The Seventh Steering Committee Meeting of ALCOM was held at Alte Brucke Conference Hall in Swakopmund, Namibia, during 14 – 17 February 1994. Delegations were present from all participating countries: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe; and from Belgium, Sweden, and FAO Rome. The SADC Coordinating Units for Inland Fisheries (Malawi) and Marine Fisheries and Resources (Namibia), the Ministry of Agriculture of South Africa, ICLARM/GTZ Africa Aquaculture Project, FINNIDA, ICEIDA, and FAO/SIDA Farming Systems Programme participated as observers. The list of participants is attached as Appendix 1.
Dr B.W. Oelofsen, Chief, Marine Research, Namibia, welcomed Dr. R. Kankondi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Namibia, Dr. Malithano, FAO Representative a.i. in Namibia, the Representatives of Belgium and Sweden and Dr Y. Kato, Director of Operations, Fisheries Department, FAO Rome. He introduced delegates, observers and invited guests.
Ms Maria do Carmo Carrilho, the outgoing Chairperson of ALCOM's Steering Committee, thanked the Permanent Secretary and the FAO Representative for attending the opening ceremony and welcomed all guests. She thanked the Government of Namibia for the excellent facilities and warm hospitality extended to the meeting. She commended the progress of the programme towards development of aquaculture methods and techniques to benefit rural communities in the SADC region. She drew attention to the important task of this session and expressed the hope that present and potential donors would give due consideration for the provision of longer-term assistance to ALCOM.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Namibia, welcomed donors' representatives, the FAO Headquarters representative, his SADC collegues and all participants. He expressed gratitude to the donors for their assistance to the region. Namibia's appreciation of ALCOM is based on the evidence of results achieved in Zambia and Zimbabwe where the programme indeed contributed to improvement of living conditions and income generation among rural populations. He pointed out that his country has somewhat different connotations in as much as the fisheries sector is rich in marine resources which allow export of horse mackerel also to neighbouring countries. Namibia had no fresh water fisheries policy as yet, but this was being drafted and it was a Government priority to have it in place in the course of the current year. including sections relevant to aquaculture. He acknowledged the important role ALCOM could play in contributing to food security for rural populations in the region, and also in Namibia, by addressing mariculture development and management of flood plains along with introduction of required training.
Dr. D. Malithano, FAO Representative a.i. in Namibia, expressed his pleasure in welcoming all present on behalf of FAO. ALCOM had a significant role in view of the importance of fish as a source of protein in the diet, especially in rural areas, and the advantages of fish farming for improved utilization of on-farm resources and as a source of extra income. He thanked the donors for their generous support.
The Programme had been especially successful with developing effective extension methods at various levels, and FAO had provided funding through its Technical Cooperation Programme to catalyse wider use of such methods in Mozambique and Zambia.
He praised the work of the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM which reflected the needs and aspirations of the SADC countries and was confident these could be met in future development interventions also through continued assistance by ALCOM as well as through complementary actions being prepared by FAO within the framework of the Strategy for International Fisheries Research (SIFR).
Dr. Malithano was pleased to note the high level of participation at this year's Steering Committee meeting and wished all present a productive session and a pleasant stay in Namibia.
Dr Y. Kato, Director of Operations, welcomed the participants on behalf of Dr W. Krone, Assistant Director-General a.i., Department of Fisheries of FAO. He was happy to note ALCOM had become a reputed programme, and widened its scope with the complementary work on the utilisation of small water bodies. He expressed appreciation for the support provided by the Swedish and Belgian partners. The team spirit amongst member countries would certainly ensure ALCOM further successful evolution. The recent approval by FAO of complementary TCP assistance was evidence of the recognition extended to the positive results obtained by this programme.
He stressed the increased priority the new Director-General intends to give to food security, and the important role the development of fisheries and aquaculture play in this respect in the region. The scope of ALCOM contributed to the effective increase of food security among rural communities. He was confident ALCOM would continue to attract the attention of the donors' community to the benefit of all participating countries.
He expressed his deep appreciation for the warm welcome received in Namibia and apologized for not being in a position to attend the session through its end.
