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FAO FOCUS: PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMMES |
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Academics/ Research |
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Interview with Pepe Aguilar Manjarrez, aquaculture expert
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Why did you decide to come to FAO?
While I was doing my doctorate at the Institute of Aquaculture of the University of Stirling in Scotland, I got in touch with FAO's Jim Kapetsky (Senior Fishery Resources Officer, Fishery Resources and Environment Division), who is really the leader in applications of Geographical Information Systems. We met at a conference and I liked what he was doing and he was interested in what I was doing as well. I wanted to interact with more people in this field because I was on my own at Stirling.
What were you doing in Stirling?
I went to Scotland to do a Master's degree in aquaculture after I had done my B.Sc. in Oceanography in Mexico. After a year, I decided to do a dissertation using geographical information systems, which I applied to aquaculture. I also did a study on this for a southern state in Mexico, Tabasco State. I thought the systems could be important tools in acquaculture management and planning. The planning aspect and the GIS aspect for aquaculture hadn't really been explored and I thought this was an area worth looking at. So that is what I did, and then I liked it so much I stayed on and did a Ph.D.
Can you tell me what a GIS is, and what it is used for?
A GIS is a unified system that can integrate all sorts of data. It can link statistical information with maps and digital information, for example. With the use of a computer, all of the collected data is put together in one package and then analysed. In my case, I was interested in the environmental and socio-economic aspects of aquaculture - anything relevant to coastal aquaculture developments, especially shrimp farming. So, basically, I looked at whether the water was suitable, whether there was mangrove, whether there was vegetation. The system has a high potential as a planning and management tool.
What are you doing at FAO?
While at FAO I've been updating a study on fish farming potential for Africa, incorporating more data and at a higher resolution. But the novelty is that Jim Kapetsky has used bioenergetic models in a GIS study for Latin America to predict how fish would grow there. I'm reassessing his models for Latin America, which were applied for the first time in GIS, and will apply them for the first time in Africa. Once I've finished the continental study, I plan to concentrate on Kenya.
What use will the studies be put to once they are completed?
One of the main objectives of evaluation at the continental level is to stimulate countries to carry it further. We want to show countries that if they have the data, this is a worthwhile planning method. Using Kenya, I hope to demonstrate how a continental analysis can be applied at the national level to achieve an even more detailed evaluation. In narrowing down the selection of suitable areas, the aim is to promote the development of aquaculture, by reducing the risks involved. The final reports will be widely distributed and their publication noted in newsletters aimed at the private sector as well as on Globefish, the FAO Fish Marketing Information Service.
Has it been what you expected coming to work for FAO?
I knew what I was coming for. It's been very exciting, and I've been very happy with the work because I'm actually getting my hands on everything. So it's been a fantastic learning experience and in that sense it's been very worthwhile. I am hoping that the product I provide at the end of September will be used and will be kept active. I'm hoping that it won't be stored away like other studies that have been made.
I'm assuming there is an interest in the work I'm doing. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. For Africa, fish-farming development has good potential, not only as a source of protein, but also as a source of cash. It has been proven, especially in Rwanda, that fish can definitely provide cash. I know that aquaculture and fisheries are top priorities at FAO. A lot of money needs to be allocated to the development of these types of studies, but I think it's worth it. The potential is there and the data is just sitting there ready to be used.
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