A pilot socio-economic survey of aquaculture in Ruvuma region was conducted between 27 August and 20 September 1992 in four districts in the region. The survey was conducted by means of pre-coded questionnaires and informal interviews with open ended questions. Based on the list of ponds and pond owners made by the Regional Fishery Office in 1990/91, 30% of the fish farming units (FFUs) were sampled. A total of 779 FFUs were interviewed out of which 643 were active.
The survey revealed the following:
The total number of FFUs in Ruvuma region is estimated at 2,500, of which 2,040 are actively operating their ponds. The number of FFUs has decreased in Tunduru and Mbinga.
The total number of actively operating ponds was estimated at about 3,000. The proportion of non-operating ponds was the highest in Tunduru, about 30 %.
The majority (85%) of FFUs are managed by household members. Out of 643 active FFUs, only 12 are owned by women.
The mean size of pond is 280 m2. The mean size is smaller in Mbinga (129m2) than in other districts. The largest mean size is in Songea Urban (452 m2)
Sources of water ponds: mostly spring-fed, stream and underground water.
The major species stocked in the region is O. niloticus. Over 70% of FFUs obtain fingerlings from neighbours. Few FFUs keep fingerlings for restocking.
Difficulty in obtaining quality fingerlings often resulted in cessation of activities. It also increased the occurrence of theft, one of the major reasons given for abandoning ponds.
80% of the ponds are drainable. 45% of the ponds are fertilized and 92% are provided with feeds. 62% of ponds are harvested intermittently. Batch harvests are practised in 52% of ponds.
Neighbouring farmers are a major source of information about fish farming. Farmer-to-farmer information diffusion is particularly common in Songea urban (93%) and Songea rural (78%) districts.
Most ponds are constructed on land which belongs to owners' households or on land obtained free from relatives or village leaders. In some cases where arable land has become scarce, land is bought from owners through barter.
Ponds are commonly constructed by mobilizing household labour. Occasionally, hired labour is used. Collaborative labour, common in agricultural work, was rarely used to construct ponds.
The dominant type of fertilizer used is manure from domestic animals. Farm by-products such as maize bran, rice bran, cassava leaves and vegetable leaves are used to feed fish. This material becomes scarce during the rainy season. Frequency of feeding is about 2–3 times a week.
Intermittent harvests are conducted once or twice a month or less. The first intermittent harvest takes place between five and six months after stocking.
The timing of the batch harvest varies from less than 6 months to over two years. The most commonly applied method is partial drainage of water. Mean production from the last batch harvest is estimated at 23 kg per pond: 14 kg of big fish and 9 kg of small fish. About 65 % of the product from the batch harvest is sold.
The mean pond side price of big fish was Tsh. 351 (US$1.1) per kg. It was the highest in Songea urban (Tsh. 559) and the lowest in Mbinga (Tsh. 133).
Total annual production was estimated at 35 kg per pond and 1.3 t per hectare.
The pattern of fish consumption from ponds is similar to that of meat and eggs. Dagaa (dried fresh water sardine) is the most important source of animal protein in the area and also for fish farming households.
Fish farming was ranked as the third important source of income by most FFUs. Although the estimated gross revenue from fish farming (Tsh. 15,300) is much smaller than that from agricultural produce, fish farming provides secured sources of cash income from which households meet occasional expenses.
Net income from one pond of average size was estimated at Tsh. 4,600. Income from fish farming is used to buy domestic essentials rather than to re-invest in fish farming. Less than 40% of the interviewed FFUs sold fingerlings.
In general, FFUs hold as much agricultural land as others, or more than others. Number of livestock per household is generally low and none of the FFUs interviewed own cows.
Women pond owners in the region were few. Current fish farming extension does not pay particular attention to reaching women. Consequently, women are more poorly informed about fish farming than men. In general, women are too busy with farming and household chores to take up additional work. Women in coffee-growing and tobacco-farming households in particular are too hard-pressed to attend to fish ponds. It was also noted that women practising different farming systems are busy at different times.
Project proposals
At a final seminar held on 6 October 1992, participants from the Fisheries Department discussed draft proposals for follow-up projects in the wake of the survey. These proposals are reproduced as annexures to the report.