The delegate of Lesotho proposed the election of Namibia as Chairperson. The proposal was seconded by the delegate of Malawi. Ms Maria do Carmo Carrilho, the outgoing Chairperson, welcomed Dr Oelofsen to the chair and wished him a successful task. Dr Oelofsen thanked the delegates for the honour given to Namibia and counted on the assistance of all participants to contribute to the success of the meeting.
Mozambique was appointed Vice Chairperson in accordance with the Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee.
Malawi proposed, with secondment by Zambia, the adoption of the agenda as presented (Appendix 2).
ALCOM had been confronted with the necessity to slow down its work schedule during the last four months of 1993 as a result of a considerable reduction in its resource base due to the devaluation of the Swedish krona against the US dollar. The contraction in the total budget was equivalent to approximately US$ 890 000. To alleviate this situation, SIDA had readily agreed to shorten the duration of the current phase from September 1995 to December 1994 while maintaining the same total budget for this phase of the Programme; Belgium had recently communicated their agreement to finance the post of the Socio-Economist during 1994; and the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme had approved a contribution of US$ 315 000 for one year which, besides training activities, provided 14 man months of technical assistance. Pending the formalisation of the above measures, the assignment of Mr. Michael Doeff, Programme Manager-designate, had been suspended.
The level of funding available for 1994 was about US$ 1 300 000, broken down as follows: US$ 500 000, the core funding from Sweden, US$ 490 000 from the Belgian contribution, and US$ 315 000 from FAO TCP. The satisfactory completion of activities to attain the objectives of this programme phase still required careful management of finances to meet all requirements of the 1994 work plan.
The meeting was reassured on FAO's continued efforts in the identification of additional potential donors.
ALCOM's Programme Manager a.i. reported on actions taken for the implementation of the nine recommendations of the Sixth Steering Committee Meeting.
The Programme had been able to increase support to governmental, non-governmental and private institutions to implement activities under each Action Programme with a view to ensuring their sustainability. To complement this support a considerable increase was noted in the training and use of regional expertise during the year. Work remains to be done to establish a register of regional expertise; the Programme provided delegates with registration forms for FAO's Fishery Advisory Services which will be the basis for compiling the register at ALCOM and for wider distribution. Delegates were urged to distribute the forms to relevant experts, institutions and suppliers in their respective countries for submission to ALCOM.
The delegate from Belgium appreciated that the economic viability of fisheries and aquaculture in small water bodies was being assessed in all the sub-projects of this Action Programme. He requested, for the future, more specific reporting to the Steering Committee on the outcome of these assessments, in addition to providing information on planned publications and technical reports on each sub-project. The delegate from Belgium also emphasized that, while the Programme was paying close attention to appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks for fisheries and aquaculture, more attention was needed from the countries so that small water body management and enhancement activities could be undertaken. In this regard, the delegates from Angola and Namibia informed the Committee that the inland regulations of their respective countries were being updated.
The delegate of Angola requested that SADC mariculture mission complete its work by visiting his country as soon as possible, preferably within the first half of 1994.
The Committee urged the Programme to follow-up on the distribution of the guidelines for gathering gender sensitive socio-economic information for planning and project design, to obtain comments on their content and use.
The Programme Manager a.i. informed the Committee that sufficient funds were now available to hold the Technical Consultation on Species for Reservoir Fisheries and Aquaculture during 1994. The announcement of the exact timing and venue would be made after consultation with the host country, Zambia. On the suggestion of the delegate from Malawi, participants were urged to submit any final comments on the prospectus to the Programme Management by the end of February 1994.
It was appreciated that the document “ALCOM 1993–1995” had been used as the basis for preparing the 1994 workplan, and that the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM had submitted its final report to the Steering Committee as requested.
The Programme Manager a.i. presented the Progress Report for 1993. The Work Plan for 1993, as endorsed by the Sixth Steering Committee Meeting, was based on an indicative budget of US$ 1 325 000. Delivery in the last four months of the year was slowed by the uncertain financial situation as described earlier.
