The meeting was convened at Swazi Inn Hotel, Mbabane, Swaziland, on February 19, 1991. A list of participants and observers is attached as Appendix 1.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Mr. Tau Mokhohlane, Chief Fish Production Officer, Fisheries Section, Ministry of Agriculture, Lesotho, called the meeting to order and welcomed the participants.
Dr. Heimo Mikkola, FAO Representative of Mozambique and Swaziland, welcomed the participants. He highlighted the catalytic role of ALCOM in laying the foundation of data and results from pilot activities to be used by participating countries in exploiting the aquaculture potential. He recalled the uncertainties about funding which characterized the deliberations of the last meeting of the Committee. While thanking Sweden for its decision to support the Programme he stated that the Committee could now focus on constructive discussions on implementation. He thanked the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland for its generous hosting of the meeting and the Kingdom of Lesotho for its able chairmanship during the inter-sessional period.
Dr. Manuel Martinez-Espinosa, Fishery Resources Officer, FAO, Rome, welcomed the participants on behalf of Dr. Edouard Saouma, Director General of FAO, and Dr. Armin Lindquist, Assistant Director General, Fisheries Department of FAO. He commended the Committee for having assumed more responsibilities and transforming itself into a Steering Committee. He recalled the evolution of the FAO strategy for aquaculture development. The “Kyoto strategy” adopted in 1975 had focused on the operation of regional centres for training, research, and information. Lessons were learnt from the implementation of the strategy, and ALCOM was the first expression of an improved approach based on participation, integration and sustainability. The regional and inter-regional FAO programmes were a tool for solving problems faced by several countries, avoiding duplication of efforts, and for sharing of information among participating countries.
In the development of aquaculture it was important to realize that pond culture of fish has a site-specific value in terms of increased food or cash. It was, however, unrealistic to expect pond culture to significantly contribute to the alleviation of malnutrition on a national level. The utilization of small water bodies, on the other hand, could contribute more to the national level production of fish.
The preparatory phase of ALCOM had revealed technical and non-technical constraints hampering the development of the sector. These factors would be considered during the implementation phase.
Mr. N.M. Nkambule, Under-Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, welcomed the participants on behalf of the host country. He drew the meeting's attention to the plight of the rural poor and the high frequency of malnutrition in the region. The meeting would have attained its objective if the decisions had a positive effect on the life of the rural people. With increasing prices of meat, fish provides an important alternative for animal protein. The development of the aquaculture sector would make fish available for a larger portion of the population. The role of ALCOM was to assist the member countries in exploiting the potential of aquaculture. This task was challenging and arduous, aggravated by the limited resources available for the Programme. While recalling the significant achievements of ALCOM he was optimistic that the Programme will attain its ultimate objectives. He thanked the Government of Sweden for its support to the Programme, wished the participants a memorable stay in Swaziland, and declared the 4th Steering Committee Meeting officially opened. Mr. Nkambule's speech is attached as Appendix 2.
The delegate from Tanzania proposed and the delegate from Botswana seconded the election of Swaziland as Chairperson of the Steering Committee for the meeting and the following inter-sessional period.
In handing over the chair to Mr. M. Ngwenya, Chief Project Co-ordinator, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the outgoing Chairperson, Mr. T. Mokhohlane, wished the new Chairperson good luck. He emphasised the role of the Committee to be steering within the frame of the Plan of Operation and advisory in other related matters.
Mr. Ngwenya took the chair and thanked the other delegates for the honour given to Swaziland. He expressed his satisfaction that Angola was represented in the Committee for the first time.
Following the proposal by Zambia, seconded by Lesotho, the Agenda was adopted with the following amendments under agenda item 10. Other Matters:
The adopted Agenda is attached as Appendix 3.
The Programme Manager presented the progress report (Appendix 4) drawing the meeting's attention to the structure of the programme with three main orientations: methodology development, development support and dissemination of information. The uncertainties of funding had resulted in serious delays during the year. On the level of the Programme, the recruitment of expert staff had been deferred while ongoing pilot projects and activities had been satisfactorily implemented.
There were two ongoing projects under the target area Aquaculture and Farming Systems, one in Zambia and one in Swaziland. The organization of the projects with involvement of several agents in the Zambia case and the implementation by the multi-disciplinary project team in Swaziland gave valuable experiences. The time frame for these projects was three to four years.
