In Eastern Province there were 11 active fish farmers in 1987. There were also 213 small reservoirs where fishing was practised. ALCOM first visited a sample of 4 fish farmers and 7 reservoirs in Eastern Province and surveyed different sites suitable for fish farming. Of these initial investigations three areas were chosen for further study and pilot activities: Yokoniya, Rukuzye and Magwero. They are all situated in Chipata District of Eastern Province and are within a reasonable distance of Chipata, a fact that facilitated monitoring.
The areas differ in many aspects (social, cultural, agricultural), as described below. A detailed profile of the target areas is given in Appendix 2.
Yokoniya, consisting of 2 villages and scattered dwellings, is situated in the Lupande game management area along the Chipata-Jumbe road, 50 km from Chipata. The Save The Children Federation (SCF), operated a community development programme in the area. There was US$15 000 available through the SCF for fish farming projects. Therefore the SCF asked the Ward Development Committees to propose sites and participants who would like to include fish farming in their activities. Three sites were proposed, but only the site in Yokoniya appeared suitable.
SCF obtained technical assistance from the Department of Fisheries (DoF) in Chipata to design the fish farm. ALCOM was asked to comment on this plan, and after revision the project activities were initiated in Yokoniya in July 1987 with technical support from ALCOM.
Rukuzye area is situated 50 km from Chipata on the Chipata-Lundazi road. It is a group of six villages near two small reservoirs. In 1967 using one reservoir, constructed in 1960, the people of the villages started growing vegetables on an irrigation scheme below the dam. In 1976 the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) started a fish farming project with Rukuzye Primary School. Two fish ponds were constructed through the irrigation scheme but were later abandoned.
The communities in Rukuzye were first contacted in September 1987. This area was chosen as a pilot project for two reasons. First, to find out why the IRDP project was abandoned. Second, the 213 small reservoirs in Eastern Province constitute the main perennial source of water available for fish farming. It would be interesting to look at the two dams situated in Rukuzye area from the standpoint of how communities would propose to use them in order to increase fish production in the area.
Magwero is a village 22 km from Chipata situated close to the Malawian border. This area, especially around the Magwero Primary School, was chosen as a pilot project site because it has a good physical potential for fish farming using natural water sources. The school already had five fish ponds, and the Department of Fisheries had a long standing involvement with these school ponds. This area, which comprises five villages, was first visited in July 1987. The actual contacts with the pilot communities were made in October 1987.
The 100 000 - odd farmers of Eastern Province consist of commercial farmers (4%) cultivating an average of 25 ha, “emerging” farmers (10%) each cultivating some 5 ha, and subsistence rural farmers (86%) each cultivating about 1 ha (PPU and PAO, 1984).
The fact that a farmer cultivates more land does not necessarily mean that he is better-off than the smaller farmer (Appendix 2). With regard to the nutritional status, studies have shown that many families which grow cash crops are worse off than subsistence farmers (Appendix 1).
Good (1986) concluded that the absolute level of income was so low that 85% of the people in the rural areas can be considered as poor or very poor.
