1.0 Introduction
The Mission visited Zambia from 16 to 19 May. The Mission held working sessions in Lusaka with the FAOR, the Assistant Director of Extension/MOAFF; in Chilanga with Director of Fisheries/MOAFF; in Chipata with the Provincial Agriculture Officer, the Provincial Fish Culturalist, Aquaculturist, the Assistant Secretary for the Eastern Province, District Agricultural, Information, Animal Husbandry, Farm Management Officers, Extensionist of Chipata south zone, model fish farmers, various women's groups: Kaphinde Camp, Nkhonkhomala, Kaulasisi, and ALCOM staff.
ALCOM started its activities in Zambia in 1987. It had its main office in Lusaka until 1990. Afterwards it moved to Harare. ALCOM has executed 5 subprojects in Zambia:
The Mission reviewed the fish farming activities in the Eastern Province related to the subprojects FAR/EPZ, SWB/ZAM and EXT/ZAM. Only the latter is currently operating and is the subject of this Annex.
ALCOM began developing its extension methodology in the Eastern Province of Zambia seven years ago. Zambia has benefitted approximately 26 man years of technical assistance, especially in the Luapula and the Eastern Provinces. Based on ALCOM's achievements on extension methodology, during the first phase in Eastern and Luapula Provinces, this subproject was to assist the Department of Fisheries of the MOAFF to extend these extension packages to other districts and provinces. Hence, this subproject is a logical and necessary prolongation of the former FAR/EPZ. The subproject FAR/EPZ has been executed during the period 1987–1993 in the Eastern Province.
2.0 Accordingly, the subproject is currently executed by the Provincial branch of the Department of Fisheries in collaboration with the agricultural extension service. The Mission corroborated the fact that fish culture continues its diffusion among farmers. Indeed, in the several districts visited discussions were held with private farmers and women's groups on fish culture problems. In this connection, ALCOM's activities in Eastern Province appear to have become sustainable. More than 900 ponds are actually in production and are operated by approximately 600 farmers. Though drought appears as constraint to further development, this apparently has not decreased farmer's incentives. It seems that fish farming offers a risk aversion strategy which in turn secures the subsistence of the family unit. It is particularly noticeable that those farmers that have taken up fish farming already display diversified cropping patterns in their farms.
3.0 Objective.
The overall objective is fish farming extension services provided through organizations serving rural farmers. The immediate objectives are:
3.1 Extension packages prepared for rural fish farming.
3.2 Department of Fisheries field staff trained a aquaculture trainers and extensionists.
3.3 Fish farming incorporated into the Department of Agriculture T & V extension system.
3.4 Department of Fisheries fish farming support units established.
3.5 Tilapia fingerlings produced and distributed in the project area.
3.6 Fish farming information service and extension monitoring system designed and implemented.
4. Outputs
Output 1: Extension packages for rural fish farmers.
Activity 1.1: Elaborate small-scale aquaculture extension packages based on proven aquaculture technologies in Zambia and conditions in the project area, including results from trials on intermittent harvesting.
Output 2: Aquaculture trainers and extensionists.
Activity 2.1: Organize a study tour to Eastern Province for DoF Fisheries Assistants from the project area, to give them exposure to and training for their dual role as extensionist/trainer and technical adviser to DoA field workers.
Activity 2.2: Hold follow-up annual local courses on extension and fish farming for DoF staff.
Output 3: Fish farming extension through DoA T&V extension system.
Activity 3.1: Carry out short aquaculture awareness seminars for agriculture and rural development leaders in Provinces and Districts of the project area.
Activity 3.2: With DoA agreement, assign DoF staff to act as aquaculture subject Matter Specialists for the T&V extension system at Provincial and District levels.
Activity 3.3: Train DoA and other field extension workers on aquaculture during regular in-service training.
Activity 3.4: Incorporate fish farming messages into the regular DoA T&V visits to Village Extension Groups and fortnightly meetings of DoA extensionists.
Output 4: Department of Fisheries fish farming support units.
Activity 4.1: Establish aquaculture extension support units at DoF offices in the project area, supplied with pamphlets, slideshows, flip charts, motorcycle, etc.
Activity 4.2: Provide information, assistance and training to specialized fish farmers identified through the DoA T&V extension system.
Output 5: Fingerling production and distribution.
Activity 5.1: Provide broodstock and produce fingerlings at Government fish farms in the project area in the short-term, using proven indigenous tilapia species.
Activity 5.2: Identify the farmers/organizations for fingerling production and establish pilot non-government fingerling production units. at least one in each District of the project area.
Activity 5.3: Train selected farmers on fisherling production and distribution.
Activity 5.4: Establish a system which communicates fingerling needs from farmers to fingerling production units and arranges distribution of fingerling through DoF, DoA and private channels.
Output 6: Fish farming information service and extension monitoring system.
Activity 6.1: Design and implement a fish farming/extension reporting and monitoring system for work planning/monitoring at Provincial level (DoF and DoA) and for reporting to DoF headquarters.
Activity 6.2: Train DoF staff to use the reporting and monitoring system (as part of Activity 2.2 above).
Activity 6.3: Design and produce on a regular basis a DoF inhouse staff aquaculture newsletter.
Activity 6.4: Design and produce on a regular basis “Zambia Fish Farmer” for farmers.
5.0 Target group
The direct recipients will be staff of the Department of Fisheries and Department of Agriculture and farmers who are directly involved with project activities. Indirect beneficiaries will be farmers who receive fish farming information through the T&V extension system and/or direct advice from DoF field staff.
