In 1986 ALCOM studied the factors believed to be crucial for the success or failure of rural fish farming. The ALCOM investigators approached this question from the perspectives of (i) aquaculture technology, (ii) economics (iii) sociology and (iv) biology. The work was in the form of desk studies and resulted in a long list of factors believed to be important for the success or failure of rural fish farming.
ALCOM later continued this line of investigation. In cooperation with the Department of Fisheries of the Government of Zambia it surveyed farmers engaged in raising fish in ponds. The surveys had two main purposes: (i) to shorten the list of factors believed to determine farmers' success or failure in rural fish farming, and, (ii) to provide the Department of Fisheries with an up-to-date view of the status of rural fish farming in the concerned provinces.
In the course of 10 months, starting in November 1987, surveys were carried out in the Northern, North-Western and Luapula provinces. A total of 338 farmers were interviewed. 217 of them were practising fish farmers. Two man-years of professional (academic) staff time was spent in the field, in analysis and in report writing. A summary of the survey programme and its execution is provided in Annex 1.
A report has been prepared on each survey3, one about the design of questionnaires4 and one evaluating the survey methodology used in the pilot survey5. Each of these reports starts with a summary. For ease of reference the summaries are reproduced in Annex 2 of this report.
The surveys demonstrate clearly that the farmers engage in fish farming in order to improve their income, either in kind (by eating cultured tilapia) or in cash (by sales). To the extent that they manage, they contribute to economic growth. Thus, government and farmers have the same objective: to achieve economic growth. To what extent does it happen? This report examines that question and then provides some guidelines for what fisheries departments should do in order to ensure that their actions in support of rural fish farming are geared towards this objective. The main findings from the surveys are summarized below.
