent harvesting. The testing should focus on the yearly results obtained with different combinations of feed/fertilizer applications and the different frequencies and scope of intermittent harvesting. The experiments naturally should be designed to reflect as closely as possible conditions prevailing in relevant areas of Zambia. These experiments should be combined with experiments employing different intermittent harvesting practices: e.g. hook & line; cast nets; and traps.
Further, rather than concentrate governmental research and development resources on promoting and developing the introduction of exotic land animals and fish, more emphasis should be placed on development of locally adapted forms of indigenous feeds and fertilizers.
The survey clearly reveals that culture of fish in ponds is complementary to agriculture. Those who promote it in rural areas, must be knowledgeable not only about fish farming but also about agriculture.
There are different ways of ensuring that fish scouts and other department staff of acquire this knowledge: (i) provide technical training; (ii) make fish scouts team up with agricultural extension officers, particularly when attempting to encourage farmers to construct ponds; (iii) only recruit as fish scouts individuals who already have agricultural training.
The survey indicates that extension services should give priority to assisting farmers to keep ponds in good order, and to familiarizing with farmers who do not have ponds with the rewards and efforts which fish farming involves. Fish scouts need to be assisted so that they have the capabilities and resources to do this. They should have better means of transport, have access to tools and equipment necessary to assist farmers with pond maintenance, and be taught how to organize demonstrations and informal training activities.
In order to support the growth and development of subsistence fish farming in Zambia, ALCOM should adopt the following strategy:
In order to establish to what extent general rules can be established with respect to optimum pond size and harvesting strategies, investigations should focus on:
What is the average need for household labour to construct ponds of varying sizes?
To what extent will the use of household labour for pond construction interfere with other on-farm activities?
What is the normal availability of inputs (feed and fertilizers e.g) in the average household undertaking fish farming? The reply should be quantified. For example: manure from 2 goats and 3 chickens plus 4 kg of vegetative matter per day. These standards should be used as norms for productivity experiments;
What will be the yield (kg tilapia/pond/production period) with the above standard availability of feed and fertilizers in ponds of different sizes (100 m2, 200 m2, 300 m2, 400 m2, 500 m2, 600 m2, 700 m2);
What effect will different combinations of intermittent harvesting and major harvests have on yields in the above experiments?
Investigate to what extent labour and fertilizer (feed) shortages are rational (from the farmer's viewpoint) limits to fish culture activity. Support technology developments aimed at overcoming these constraints where they are found. Such technology development will involve: suitable harvesting technologies and methods for collection and preparation of fertilizer (compost).
Methods for the production and transfer of fingerlings.
In many remote areas, fingerlings are in short supply. This hinders development of fish farming. Methods and means to lessen the dependence on outside supplies of fingerlings should be investigated. Recommended areas of investigation are:
Obtaining broodstock through harvesting method, and methods to be employed by the farmer for producing fingerlings at his farm;
Methods for the transport and transfer of fish in rural areas. The transfer of fingerlings between fish farmers' ponds occurs only rarely. The use of bicycles, wheelbarrows, different types of jars and even very simple aeration methods should be stated and standard equipment and procedures developed;
The extent to which farmers are prepared to pay for fingerlings.
Follow-up on fish development in the Chibote area.