The sub-project will take place initially in Mkushi and Sernje Districts of Central Province, and Chipata and Lundazi Districts Eastern Province. It will eventually include Kawambwa and Mansa Districts of Luapula Province, starting with the 1993–94 growing season. The main project staff will be based at Department of Fisheries Headquarters, Chilanga.
8.0 Review of Target Group
It is defined in the sub-project document that the direct target group are the extensionists of the Department of Fisheries and the MOAFF. Provinces and districts in which the ALCOM action will take place are clearly defined. Activities will be monitored from Chilanga.
9.0 Review of Outputs
The bulk of activities carried out were on schedule and executed with obvious enthusiasm. A good number of training sessions and study tours were carried out in cooperation with other national, international and NGO's. In fact, nearly 12 000 farmers were reached through an SCAFE in matters concerning watersheds management including agro-forestry, soil conservation and fish culture. At the end of 1993, from the database assembled in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries staff, ALCOM listed 604 active farmers in Eastern Province, 233 in Luapula and 53 in Central province -- in the later province, ALCOM just started working.
Working sessions were organized with participants of training courses and it became apparent that the message was adequately delivered and received. ALCOM distributed in the target area several thousands of extension pamphlets on the “know-how” of fish farming in the vernacular and English. It has also designed and produced locally a newsletter on a quarterly basis: “Zambia Fish Farmer”. In brief, the extension work has been performed successfully among private farmers and women's groups.
Women's groups appear particularly successful because of their enterprising spirit and investment sense. One group, for example, who owned a group pond sold the whole harvest of one season; and in turn, lend the total amount at a relatively high monthly interest rate. It was explained that with that capital they expect to purchase wing machines to make dresses and knitting equipment as well. These products, of course, have immediate demand in the villages. Furthermore, each woman has her own fish pond at home to feed her family. Other women's groups reported that, since ALCOM's presence, they are now consuming fish three times a week, in the form of soups with vegetable or fried with oil and vegetables.
10.0 Management
Almost all of the activities are presently carried out by the national staff of the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Agriculture of MOAFF. Although the extension service display adequate training, good morale and commitment to their work, the actual integration of fish farming with cropping patterns needs the finishing adjustments. For example, at the institutional level fish culture is part of the Department of Fisheries, whereas the Department of Agriculture has built up its extension service through ZAREP, World Bank financed project. At the farm level, it appeared as if farmers organized their time for fish farming in terms of their cropping calendar.
ALCOM's presence is currently limited to one APO with regular supervision from ALCOM Harare. This APO has carried out a competent work. ALCOM is fully operational, the extension activities has taken roots within the national structures. Coordination among the departments and other project concerning training, together with data management and information are satisfactory.
11.0 Budget
The subproject is scheduled to last 30 months with a budget of 195.000 US$. of this amount, 50% are allocated to personnel; the salaries of the APO's are not included.
12.0 Sustainability
ALCOM's results in Zambia are impressive. The subproject document was well written, with clear objectives, targets, activities and expected outputs, and, the most important, was executed on schedule and within the structure of national and provincial organizations. The conditions required for sustainability are present.
13.0 Subproject SWB/ZAM
Because of time limitations, the Mission did not visit reservoirs in Zambia. According to the subproject document the activities lasted two years from 1992 to 1994, through the first phase began in 1989. No activities have been planned since 1993. Most of the activities to estimate productivity took place between December 1989 and March 1992. Unfortunately the final report with the conclusions and recommendations for the future is not yet ready. However, one finding was prominent: from the 15 reservoirs examined all were overfished but the cost to improve the productivity would outweigh the benefits. Two scientific publications resulted in 1992 preliminary observations.
14.0 Prevailing Issues
Although the causes for the success of fish farming have not been analyzed as yet, the economic incentive is bound to play an important role. Specifically, from the inspection of a model farmer (used for extension purposes), it was clear that crop diversification was of central importance. During the past season he harvested, cash (cotton, tobacco) and food crops (maize, sweet potato), fruits (mango, bananas, oranges, lemon) and vegetables. Since the effort required to dig a pond required several week/man during the slack season, and the ponds are filled either from rainwater or springwells, and feeding (manure or compost) is already available at the farm, so fish farming is another option to diversify to hedge risk. If these assertions are verified empirically, successful fish farming could be considered a by-product of crop diversification either to hedge risk and/or to increase revenues.
It is absolutely essential to analyze in depth this successful case. Without prejudice to the potential contributions of APO, this should be carried by a consultant with extended experience in farm management or farm investment analysis in close collaboration with the on-going extension team. The role of the of the consultant should be focused to the design of the study, since it will be necessary at some point to do specific in depth analysis using the collective memory of certain farmers to reconstruct an scenario of the prevailing conditions without ALCOM's actions for comparative purpose.
The above results should allow provincial and national authorities to reach uniform standards of extension messages not only to avoid confusion but also to improve results.
As it has been already done, the Eastern Province should continue being the training centre of fish farming for the region. Besides the fact that the know-how of fish farming has been adapted successfully, the Province being droughtprone and with on-going efforts in soil conservation together with agro-forestry, can be a show-case of how community mobilization and institution leadership can overcome natural resource constraints.
The current fish farming integration with the cropping calendar, it appears more fortuitous and really more under the farmer's initiative at the farm level. This does not detract from the fact that ALCOM subproject is coordinating effectively with the national provincial institutions. What it maybe useful is, based on the results of the analysis outlined above, to design prototypes of integrated farm system which include not only the fish farming/cropping patterns but also the agro-forestry/soil conservation efforts needed to maintain sustainable water resources. Though this is a complex undertaking, given the present level of agricultural performance, it appears within the capabilities of farmers and national/provincial organization to do so, provided that of resources are available.
