AQUACULTURE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: |
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Mario Pedini2 and Z. Shehadeh3 1 Based on
the first author's contribution to Fisheries and Aquaculture
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Production The recent development of the sub-sector, under a prevailing poor development environment in the region, has not been homogeneous and only a few countries have registered significant increases in production. Of the 37 countries for which 1994 production records are available, only 5 countries (Nigeria, Zambia, South Africa, Madagascar and Kenya) produced more than 1 000 mt, while another 13 countries reported production ranging from 100 to 1 000 mt (Figure 2). |
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In the period for which data have been collected, some countries made significant progress: Nigeria doubled its production; Zambia had a steady and much faster growth with a fifteen fold increase in production, due to the development of rural aquaculture based on tilapia-pond farming; South Africa increased production 13 fold, mainly through mariculture, although the rate of growth slowed down considerably after 1990; Madagascar showed a 17 fold increase in production, with very rapid development of carp culture in rural areas of the highlands and, recently, with the development of shrimp culture. These developments were catalyzed by two FAO-Government projects which mobilized the private sector. In Kenya, growth of aquaculture has been steady with a six fold increase based on carp, trout, tilapia and shrimps, and involving both rural and more commercial sectors. Main Species A recent development is the farming of Euchema, an important source of revenue for the coastal communities of Zanzibar. Another country involved in seaweed farming is Namibia, where Gracilaria is being grown. Seaweed production started to grow rapidly from 1989, stabilizing between 6,000 and 7,000 mt from 1990 to 1994. |
Production Value |
Development
issues The possibility to transfer appropriate aquaculture packages is greatly influenced by water availability in particular, as well as by climatic variations. In recent years, attempts have been made with the assistance of the international community to utilise the potential of small water bodies in sub-arid and arid areas (e.g. Burkina Faso and SADC countries). These initiatives hold good potential for the future in view of the water surface available in these areas, although further efforts are still required to consolidate the packages and to disseminate this approach. As water conservation schemes in rural areas become more common, aquaculture should expand as an associated practice. Aquaculture extension has tended to be specialised and not integrated with agricultural extension, hampering the capacity to disseminate aquaculture information. Public funds for extension services have been scarce due to the low economic importance of the sector. It is essential to upgrade the professional preparation of staff involved in aquaculture extension and its organization, as well as staff involved in running public fish farms and seed production centres. This is made difficult by the lack of adequate facilities/institutions for aquaculture training. Another important issue is the heavy reliance on external assistance for aquaculture development , even for aquaculture research projects. Project achievements have generally been short-lived and unsustainable for several reasons, including insufficient project duration, the very weak institutional context in which these projects are implemented, the changing priorities of donors and governments, and limited follow-up capabilities. |
be used mostly by farmers who understand credit schemes, capital is also necessary for building and operating aquaculture facilities as well as for establishing support services for aquaculture development. Extension services could facilitate access to credit by assisting farmers to prepare requests for loans, but should not be involved in loan recovery activities (collection of loan payments). Until recently, aquaculture development projects in Africa have seldom taken into account small entrepreneurs, who may undertake a more commercial form of aquaculture to supply urban or local markets. These entrepreneurs have often been ignored in externally assisted development projects which predominantly targeted the rural poor or subsistence farmers. However, the growing urban populations in Africa also need protein supplies and the private sector in peri-urban areas can be more easily mobilised to supply these markets through aquaculture (generally benefiting from more readily accessible inputs and attractive prices). Interestingly, in recent years, more progress in aquaculture has been made in those countries where entrepreneurs and progressive farmers have been systematically involved. An associated issue is the supporting infrastructures required for aquaculture development. Although public sector infrastructure exists for seed production and demonstration (a recent review made in 13 major aquaculture producing countries of the Region pointed out the existence of more than 200 stations), these are either very old or inadequate for seed production. Expansion of aquaculture is hampered by the distances involved in transporting seed to the scattered aquafarmers, and the lack of vehicles and funds to distribute seed. In at least two of the most successful countries, Madagascar in particular, the privatization of seed production has been a major breakthrough in expanding production. This implies a need to rethink past strategies regarding seed production and to redefine the role of governmental stations. Aquaculture is still a new concept in Africa and specialised institutional set-ups are still extremely weak. In this context, external assistance continues to be essential for further development, but it should be more carefully planned and designed with longer time frames in order to establish strong bases for sustained development. At the rural level, efforts should be pursued to obtain a better integration of aquaculture with the prevailing agricultural practices of small-scale farmers, with due emphasis on more participatory approaches. In general, there is also a definite need to better integrate financial, economic and social |
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considerations in designing and implementing projects and packages. Projects aimed at more commercial/investment oriented aquaculture, for seed production and supplying urban markets with food fish, should be implemented with supporting credit schemes. Prospects for increased production In order to increase fish production, governments in the Region are likely to emphasise the strengthening of capacities to manage capture fisheries on a |
sustainable basis, and the elaboration of more appropriate frameworks for the development of aquaculture. Achievement of sustainable increases in aquaculture production require that emphasis be given to: (a) integration of fish culture with agriculture: using family level technologies applied in schemes which contemplate water storage practices, including micro-irrigation and small ponds; encouraging aquaculture in irrigation networks and integrated rice-cum-fish culture, and in farming systems in general as appropriate, (b) encouraging investment-oriented aquaculture by progressive farmers in peri-urban areas, and (c) aquaculture-based stocking and stock enhancement in small and medium-size water bodies, focusing on reservoirs and eventually on medium size lakes and river floodplains, using local species, and including the development of cage culture. |