This section describes in detail the process of RRA carried out at Mwenje and referred to under Section 3.
A participatory approach was used at Mwenje dam to assess the community's interest in and commitment to community-based management. ALCOM selected Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) as the most appropriate approach to obtain an understanding of the widely varying social and physical context of small water bodies. RRA is a method that achieves a compromise between the planning requirements of development institutions and the participation of the target group. The sustainability of interventions by outsiders is better assured when the people who benefit from the interventions are involved in data gathering and analysis. RRA was used to investigate
the people's attitude and knowledge of the fishery resources,
the level of fishing technology, past and present fishing pressure, and yields on the reservoir,
the household food security situation of local communities around the reservoir in order to assess the demand for fish in the area,
the past, present and future uses of the reservoir; plus past and present management of the dam and
the people's preparedness to manage the fish resources.
The participatory approach enabled the outsiders (ALCOM) to gather information about the community with the community. The data - gathering exercise involved a multi-disciplinary and multi-level team for a period of one week. Different RRA techniques were used to enable the villagers to communicate with the outsiders. During the week - long field work, ALCOM covered two different wards, each containing six villages. The data were analyzed by outsiders in the field, and corrections were made by the community at a community meeting after the field work.
The data gathering and analysis exercise concluded that
fish from the reservoir play an important role in the diet of the community,
there was intensive fishing pressure on Mwenje Dam, which was depressing yields,
the use of inappropriate fishing gear was rampant, resulting in catches of undersized fish, with adverse effects on the recruitment pattern into the gillnet fishery,
the current management of the reservoir's fishery resources did not adequately ensure proper conservation of the resource, and
any mechanism to manage the dam should involve members of the community around the dam.
The outsiders (ALCOM) acted as advisers for community action planning. ALCOM provided a forum through which the community's members could air their views and determine future actions. The following activities were recommended by the community, with ALCOM as facilitator:
carry out test fishing in the reservoir to determine the state of the fish stocks,
carry out test fishing with traditional fishing methods to determine fishing pressure and yields from the dam, and
assist the community in the process of establishing a legal community-based institution to manage the reservoir.
During these activities, assistance was given to the community through the District Council. Decisions at the community level were reached by consensus. ALCOM assisted in the exchange of ideas and creation of awareness about the fishery resource. Technical results of fishery assessment were discussed with the community. Resolutions were forwarded to the District Council for approval, ratification or advice. Many of the resolutions reached were incorporated into the Dam Committee constitution and its fishing by-laws.
