Rapport de voyage du Zimbabwe lors de l'atelier sur l'amélioration de la participation de la femme au développement de la pêche
(Victoria Falls, 4–7 Décembre, 1990)

par

L.MAHY

DOSSIERS:

DP 9/10
MINAGRI
RR/PNUD
FAOR
Rijavec, FIO
West, RAFR
Everett, DIPA
Greboval, IFID
Chrono
Diary: Mahy

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Objectifs

Cet atelier de travail était organise par la FAO sous le titre de ALCOM, Aquaculture for Local Community Development Programme (GCP/INT/436/SWE). Il avait pour but d'étudier les possibilités d'élargir la participation des femmes dans la pêche et de formuler des stratégies et des recommandations dans ce cadre.

Une trentaine de participants se sont réunis pendant 4 jours pour présenter des études de cas particuliers, discuter et formuler des stratégies et des recommandations.

1.2 Itinéraire

1.3 Personnes rencontrées

Une liste des participants se trouve en ANNEXE 1.

2 COMPTE-RENDU

L'atelier a commencé le 4 décembre après l'inauguration de M. Samuel Chimbuya (Ecologiste Principal, Gouvernement du Zimbabwe), suivi par une présentation et une discussion du document de synthèse de la FAO sur les femmes et le développement de la pêche et l'aquaculture, présenté par le consultant Sevaly Sen.

Le point suivant de l'ordre du jour était la présentation des études de cas. La Nutritionniste, qui a représenté le Projet de Développement de la Pêche au Lac Kivu, a fait la présentation de son article préparé pour l'atelier (voir ANNEXE 2). Ensuite, le 5 décembre, 4 groupes de travail ont été formés pour établir un plan d'un projet de pêche (ou d'aquaculture) qui devait inclure un aspect féminin (2 groupes d'aquaculture, 2 groupes de pêche). Les groupes cibles, les besoins, les contraintes et les informations supplémentaires nécessaires devaient être identifiés, les opportunités pour le projet et les stratégies devaient être formulés. La présentation des rapports des 4 groupes a eu lieu le 6 décembre, suivie par une discussion. Enfin, le dernier jour les conclusions et recommandations ont été présentés, discutés, modifiés et adoptés par tous les participants, ensuite M. Samuel Chimbuya a procédé à la clôture de l'atelier.

3 CONCLUSIONS

La conclusion générale de l'atelier est que les points lies à la condition féminine doivent être intégrés dans le processus générale de développement et ne peuvent être considérés isolement. Sans la participation de la base, les projets ont peu de chances de réussir: l'identification des besoins, la sélection des groupes-cibles, les activités des projets et l'évaluation ont toujours été faits par des étrangers. De plus, la sélection des groupes-cibles et l'identification de leurs besoins a toujours été trop large, ils ne reflètent pas souvent les besoins des femmes.

La contribution des femmes au développement peut être plus grande que leurs profits. Des activités qui changent les relations sociales entre hommes et femmes dans une communauté peuvent aboutir à un conflit et aggraver la situation entre les membres de cette communauté. Les hommes doivent être engagés dans les activités de développement communale (p.ex. vulgarisation de santé et de nutrition).

L'importance d'avoir des données socio-économiques de base a été soulignée par les participants. Ces informations sont aussi importantes pour servir comme mécanisme de feed-back, pour les gouvernements, les institutions, les bâilleurs de fonds et la FAO.

Concernant la formation des groupements, les opinions des participants étaient divisées. Les groupements sont souvent utilisés comme stratégie pour engager les femmes dans le processus de développement. L'expérience a montré que ces groupements ont souvent été des échecs. Les conditions pour former un groupe sont:

• les besoins, critères et avantages doivent être identifiés et exprimés par la population même;
• la vitesse de développement et les buts doivent être déterminés par le groupe;
• la structure et le mode d'opération du groupe doit être décidé par le groupe même;

• le groupe n'est pas un point final, c'est un instrument pour arriver aux buts.

Si l'existence d'un groupement est vraiment voulue par les membres, ça peut conduire au succès.

Dans les communautés de pêche, la disponibilité et l'accès au crédit est un obstacle majeur pour le développement des activités de pêche.

Les qualités de communication du personnel de vulgarisation sont plus importantes que leur appartenance à l'un ou l'autre sexe. Il n'est pas évident d'engager des femmes pour travailler avec des femmes (il faut évidemment tenir compte de la “neutralité sexuelle” du groupe-cible).

Le projet doit être flexible en s'adaptant aux changements des conditions socio-économiques.