The Programme had registered success working with the Department of Fisheries in Zambia and the Reparticao de Piscicultura in Mozambique in strengthening agriculture extension services to deliver aquaculture information to farmers. The number of active fish farmers in Eastern and Luapula Provinces of Zambia had increased to 547 and 800 respectively, with over 11 000 farmers having received initial training in aquaculture and more than 1000 prospective fish farmers requesting additional information. In Zambia, 12 agriculture extension workers were trained in aquaculture and 41 farmers were trained in fingerling production. In Manica Province of Mozambique, 51 agriculture extension workers were trained in fish farming and a medium-level technician was assigned to the Provincial Department of Agriculture as aquaculture subject matter specialist. By the end of the year, 37 farmers had ponds ready for stocking.
In line with the decision of the Sixth Steering Committee Meeting, the implementation of the Action Programme on Institutions for Development Planning, Communications and Information was confined to the regular functioning of ALCOM's Information Service. A proposal to fund the other components was prepared and circulated to donors, but no funding commitments were obtained. While ALCOM News appeared as scheduled, the number of reports, field documents and extension pamphlets which could be published was reduced to three due to financial uncertainties in the last trimester. Seven such documents were ready for publication at the beginning of 1994 and were distributed to the Committee.
The Action Programme on Diversification of Rural Economies was initiated in 1993 with six sub-projects, two at national level and four at regional level. A review of the potential environmental impact of Chinese carps concluded that it is unlikely that these carps could establish wild populations in Southern Africa and that the sub-project should proceed. Hatchery construction started at the end of the year and initial induced breeding was successful but the fry were lost due to high water salinity. The hatchery would be relocated to a more suitable site at the irrigation scheme. The sub-project on development of semi-intensive aquaculture in Tanzania was initiated with a socio-economic study to determine critical factors for adopting semi-intensive practices. The regional sub-project on intermittent harvesting was concluded after trials in Zambia showed inconclusive results. Limited work was carried out on the other three regional sub-projects, mainly in conjunction with national sub-project activities.
The Action Programme on Utilization of Small Water Bodies for Fisheries and Aquaculture comprised one regional sub-project and six national sub-projects in five countries. Work on the regional sub-project on species for small reservoir fisheries and aquaculture was confined to: the study on carp impact described above; finalization of the report on fish species introductions in Zambia - which documented significantly more introductions than previously reported and made recommendations to the Government on controlling introductions; and preparation of the prospectus for the Technical Consultation. The national sub-projects were reviewed in line with the recommendations of the Technical Consultation on the Enhancement of Small Water Body Fisheries, held in January 1993, to focus on management and enhancement interventions once assessment of the small reservoir resource was completed. Community-based management measures were recommended in Botswana and Zambia and field activities were limited to resource assessment by the end of the year pending a more favourable regulatory environment. A comprehensive database on 490 lowlands reservoirs was completed in Lesotho and a biological sampling programme was initiated as a part of a process which will formulate fish production strategies. The institutional framework for community-based management was successfully developed at one dam in Zimbabwe and a company share-scheme was initiated on another dam. Two NGO's and one local government authority were being assisted to start community-based management by the end of the year. Also in Zimbabwe, an economic feasibility study of cage culture considered several cage designs, stocking and feed options, and identified the most viable configuration for testing in 1994; feed costs were found to be the most limiting factor. Data collection continued in Malawi through test fishing and tag-recapture as part of the formulation of a fisheries assessment method for small water bodies.
The seven development support activities were constrained by the separation of the Senior Planning Officer in April. All eight planned meetings were held as scheduled.
The observer from SADC sought clarification on the relationship of the ALCOM Library with ZIMAGRINET. The Programme Manager a.i. said that ZIMAGRINET is a national computerized information network that collects, processes and disseminates scientific information on agriculture including aquaculture. It is part of FAO's international AGRIS and CARIS systems which collect and disseminate information. ALCOM had been asked to join the network since the Programme collects a large amount of information on aquaculture.
The delegate from Belgium welcomed the trend in small water body activities towards management and enhancement but noted that regulatory issues beyond the jurisdiction of the Programme were hindering implementation of these activities. He urged member countries to give more attention to legislation and regulations governing small reservoir fisheries to facilitate work on management and enhancement.