Utilization of Small Water Bodies was addressed in three pilot projects, in Zambia, Botswana and Lesotho. Information and data were generated from socio-economic surveys, fishing surveys and monitoring of fishing effort and yield, and standardized test fishing. These were being used in discussions with communities and authorities for improved management strategies to fully tap the potential. Test fishing had generally revealed larger fish stocks and more species than expected. The time frame also for these projects was three to four years.
Under Extension and Training Methods, the first pilot project in Eastern Province of Zambia had achieved its objectives. It would be taken over completely by the Department of Fisheries during 1991. The project had generated a method and approach now being used also in other areas of Zambia. The pilot extension training project in Mozambique had attained its objectives with 9 medium level technicians attending two one-month courses during 1990. The first course addressed aquaculture extension and the second was addressed to trainers. The final report of the pilot project will be printed in Portuguese and English.
In spite of their importance the Committee during its 3rd meeting was not able to give due priority to the target areas Environmental Aspects of Aquaculture and Information Needs for National Planning and Project Design, due to lack of resources. Therefore there was no progress to report.
A workshop on Enhanced Women's Participation in Fisheries Development was organised jointly by ALCOM and the Fishery Policy and Planning Division of FAO during 1990. It reviewed strategies and approaches and recommended future steps to ensure an active consideration of gender issues in projects and other development interventions.
Nutrition activities were initiated with financial support from the project The Role of Fisheries in Alleviation of Undernutrition (GCP/INT/467/NOR), a global project funded by Norway. Marketing and consumption studies were carried out in Zambia and study frames for further surveys elaborated.
Under the target area Development Support assistance had been given to Tanzania, Mozambique, and Botswana in reviewing and formulating aquaculture projects.
One issue of the newsletter, ALCOM News, had been distributed and the earlier backlog in reporting had partly been overcome during the year.
The Committee noted the progress made during the year in spite of funding uncertainties. It was clarified that the Programme had started the year with a limited work plan endorsed by the Committee during its third meeting. The Programme, following consultations with parties involved, reverted during the year to the original work plan endorsed by the Committee when funding was secured.
Concern was expressed about the resources allocated to surveys and studies when initiating and implementing pilot projects. It was noted that the fish farmer surveys had provided valuable information. Increased emphasis was now given to focused surveys for specific issues related to project design and monitoring of impact. It was also noted that the diverse socio-economic conditions both within and among countries in the region required site-specific information.
The delegate of Malawi, noting the work on the utilization of small water bodies, requested the Programme to disseminate information on methods used and initial results for application also in other countries. ALCOM's Senior Aquaculturist briefly presented the methods.
The Committee noted with satisfaction the simple procedures for initiating programme activities. Activities within the frame of the Plan of Operation were started based on agreements in writing between the relevant Government counterpart authorities and ALCOM. In most activities a brief pilot project document was prepared and agreed upon as a basis for implementation. However, in other cases, no such document was prepared until the pilot project was fully designed. The Programme was requested to prepare detailed documents in all cases and at a very early stage of pilot projects' preparations. It was stressed that such comprehensive documents should contain all aspects of the project including both human and financial resources and the timing of the project activities. These documents should allow for the flexibility required in the Programme and be formalized in order to facilitate clearances and other procedures in the member countries.
The FAO delegate summarised actions taken by Headquarters to follow up the recommendations of the Committee's third meeting in 1989. These were
the implementation phase of ALCOM had been declared operational, anticipating that funding would be forthcoming.
FAO had contacted SIDA and other donors for funding of the whole or parts of the Programme as per the Plan of Operation. Sweden had responded positively and allocated funds for two of the five years (October 1990 – October 1995). There had been positive indications of interest from other donors to participate in the funding of the Programme. FAO Headquarters would report on any progress.
the participation of national expertise had increased. The programme had recruited a National Expert in Zambia. A national team for the pilot project in Swaziland had been appointed. Training courses in Mozambique had been implemented by national institutions. In Zambia national staff had taken over the implementation of the extension pilot project in Eastern Province. It was noted that the response to the recommendation to provide ALCOM with a list of institutions and individuals in the participating countries had been limited.