Au niveau de la FAO, les bâilleurs de fonds et des gouvernements, les aspects lies à la condition féminine doivent être incorporés, non seulement dans le planning des projets, mais aussi dans leur phase d'exécution, d'évaluation et de suivi.

Un document final contenant les résultats de cet atelier est en cours de préparation, il sera distribué.

ANNEXE 1: Liste des participants

	FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
	AQUACULTURE FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME GCP/INT/436/SWE

Workshop on Enhanced Women's Participation in Fisheries Development
4–7 December, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

ANNEXE 2: Article pour ALCOM

1 INTRODUCTION

The Fisheries Development Project on Lake Kivu is actually in its third an final phase. It started modestly in 1979 following what proved to be a successful introduction of a clupeid Isambaza (Limnothrissa miodon) from Lake Tanganyika to Lake Kivu in 1959. Its main objectives were and still are a rational exploitation of Lake Kivu fisheries resources in order to increase the protein supply and to create employment and revenue opportunities.

Due to rather unique circumstances i.e. no previous fishing tradition, virtually monospecific fishery an no local tradition to consume the fish, the project staff was and to some degree is still called on to intervene in virtually all areas of fisheries development. Fisheries biology, technology (fishing and post-harvest) and marketing were the main areas of intervention.

Considering the fact that the project had to develop a market for an préviously unknown fish spécies, a considérable effort was necessary in order to establish the market. Consequently, the project mounted an intensive promotional programme, particularly over the last 4 years. It developed a number of recipes, demonstrated how to prepare different dishes, naturally highlighting the high nutritional value of our Isambaza. Working with primary and secondary schools, nutritional centres, health centres, local restaurants and hotels and obviously with market women, the project slowly but surely established a steady clientele.

Local personnel are continuously being trained in all areas of fisheries development. The project provided credit and is establishing the basis for fisheries administration and management.

2 RWANDA AND LAKE KIVU

Rwanda is a mountainous, landlocked country located in east-central Africa, with an area of 26388 km² (FIGURE 1). The population of Rwanda was estimated at 5.538.058 in 1986, with a total annual growth rate of 3,4%. Rwanda is one of the most densely populated areas in Africa, with an average density of population of 283 per km². The population is relatively homogeneous, with the Hutu population comprising about 88%, the Tutsi 11% and Twa 1%. The general settlement pattern is one of dispersion in extended family groups throughout the country with no concentration in large villages or towns. The economy of Rwanda is almost exclusively based on agriculture; nearly 91% of the economically active population derives its livelihood from the production of foodcrops or from industrial activities involving their processing.

Lake Kivu is located at 1°34' latitude South and between 28° 50' and 29° 23' longitude East and at an altitude of 1463m. It is situated on western position of Rwanda and eastern of Zaïre forming a natural border of about 100 km between these countries. Its total surface is 2370 km² of which 42% belongs to Rwanda. There are some 150 islands in the lake with total surface of 315 km², the largest being Ijwi island. The lake is deep with average depth of 240m and maximum of 490m.

FIGURE 1: Rwanda

3 SOME ASPECTS OF RWANDESE CULTURE

Rwanda has a homogenous culture: Tutsi, Hutu and Twa all speak the same language (Kinyarwanda); values and attitudes are alike (e.g. kinship and neighbourhood ties, the honouring of parents, the aspiration to have many children etc…). Being part of a society is very important (one is a member of a family, living on a certain hill). There is an explicit sentiment of solidarity among family members based on mutual assistance and communal organization of public works and social functions.

The Rwandese nucleus family consists of the husband and his wife (or wives since the practice of polygamy exists, although lately diminishing) and their unmarried children. It may also include unmarried brothers or sisters and the old.

Inheritance is patrilinear. After the marriage, the wife lives with her husband and their children belong to the man's family. The husband must pay a dowry to the family of the bride in order to legitimate the marriage. As long as this is not paid, the woman can take her children back to her own family.

The social position of women is inferior to that of man. Women have little or no influence on decisions e.g. concerning agriculture (although it is she who works the most on the land). Women cannot inherit land from their husband nor from their own family. When a husband dies, the widow may continue to use the land, but her late husband's family can refuse this at any time. The law provides that, in principle, man and woman must be faithful to each other. But an adulteress can be sentenced to 12 months in prison, whereas an adulterer has a maximum sentence of 6 months in prison! Divorce often settled to the prejudice of the wife.

4 EDUCATION

The national literacy rate is 23% (male: 35%; female: 13%). School enrolment ratios are 61% for the primary age group (5 to 14) and 2% for the secondary age group (15 to 19). At the third level (20 to 24) the enrolment ratio falls to 0,07%. Girls constitute 47% in the first level, 33% in the second level and only 9% in the third level.

