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Book (series)Regional training on post-harvest loss assessment methodology. Dar es Salaam and Mwanza, Tanzania
GCP/RAF/466/EC SmartFish Project
2013Also available in:
No results found.High post-harvest fish loss is one of the major challenges to small-scale fisheries, especially in Africa where malnutrition and food insecurity are rampant. Reductions in these losses have been hampered by a lack of data and compounded by existing complexities in small-scale fisheries, including the multiplicity of species, fishing gear and methods, as well as the number of landing sites. Despite the numerous challenges, efforts have been made to develop methodologies to assess losses. Today, i t is widely acknowledged that three loss assessment methods (IFLAM, LT and QLAM) can be used to collect adequate data and information on post- harvest fish losses for rational practical interventions. The efficiency and effectiveness of these three methods could be further improved with the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) such as mobile phone technology. It was with this in mind that the FAO/SmartFish programme, in collaboration with the Fisheries Education and Training Agency in Tanzania, planned, organized and implemented a regional training workshop on post-harvest fish loss assessment methodology, which was held from 28 January to 2 February 2013 in the United Republic of Tanzania. The main objective of the training workshop was to disseminate technology-based post- harvest fish loss assessment methodology among key small-scale fisheries practitioners in the region. This activity is part of FAO/SmartFish initiatives to support beneficiary countries to reduce post- harvest losses and consequently improve the regional supply of fish and fish products. This competency-based training workshop had two principle learning outcomes: participants are able to carry out post-harvest fish loss assessments in small-scale fisheries; are able to record and send data to the database through the use of a mobile phone. To facilitate greater practical demonstrations, the majority of the training took place in the field, at fish landing sites and markets. Twenty-two particip ants from nine different countries took part in the workshop: Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, North Sudan, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Madagascar and Tanzania. Resource persons were from FAO, SmartFish and FETA. -
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Book (series)Present and future markets for fish and fish products from small-scale fisheries - Case studies from Asia, Africa and Latin America. (Available online only) 2008
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No results found.At the twenty-sixth session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, FAO was requested to identify how trade in fish and fish products could further benefit small-scale fisheries and generate additional income and employment within the sector. Following this request, case studies were carried out in selected Latin American, African and Asian countries to study the importance of small-scale fisheries trade and identify opportunities for better integration into regional and international fish trade. The findings and recommendations of the case studies were presented and discussed at the tenth session of the FAO Sub-Committee on Fish Trade, held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from 30 May to 2 June 2006. In the countries studied, the contribution of the small-scale fisheries sector to the total marine catch was significant and ranged from 70 to 95 percent. The studies show that products from small-scale fisheries are largely focused on the domestic market. In Africa regional trade in small-scale fisheries products was found to be very important for meeting the protein requirements of poor people. Women are actively involved in fish processing and marketing and also participate in capture fisheries in coastal areas and estuaries as well as in other forms of harvesting of aquatic organisms. Their involvement results in increased well-being of their households since womens income is largely spent on food and childrens education. Study findings suggest that women can gain from increasing trade opportunities through their involvement in value adding activities and enterprises. The studies identified several avenues for better integration of small-scale fisheries into regional and international fish trade. Among them are product diversification, value addition, improvement of product quality and the access to new markets. However, a number of constraints need to be overcome before this can be achieved. Post-harvest losses due to poor infrastructure and lack of sto rage and transportation facilities need to be reduced and knowledge of proper fish handling methods needs to be improved. While products for export are meeting high quality standards, products for domestic and regional markets are often processed using substandard hygienic methods. Small-scale fisheries are also excluded from international markets because of the costs and difficulties encountered when trying to comply with international standards and those imposed by supermarket chains and other customers. The studies suggest that efforts should be aimed at improving facilities for preserving fish onboard, at the establishment of hygienic fish landing sites, increasing storage facilities and the supply of ice as well as improving roads, which connect fishing communities to markets. Equally important are the improvement of technical support and extension services to enable fishing communities to access appropriate technologies and information and training on quality improvement, p roper fish handling procedures and storage, product diversification, value addition as well as on packaging. Fishing communities should also be assisted in assessing their fisheries and aquatic resources and identifying those that have potential for trade in the domestic, regional and international markets. Small-scale fishers and processors can get better prices for their products by shortening the fish supply chain and increasing their bargaining and lobbying power. In this regard, the fo rmation of marketing cooperatives should be encouraged and existing associations of small-scale fishers and processors should be strengthened by providing support for institution building. There is also a need to raise awareness among microfinance institutions regarding the needs of the small-scale fisheries sector for credit and savings services.
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