The workshop on Enhanced Women's Participation in Fisheries Development, held 4–7 December 1990 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, was organised by ALCOM in collaboration with the Fishery Policy and Planning Division of FAO and the FAO Core Group on Women in Fisheries. It was attended by 27 participants; staff and counterparts of FAO projects, resource persons and FAO headquarters staff. The objectives were to exchange experiences of approaches to integration of gender issues in project activities and to recommend strategies, methods and approaches to further enhance the integration of women. FAO headquarters had prepared a synthesis of position papers provided by seven projects. There were also eleven case studies by projects. The workshop concluded that women should not be addressed separately but be fully integrated in project activities. It recommended that regional programmes should assist with information gathering and dissemination on gender issues, further elaboration of strategies through interaction with Government authorities and other projects, and with an effective distribution of the forthcoming report.
The Committee recognised the importance of the workshop which had originated from a request by COFI (Committee on Fisheries). It urged the Programme to disseminate and discuss the report in the region, support national and SADCC initiatives and assist FAO in implementing the recommendations. In the implementation of the target area ALCOM should continue to be responsive to gender issues for the recognition and enhancement of the gender roles. It was further recommended that ALCOM should support training in gender analysis.
The Project Document, as formally approved, was introduced by the Programme Manager. It was identical to the Plan of Operation for the 5 year programme in its scope, approach and activities. However, the budget was modified to reflect funds allocated by the donor.
The Committee sought clarification on the concept of Development Support. It had been a part of the section presenting the Programme approach in the Plan of Operation for the preparatory phase. Following the deliberations during earlier Committee meetings Development Support was reflected also under activities. A post of Senior Planning Officer was established for the implementation phase.
The representative of the National Swedish Board of Fisheries stressed the importance of linkages between regional and national projects. The focus of the regional programmes should be methodology development, training, and development support which should be instrumental in generating national projects.
The Committee decided that the Programme should aim at supporting activities in all member countries. This was considered essential in spite of the present low level of funding.
The considerable contributions from Governments were not adequately reflected in the Project Document. The Committee decided that the contributions should be identified in detail in the pilot project documents and a catalogue of the projects be presented to the next meeting.
The Committee urged the Programme to intensify its collaboration with other projects and institutions in the region. ICLARM's Africa Project provided opportunities for strengthening research and training aspects.
The Committee noted that the University of Kuopio in Finland provided fellowships for MSc studies with financial support from FINNIDA, and that the preparatory phase of the SADCC training project was ongoing. When implemented, this project would provide a comprehensive range of training opportunities in fisheries and aquaculture in the region. However SADCC advised that training by other projects should go ahead as planned. The Committee recommended that ALCOM's links with the University of Kuopio should be strengthened.
The Committee recommended wider participation of regional expertise in the programme and that FAO in recruiting staff for posts in ALCOM, should facilitate applications and consider candidates from the region. It was highly desirable that the post of Senior Planning officer should be filled with an incumbent from the SADCC region.
The Committee recommended that FAO should initiate action to secure funding from Sweden for the remainder of the implementation phase starting October 1992. It also recommended that contacts were continued with other donors to obtain full coverage for ALCOM.
A document outlining channels for follow-up of results for pilot projects was presented. It identified four channels; adoption by the target groups, implementation through non-governmental organizations, within national development plans and through externally funded national projects. To be effective it was necessary to identify potential channels early in a pilot project and involve all agents of these in discussions and sharing of information.
It was noted that ALCOM's role in generating follow-up projects or other national projects was to assist Governments and donors upon request. The assistance could range from project identification through the stage of implementation. However, the actual assistance would be decided in each individual case by Governments, donors and eventual implementing agency. It was also noted that the choice of donor or donors to be approached was the responsibility of the Governments.
The Committee noted the importance of Development Support. It recommended that Governments in the region should identify and actively promote an effective follow-up of pilot projects.
It was proposed that ALCOM activities on Environmental Aspects of Aquaculture should be elaborated within the conceptual framework of water resources management. This was based upon the recognition of increasing problems with water scarcity, competition among water users and concern about water quality.
Following a discussion addressing water scarcity and quality and other environmental issues such as spreading of waterborne human diseases, the Committee decided that the approach should be within the framework of water resources management and that ALCOM should prepare a document to this end describing the concept and related activities. The Committee urged liaison with ICLARM, Manila, and UNEP in elaborating on the concept.