With respect to the separation of the Senior Planning Officer, the delegate from Zimbabwe sought clarification on the role of the Steering Committee in decisions about key staff assignments. The delegate from FAO informed that, in this particular case the decision was personal and the post was left vacant due to budgetary constraints.
The delegate from Swaziland requested that the Programme maintain contact with each member country during the year, in particular if national-level activities were revised or postponed, so that liaison officers could keep their Governments informed.
The delegate from Belgium suggested that the progress report should provide more detailed information on results and how they relate to overall action programme objectives to facilitate evaluation of progress and consideration of the work plan. This suggestion was echoed by the delegates from Malawi and Tanzania for all action programmes. The delegate from Zimbabwe requested that in addition an overall summary of annual programme expenditures be provided. The Committee recommended that in the future Programme Management should present annual progress reports which give details of results in addition to progress against activities, outputs and objectives, and that a summary of annual expenditure by budget line be included for each Action Programme. The Programme Management would revise the reporting format during 1994 in consultation with the Chairperson and present the new format for review by the next meeting of the Management Working Group.
The Committee endorsed the report.
The Programme Manager a.i. introduced the Work Plan for 1994. It followed the four Action Programmes as approved by the Sixth Steering Committee Meeting and was based on a total funding level of US$ 1 300 000 for the year from Sweden, Belgium and FAO's Technical Cooperation Programme. Seven national-level sub-projects, five regional-level sub-projects and information services were planned. This represented a carry-over of all active sub-projects from 1993, except the intermittent harvesting sub-project under Action Programme 3 and the sub-projects in Botswana and Zambia under Action Programme 4. A new regional sub-project to finalize the assessment of small water body resources potential was planned under Action Programme 4.
The delegate from Sweden stated that a clear link to the overall objectives of the Programme was missing from the Work Plan. He suggested that the Work Plan for 1994 focus on institutional strengthening activities to ensure the sustainability of aquaculture development, as embodied in Action Programmes 1 and 2, and the small water bodies activities proposed under Action Programme 4. In addition, the Programme should during 1994 consider the possible future role of South Africa in ALCOM and pursue additional funding sources.
The delegate from Swaziland suggested that the number of activities requiring studies be reduced and replaced by more national level activities aimed at institutional development.
The delegate from Zambia expressed his satisfaction with the formulation of extension activities in his country under Action Programme 1. He cited in particular the planned aquaculture awareness campaigns and fingerling production activities as much needed interventions. He informed the Committee that his Government would provide national funding for long-term support to aquaculture extension activities. The delegate from Mozambique expressed her satisfaction with the formulation of the extension sub-project in Mozambique and welcomed the additional funding provided by FAO's Technical Cooperation Programme.
In the context of Action Programme 2, the observer from ICLARM expressed the desire for the ALCOM and ICLARM libraries to continue their collaboration on information exchange and to emphasize the dissemination of information for the benefit of the SADC countries. The Programme Manager a.i. informed the Committee that the ALCOM library database will be transferred to the AGRIS format during 1994, a database format which should already be available in the national libraries of all member countries.
The delegate from Sweden requested ALCOM to clarify what it meant by semi-intensive aquaculture under Action Programme 3. The Socio-economist stated that the Programme was developing a workable definition related to the level of inputs used in aquaculture rather than a measure of the outputs. With regard to the economics of semi-intensive aquaculture, the observer from ICLARM pointed out that such analysis should include the impact of aquaculture on the whole farming system and not restrict itself simply to the economics of the pond. The delegate from Lesotho requested that the planned activities of the regional sub-project on private fingerling production be expanded to include additional countries.
The delegate from Belgium supported the trend toward management and production enhancements in the activities under Action Programme 4 for 1994, although he would be in a better position to judge when more detailed results were reported. He noted that the two regional sub-projects would be finalized during 1994 and that national-level activities in Botswana, Lesotho and Zambia on management and enhancement await changes in the regulatory environment. He pointed out that the only country where management and enhancement activities would be tried in the field this year is Zimbabwe. The delegates from Lesotho and Malawi noted that the sub-projects in their respective countries will be finalized by mid-year and requested the Programme to consult with them on elaborating follow-up activities.