5 WOMEN AS A WORKFORCE

In Africa an estimated 80% of agricultural labour is done by women, mainly as unpaid family labour. They produce approximately 60% of the food that is consumed by rural households and they generate a third or more of all household income, mainly through small scale agro-industry, trading, craft work and casual labour.

In Rwanda, the farm labour within the family is divided along sex lines, with banana cultivation, cashcrop production and animal husbandry being done by the men and food crop production being done by women. TABLE 1 shows the division of labour, based on a case study in the Byumba prefecture.

TABLE 1: Division of labour

6 CASE STUDY: ECONOMICAL STUDY OF WOMEN MARKETING ISAMBAZA IN GISENYI (RWANDA) AND GOMA (ZAIRE)

This study was executed by the economist of the project (FARHANI, 1990). Main objectives of this study were:

• technical analysis of the small-scale fishtrade
• determination of the rentability of marketing Isambaza
• comparison between Rwandese and Zairese tradeswomen in the bordering villages of Gisenyi and Goma.

Each morning women from the neighbourhood come to the project to buy Isambaza, which they sell on local markets not further than 10 km away. For the present study 10 women have been chosen (5 from Gisenyi, 5 from Goma) out of 76 (who constitute the regular clientele of the project). The choice of the women was based on the following criteria:

• clients of the project for at least 4 years
• selling exclusively Isambaza on the market.

The observations hereafter, have been made, during a 2 months follow-up of these 10 clients, who were questioned daily by the economist. In order to facilitate the comparing of figures, one currency has been used (Rwandese francs (FRW); 80 FRW = 1 US$).

The supply of Isambaza

Isambaza is bought per kilo for a fixed price (70 FRW/kg for a quantity of 10 kg or more, 80 FRW/kg if less than 10 kg) and paid cash. Sometimes Isambaza is bought by these women on exterior markets for a relatively low price (25 to 50 FRW/kg): these Isambaza are very small and are caught with very fine nets.

The transport

The fish is transported in a bucket or on a laminated wooden plate, which the women carry on their heads. The distance from the project to the Gisenyi and Goma market is 2 and 5 km respectively.

The packing

The only packing used is brown paper on which the fish is displayed.

The sale of Isambaza on the market

Isambaza is exposed in little heaps. The women of the same market determine the price of Isambaza every morning and they all sell them at that price. Following the law of supply and demand, the price changes from day to day. FIGURE 2 shows the variability of the price for the market of Gisenyi. TABLE 2 presents the average prices observed on the markets of Gisenyi and Goma.

TABLE 2: Retail price of Isambaza in Gisenyi and Goma

The average daily amount bought by the women is 17,1 kg of which 16,2% is sold “Wholesale” and 83,8% is sold by retail. The fish which is not sold the same day is smoked (the case of Goma) or dried (the case of Gisenyi) for better conservation.

6
Average price of fresh Isambaza
October 1989

FIGURE 2: Variability of the retail price of Isambaza for the Gisenyi market

Results

The following table presents the actual data, as noted by FARHANI, 1990.

TABLE 3: Average costs and profits per working day for tradeswomen in Gisenyi and Goma (in FRW)

The gains for Isambaza tradeswomen are considerable, since the general agricultural minimum wage is 100 FRW a day. Calculating the profit on the sale of Isambaza per kg, the author found 10,96 FRW/kg for Gisenyi and 11,27 FRW/kg for Goma. The above data are based on the answers of the tradeswomen. But since it is assumed that the answers are not fully reflecting reality, FARHANI made a theoretical estimation of the rentability of marketing Isambaza, under the same conditions of sold fish, number of working days, average charges etc…, but based on the number of fish per kg (117,8 Isambaza in 1 kg). Then the theoretical average profit per working day is 298,58 FRW for Gisenyi women and 452,49 FRW for Zairese women.

In reality, the benefits of the tradeswomen will vary between these extremes (Gisenyi: 183,55 – 298,58 FRW; Goma: 185,48 – 452,49 FRW).

Conclusions

The activity of small-scale trading of Isambaza is profitable, although limited by its fluctuations in availability of the product. Zairese tradeswomen seem to have a slightly higher profit, due to less costs (taxes, packing paper), the longer existing tradition of fish marketing and the larger consuming market.

7 REFERENCE

FARHANI, B., Etude économique des marchés de Gisenyi et de Goma. Gisenyi, projet RWA/87/012, 16p. RWA/87/012/DOC/TR/22.