1. Justification.
Food production in remote rural areas is a nutritional necessity in Lesotho. Introducing and harvesting fish in small reservoirs represents such a possibility. It seems likely that such an activity would provide fish at an acceptable low use of public and private resources; it would be an economically as well as socially viable activity.
A number of small reservoirs exist in Lesotho. More are likely to be built, as prevention of soil erosion is a high priority in the agricultural sector. Management and exploitation of a reservoir fishery is within the reach of the abilities of the rural population, and there is an interest for fish culture as demonstrated by the fish farming associations.
Fisheries professionals in Lesotho are interested to determine whether the exploitation of small reservoirs, which have been created for other purposes, is a more viable activity than the construction and management of ponds specifically for fish farming.
In view of the above, this project will develop a procedure for introducing reservoir fisheries development and management in rural communities. Attention will be paid to maintaining the involvement of women in all aspects of planning, implementation, management, and marketing. Given the present activities and inclinations of rural communities with regard to fish, and the importance attached to economically viable activities by the Ministry of Agriculture, it seems likely that the results of a project of this nature will be put to good use.
2. Pilot Project Objectives.
The main objective will be to document the technical and social aspects of fishery exploitation of small reservoirs.
For the different types of reservoirs the technical information should include data on:
The technical information should be accompanied by conclusions on social aspects. In particular, this should include how best to make the village communities able to manage the issues arising from reservoir fisheries, which center on preparation, stocking, management, harvesting, sale and allocation of benefits from sale. Good management here means that the benefits should be primarily for those living in the rural communities. In addition, women should be given access to technical information through extension services.
3. Pilot Project Activities.
The following is the proposed sequence of activities needed to establish reservoir fisheries:
Given the lack of experience with reservoir fisheries in Lesotho, it would seem prudent not to try to directly introduce the activity into rural communities until such time that the technical aspects of the activity are understood. Therefore, the pilot project activities will be divided into two phases: preparatory and pilot exploitation.
3.1 Preparatory Phase.
The two main activities in the preparatory phase are:
Before monitoring is to proceed, the locations where it can be done need to be determined, as well as the exact content, frequency and responsibility for reporting.
Identification of reservoirs has two components: the technical, logistical one (good example of a particular type of water body; ease of access; no exploitation to date), and the social (is there a village organization which is both interested and capable to become the manager of the fishery). It is important to include a community study as well as general socioeconomic information on the area where the reservoir is located. The community study should preferably be made with participatory methods and also be based on interviews with locally knowledgable persons (such as those who carried out the recent census). Relationships between the possible fishery association and any existing fish farming association should be considered.
3.2 Pilot Exploitation Phase.
The pilot exploitation phase builds naturally on the conclusions drawn from the preparatory phase. These conclusions should be formulated as a set of guidelines for stocking and management of the fishery. A number of reservoirs suitable for pilot exploitation should have been identified.
The pilot exploitation phase would end with the final documentation of the experience gained. This would provide the basis for support of requests for national (or international) funding of the follow-up to the pilot projects. To facilitate a comprehensive documentation of the experience, the impact of the exploitation phase on the community will be monitored in a holistic fashion, through participatory visits, interviews, and the use of statistics concerning the area, as developed by other agencies.
4. Resources.
The most important input in the pilot project is manpower; during the second phase equipment and a vehicle become essential.
At the outset of the preparatory phase one of the MOA Fishery Assistants should be identified and made the Ministry man responsible for the reservoir fishery programme. He should receive instructions locally in both the technical and social aspects of the work. When he proceeds to identify suitable reservoirs, he should be assisted, initially, by Programme staff.
Thus, from the Programme's side, the input during phase one will consist of staff time on the spot (probably two visits of one month each), plus written suggestions for monitoring procedure and some funds for minor equipment (e.g. nets).
For the pilot exploitation phase the Programme should provide a four-wheel drive vehicle plus a larger set of gill nets and a zodiac-type boat. During the initial period of this phase the Programme will provide technical staff.
The Government will provide fish, ducks and extension staff through their normal activities and budget.
5. Organization.
The pilot project will be managed and executed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Marketing, through its Fishery Section. All contacts between the Programme and others involved in the project will go through the FAO Representative to the Ministry in a timely manner.
At the pilot project level all actions undertaken by the staff of the pilot project should have the approval of any Association formed to manage the reservoir fishery. A conscious effort will be made to not only make the Association capable of taking the right decisions, but also to enable and motiviate it to undertake the work involved.
6. Evaluation and Reporting.
Pilot project activities will be continuously documented. This documentation, complemented with interviews and participatory observations, will form the basis of evaluation reports. Such evaluations are essential in order to establish:
The preparatory phase will be concluded with an evaluation report. During the pilot exploitation phase, MOA will report briefly, on each reservoir where pilot activities are carried out, every four months.
7. Observations on Two Potential Pilot Project Communities.
7.1. Ramapepe Fish Farming Association.
This association was reformed in 1986 with 36 women and 4 men, although only one women is on the committee. Membership is by household and every household has to provide one man-day per week at the fish ponds. Yearly membership is M 2.00 and M 0.50 for registration. Because the committee members are all new they are still learning about their duties.
This community consists of three human areas in constituency no. 10, containing 12 villages surrounding Thaba Patsoa reservoir. The 1986 census showed a total population of about 2,600 persons, including temporary emigrants. There are about 250 men and 50 women working outside Lesotho, and another 131 men and 135 women working in other parts of Lesotho. Ramapepe village has recently changed its name to Sentelina after the installation of a new Chief. It has 450 households spread out over a wide area of the valley. There are 260 men and 357 women living in this village. Of these, 71 men and 16 women are working outside Lesotho, and 33 men and 41 women are working elsewhere in Lesotho. Thaba Patsoa village is small, with 68 persons (25 men, 43 women). Eight men and one women are working outside Lesotho, and 6 men and one woman are working elsewhere in Lesotho. More detailed information is available from the census files and could also be obtained by those who did the census, the local chiefs, and the agricultural extension workers. It appears that nearly every household may have one man absent from the village, and every third household may have one women absent.
7.2 Thaba Patsoa Fish Farming Association.
This association was started in 1980 and has a stable and experienced membership. It started with 25 members and now counts 32 women and 4 men. The committee is made up entirely of women. Membership is on an individual basis and every member has to work at least one day a week, send a substitute, or pay M 1.00. The membership fee is M 5.00 per year.
The biggest problem for this association is the lack of manpower in the village. The women complained of overwork during the construction and maintenance of the ponds, which required manual transport of stones. They also lack feed for their fish, ducks, pigs, and rabbits; they have been asking the Fisheries Section for help in solving this problem. Also the water pump for filling the upper ponds is old and not working. The women are reluctant to enter the water for fear of contracting infections and painful joints from the cold; they would prefer to have protective clothing such as rubber boots or waders. When working on the ponds they have to leave their children at home due to the danger of the younger ones falling into the water.
The women met had paid their membership fees, worked hard on the ponds, yet were frustrated because they lacked fish to feed their children. The association must pay a watchman M 40.00 per month to prevent theft of fish; the low fence was not effective in preventing theft. However, the women still did not want to abandon fish farming for other activities such as handicraft or poultry; they thought it was better to have a wide range of activities. Fish farming was also cheaper to start than poultry, which they like to eat more than fish but cannot afford.
It is important that those involved in producing some commodity have something to say about the collection and disposition of the result. Therefore these women should be trained in harvesting and marketing techniques. Other studies have shown that when women harvest fish, they distribute the fish to the whole household. When young boys fish, it is not so certain that other members of the household will benefit. In the traditional family, the father and after him the older sons receive food first.