Upon clearance by the Government of Angola, the SADC mariculture mission would visit Angola preferably within the first half of 1994.
The Committee endorsed the Work Plan for 1994, with amendments as defined above.
Mr. B.J. Mkoko, in his capacity as Chairman of the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM presented the Working Group's report “Aquaculture into the 21st Century in Southern Africa”. The report had been endorsed by the Management Working Group by the end of October 1993 and had been submitted to the Steering Committee. The Committee was requested to review the report in relation to the terms of reference of the Working Group, to assess the relevance of the findings and recommendations and to endorse it as a basis for the elaboration of the Draft Proposal for ALCOM Programme Phase III.
The report reviews the status and trends of aquaculture in the region, aquaculture institutions, SADC's and Government policies in support of aquaculture, and the evolution of ALCOM work from its inception in 1986 till the present. It also provides an outlook of the potential of aquaculture up to 2005, both for the freshwater and coastal aquaculture subsectors, identifies the needs for development interventions to tap the potential identified, and suggests the main elements which could form the Third Phase of the ALCOM Programme. The Committee endorsed the report's findings as relevant to the needs of the countries and the region and complimented the Working Group for the completeness of the work carried out. The report was adopted by the Committee.
Some delegates and observers raised points on this report. Concern was expressed by three of the countries (Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland) identified in the report as having lower aquaculture potential that their interests would be neglected in a future ALCOM programme. ICLARM requested a clearer explanation on how the development constraints had been identified by the Working Group and regretted that a mention of subsistence aquaculture was not appearing more explicitly as a specific point in the final recommendations. Sweden indicated that the assessment of the impact of the influx of large quantities of frozen horse mackerel on aquaculture, which was evaluated by the report as negative for the immediate future, was probably overstated.
The Programme Manager a.i. introduced the document. The Draft Proposal for ALCOM Programme Phase III (1995–1999), prepared by the Programme and FAO Rome, elaborated on the plan of operation proposed by the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM. In particular, it incorporated the finding that the issues to be addressed were mainly institutional with respect to extension services which promote the uptake of extensive aquaculture practices integrated with farming activities. There was a recognition that several issues remained to be resolved, especially with respect to improved aquaculture production through better use of on-farm inputs where farmers must make choices about the allocation of scarce resources among farming activities, a situation which is just starting to occur in several countries in the region as more and more farmers take up aquaculture. The proposal also recognized that areas available for warmwater aquaculture in the region are limited, and that Programme activities relating to aquaculture should be focussed on those areas with better potential. At the same time, small water bodies have been shown to be an important and under utilized resource, especially in the drier areas of the region, and there are many issues to address on how to manage and enhance their fish production.
The fundamental objective of ALCOM was to develop methods and systems of aquaculture production integrated with rural development for adoption by rural communities leading to an increase in their cash income and/or protein diet. The Programme's basic approach was to consider the technical, social, economic and environmental aspects of aquaculture techniques being tried in relation to the rural farming system. Up to 1992, this approach was embodied in 9 target areas implemented through pilot projects. In 1993–1994, the Programme focused on 4 target areas, two related to institutional strengthening and two related to methodology, within the overall approach of the Programme.
The proposed third phase maintained this approach and has consolidated the nine target areas into five self-sufficient elements, two of which strengthen institutions which could develop and disseminate these methods and provide a coordinating and planning function, and three concerned with methods for improved fish culture, small reservoir fisheries, and mariculture. Activities would be implemented primarily by local institutions on contract, rather than directly by Programme staff.
The delegate from Sweden expressed concern about the draft proposal, that in its present form does not meet the requirements for consideration for continued Swedish support. He suggested that the proposal should be revised to more clearly reflect the objectives and basic approach of the Programme as they have been since the first phase. The more specialized elements of the proposal should be seen as complementary to the core Programme. The core Programme should continue to address aquaculture development from the perspective of a broad base of rural farmers. Furthermore, the Programme should consider the institutional sustainability and the role of ALCOM within the region.
