CIFA Occasional Paper No. 22 CIFA/OP22

A report prepared for the
Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service
of the FAO Fisheries Department

In the context of the Strategy for International Fisheries Research, the follow-up to the Study on International Fisheries Research (SIFR, 1989-91), FAO launched in 1992 a Regional Study on Aquaculture Development and Research in sub-Saharan Africa, in collaboration with the Economic Commission for Africa and the European Commission.

The resulting synthesis on the information presented in 12 national reviews on development and research needs provided the basis for proposing an Indicative Action Plan for Aquaculture Research in sub-Saharan Africa (CIFA Technical Papers 23 and 23 Suppl., 1994). This Action Plan was presented to and discussed with the countries involved in the Second Session of the Working Party on Aquaculture of the Committee for Inland Fisheries of Africa (CIFA - Harare, Zimbabwe, 13-17 September 1993). It was endorsed during the Ninth Session of CIFA (Harare, Zimbabwe, 5-9 December 1994)

The Action Plan comprised eight regional research programmes, addressing themes which could alleviate identified development constraints. In addition, it proposed an Information Programme which should support the identified research programmes. Multidisciplinary information collection, storage and dissemination through networking was considered essential for future development of aquaculture in Africa and thus became a top priority programme of the Action Plan.

In 1996, as no positive response from donors had been elicited to start implementing the proposed Action Plan, the Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service of the FAO Fisheries Department decided to go ahead using its own financial resources coupled with the Partnership Programme Scheme. A formulation mission was fielded in October 1996 to visit several countries in sub-Saharan Africa to study the existing possibilities for the initial establishment of a multidisciplinary Information Network for Aquatic Farming Systems.

Authors Coche, A.G.; Collins, J.

Supporting aquaculture development in Africa: Aquatic Farming Systems Information Network.

CIFA Occasional Paper. No. 22. Accra, FAO. 1997, 72p.

ABSTRACT

This is the report of a mission fielded in October 1996 to visit successively existing libraries in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Nigeria, previously identified as potential contributors to an information network on aquatic farming system.

Available resources (infrastructure, trained staff, equipment, collections and networking activities) were identified and evaluated. Interest and willingness to participate in the network were ascertained.

Main findings were the following:

There is a continuing loss of institutional memory.
Differences between individual libraries are substantial.
Libraries in Eastern and Southern Africa have significantly better resources.
Even if relatively disadvantaged from resources point of view, francophone Western and Sahelian African libraries undertake several important information and documentation activities.
The barrier separating francophone and anglophone sub-regions results not only from linguistic problems, but also from the distribution pattern of information resources.
The lack of access to the results and findings of research between the different African sub-regions and between the anglophone and francophone countries is a major obstacle to development.
Major constraints on access to information in sub-Saharan Africa include: relatively recent development of aquaculture and aquatic farming systems in the region, lack of information flow between institutions, publication of research results mostly as grey literature and absence of collection/dissemination of these results by readily available information systems.

In conclusion, the mission recommended:

To establish a regional network between institutions with programmes and information resources relevant to aquatic farming systems.
To ensure that the approach to information be as multidisciplinary as necessary to address the production system as a whole.
To build this network of existing, geographically separated but closely linked, anglophone and francophone information centres.
To have the network initially composed of the libraries at two coordinating centres, one in each linguistic sub-region (Côte d’Ivoire, IDESSA and Malawi, Bunda College of Agriculture) and eight satellite centres. Main objectives and guiding principles for operation of this network are defined.
To provide technical and financial assistance to initially strengthen the francophone coordination centre and to initiate regional networking activities, as outlined in a project proposal.

CIFA Occasional Paper No. 22 CIFA/OP22

SUPPORT AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA:

AQUATIC FARMING SYSTEMS INFORMATION NETWORK

Preparation of this document

ABSTRACT

CONTENTS