The Programme Manager presented the Work Plan for 1991. The main emphasis was on projects dealing with farming systems, small water bodies and extension/training. However, activities should also be initiated related to gender issues and environmental aspects. These would be integrated with other pilot projects to the extent possible. A document describing the methods used in fish farmer surveys, as well as the results and guidelines for future applications, would be prepared. Development Support activities would be initiated by contacts with individual countries to assess the need for support. Information activities would focus on the newsletter, technical reports and the library. Activities related to Aquaculture and Human Nutrition would, as per earlier decision by the Committee, be initiated only after extra funding was secured.
The FAO Delegate stated that the headquarters had closely monitored the programme due to its new approach for rural aquaculture development. These types of projects are simple from the technical point of view but difficult to implement. The main reason is the fact that rural aquaculture is part of the more complex issue of rural development which includes many important non-technical factors. ALCOM which originally focused on methodological aspects, has been receptive to the demands of the countries for more immediate results in terms of the sector development, and has extended it activities in this direction. FAO fully supports the orientation of the programme and is satisfied with the progress made in spite of delays due to funding uncertainties.
The Committee endorsed the Work Plan for 1991 as presented in Appendix 4.
The Committee decided that a technical session should be included in the programme for future Steering Committee Meetings. The topic for the session would be decided in consultation with the Chairperson. The Committee further asked that the Agenda of future Steering Committee Meetings should include the review of recommendations from the previous meeting and actions taken.
The Committee decided to establish the position of Vice Chairperson. Based on the desire to provide continuity, the Committee agreed that the outgoing Chairperson would be appointed Vice Chairman. It was therefore decided that Lesotho should be the Vice Chairperson for the intersessional period.
The representative of ICLARM made a concise and comprehensive presentation of the Programme being carried out in Africa since 1987. He highlighted the results of the programme in aquaculture and farming systems research and development. This had revealed the specific features of fish farming in Africa and provided guidance for their research activities presently concentrated in Malawi. GTZ (the German Agency for Technical cooperation) was financing the ICLARM Africa project through 1994 and there was ample space for collaboration with other countries, with FAO and ALCOM. The Committee asked that ways and means be explored for scientists of the region to be able to benefit from ICLARM's experience through visits to Malawi. The Committee agreed that representatives of the Committee should visit ICLARM Africa Project in Malawi during 1991 and report to the next meeting on their findings (see also Appendix 5).
The Committee proposed Malawi as host for the next meeting. The Programme Manager was asked to formally contact the Government of Malawi with a request for approval. Botswana was proposed as an alternative venue.
Following the proposal by the delegate from Lesotho seconded by the delegates from Malawi and Swaziland, the Committee adopted the report.
The delegate from FAO, on behalf of the Organization, thanked the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland for the excellent facilities made available for the Committee Meeting. The stay in Swaziland had been memorable and the good atmosphere had contributed to the positive outcome of the meeting. He also thanked the Chairperson for his excellent leadership which had allowed the Committee to conclude its deliberations on time and with clear statements, decisions and recommendations on each agenda item. The other delegates and observers were commended for the active participation and frank and open discussions and the secretariat for the timely preparation of the report. He also thanked the Government of Sweden for its generous support to the Programme and looked forward to the next Steering Committee Meeting.
On behalf of the other delegates, the delegate from Tanzania, recalled the last meeting's discussions on the termination of ALCOM. He was therefore grateful for the decision by Sweden to continue funding the Programme. While thanking Sweden he expressed the hope that Sweden would also agree to adequately fund the remainder of the five-year programme. He thanked the secretariat for the well prepared documents for the meeting and the long hours spent in preparing the report. He stated the important role of ALCOM and its work to contribute to national development objectives and stressed the importance of follow-up for real impact. The Committee gained considerably from the participation of observers, such as ICLARM, and hoped that they would continue to participate in future meetings. He thanked the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland for the facilities made available and the Chairperson for the excellent way the meeting had been conducted.
The delegate from Swaziland thanked Sweden for its continued funding of the Programme. He was now confident that ALCOM would continue and achieve its objectives. He thanked FAO for the execution of the Programme, and commended its efficient orientation and monitoring of the activities. The recommendations from the last meeting had promptly been implemented. He thanked ICLARM for its active cooperation and expressed his hope that the recommended visit would be carried out in time for the next meeting. He thanked the delegates for their patience and active contributions to the outcome of the meeting. He hoped they had had a memorable stay in Swaziland and urged them to spend more time exploring the country. While wishing all a safe journey back he declared the 4th Steering Committee Meeting closed.