The delegate from FAO suggested that the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM immediately convene an ad-hoc meeting to consider whether and how to reformulate the proposal along the lines suggested by Sweden. The delegate from Tanzania supported this proposal and suggested that the donors be co-opted into this meeting. The delegate from Zambia nominated Ms. Seipati Mofolo, Acting Chief Fisheries Officer, Lesotho, to replace Mr. Tau Mokhohlane of Lesotho on the Working Group. The Committee agreed with these proposals and requested the group to meet at the end of the day's session and report back before closure of the Steering Committee meeting.
The ad-hoc working group met on 15 February and reported its findings and recommendations to the Steering Committee. The ad-hoc working group found that the proposal does not adequately reflect the basic approach of ALCOM and recommended that the Programme Management revise the proposal accordingly. The document should clearly reflect the original objectives of the Programme and continue to have a core element which provides for the development and dissemination of aquaculture methods relevant to a broad base of rural farmers. The more specialized elements should be proposed as separate but complementary activities which build on the fundamental groundwork of the core programme. In particular, the project on small water bodies should be reviewed to more clearly reflect the agreed plan of operations for this project.
The ad-hoc working group recommended that ALCOM revise the proposal accordingly and send it to members of the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM for comments. The revised draft proposal should also be available for consideration by the Evaluation Mission. After receiving all comments, ALCOM should finalize the proposal and, in consultation with the Chairpersons of the Steering Committee and the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM, forward the final version to FAO for further processing and formal submission to the donors. In the interests of time and efficiency, the ad-hoc working group recommended that the Steering Committee empower the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM to review and endorse the final version on its behalf.
The Committee endorsed this course of action as reported above.
The Terms of Reference were endorsed as presented in SC/INF/9 subject to addition of the added task for the mission to provide advice on the future orientation of ALCOM.
Donors and FAO reassured the delegates that it was their policy to select mission members who would guarantee an independent evaluation. Financial constraints did not allow the participation of two SADC mission members, but there was no objection in alternating participation of two persons. The nomination of the SADC mission member as resource person did not require endorsement by other parties.
Depending on the availability of adequate resources, the itinerary would include the visit to one additional country. This country would be selected among those with less aquaculture development potential to secure a balanced assessment of the region. The Programme Management would make the necessary contacts prior to finalization of detailed travel arrangements.
In view of the bearing of the mission's recommendations in the finalization of the document for future assistance to ALCOM, the mission would be fielded as soon as possible. All parties engaged themselves to complete arrangements for the mission to start on 11 April 1994. The delegate from Malawi requested that the mission not visit his country on the 17th of May.
The mission's findings would not affect the implementation of the 1994 Work Plan.
This point was included in the Agenda to inform the Committee about the progress in the work carried out by the FAO Regular Programme with the assistance of ALCOM staff, for the preparation of an Indicative Action Plan for development-oriented research in aquaculture, for countries of Africa South of Sahara. The documents distributed included:
the executive summary of the synthesis of the 12 national reports and indicative action plan, as well as
the report of the Second Session of the CIFA Working Party on Aquaculture, Harare, Zimbabwe, 13–17 September 1993, in which the first document was discussed by the countries participating in the exercise, and
the SIFR Bulletin No. 2 reporting about the activity.
The participation of ALCOM in the exercise, accepted by the 5th Steering Committee held in Malawi in 1992, had involved only staff time and had proven extremely useful to facilitate the inclusion of Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe in the study. It was also pointed out that the two donors of the ALCOM programme supported the preparation of the Strategy for International Fisheries Research. Funding for the study on Aquaculture Development and Research Needs in Africa South of Sahara had been obtained from the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), European Commission (DG XII), and FAO (both the Regular Programme at Headquarters and the Regional Office for Africa). The rationale followed in analysing the national reports, to extract the nine regional programmes which conform the Indicative Action Plan, was explained to the participants.
The Committee was informed that the main document, including the synthesis of the 12 national reports and the indicative action plan, was being printed in its English version as CIFA Technical Paper 23, with the Supplement consisting of the 12 national reports in the original languages, expected to be distributed in the first half of 1994. The French version of the main report would also be issued in 1994.
The nine action programmes selected by the countries, which would operate as networks of national centres in the five agro-climatic regions of the continent, south of the Sahara, are to be discussed at a donors' meeting convened by the SIFR Executive Secretary. The meeting, which is expected to take place in Rome towards the end of March 1994, would discuss the interest of the various donors for the specific programmes and take the necessary steps towards the financing of the detailed preparation of the nine action programmes. The findings of this meeting would be presented by the Executive Secretary of SIFR at the Third Meeting of the Fisheries Donors, which is scheduled to take place in Paris from 25 to 27 April 1994. The Report discussed at the CIFA Working Party on Aquaculture had already been positively reviewed by the SIFR Steering Committee in Bergen, Norway, in October 1993. Indications of interest in the report, in the approach followed with a direct participation of the countries, or in some of the programmes, had already been received from IDRC, EC, ODA and the Government of France.
The Steering Committee was requested by the FAO Senior Adviser for Aquaculture Development to authorize the further involvement of ALCOM in the detailed preparation of the project documents for the nine action programmes in view of the relevance for the region and the strengthening of the activities of ALCOM that they could represent. This would also be subject to the decision of the donor community at the next meetings. The participants were also requested to support the initiative at the level of their own Governments.
The Steering Committee authorized the involvement of the ALCOM programme in the follow-up of this initiative, if and when required, but requested that, in view of the funding limitations experienced in 1994, ALCOM participation should be limited to staff time.
ALCOM's socio-economist described the objectives, participation and main findings and recommendations of the workshop. A brief description was given of the constraints and solutions to credit delivery and recovery for aquaculture which had been identified by participants. The main recommendation of the workshop was to establish a fisheries credit network with an overall objective to facilitate the access of the small-scale fisheries sector to institutional credit. It was also recommended that the source of funds for this network should consist of regular membership contributions and special contributions by donors, for which a project proposal would be drafted by FAO headquarters.
The delegate from Zimbabwe enquired as to whether the network would solve the problem of lack of credit. The major reason for lack of credit in the fisheries and aquaculture sector was attributed to previous bad experiences in credit delivery and recovery. Whilst the network would not disburse credit, it would facilitate improved credit schemes which could indirectly improve credit availability. In answer to the the question from Zambia on which financing institutions had been invited, it was noted that, although a large number of these institutions had been invited, very few had attended. The delegate from Malawi sought clarification on whether credit was important to resource poor farmers in the SADC region. As most resource poor farmers used on farm inputs, their credit needs in fish farming would be minimal. The observer from South Africa wished to know whether existing agricultural financing institutions were considered for disbursing credit to the sector. The workshop had considered this and observed that these institutions often had little experience in the sector and therefore schemes implemented by them had often failed.
The Steering Committee decided that its next session should be tentatively scheduled for mid-February 1995. Tanzania, upon nomination by Swaziland and secondement by Lesotho and Botswana, agreed to the Committee's request to seek Government approval to host the next session. Botswana accepted to be officially approached as the alternative venue if necessary. The Committee requested ALCOM to initiate formal contacts.
The 7th ALCOM Steering Committee has had for the first time a representative from South Africa as an observer. The South African delegate thanked the Steering Committee for the invitation to participate in the discussions and expressed the willingness of his country to be more closely associated with the work of the ALCOM for the development of aquaculture in the region. He also pointed out that in this respect South Africa has developed a considerable body of knowledge which would be of interest for the ALCOM member countries to foster their own development. Brochures on the work being carried out in South Africa were distributed to the participants.
The delegate from Zimbabwe, speaking for the member countries, thanked the donors for their longstanding support to ALCOM and the region. He expressed the desire to see ALCOM continue its work in the region under a third phase. The Programme had put down strong roots and had acheived good initial results in assisting member countries to have aquaculture more widely practiced by farmers. Donors have an important role to play in providing technical assistance and resources to see the initial results applied in a sustainable manner.
He thanked the delegate from Namibia for his able chairmanship of the meeting and for the excellent facilities provided by the Government of Namibia. He thanked the delegates from the donor countries and FAO for traveling from such long distances and participating so fully in the discussions - this indicated the importance they attached to ALCOM. He thanked the observers for the useful exchange of views, and the ALCOM staff and secretariat for working tirelessly on the practical arrangements.
The delegate from Sweden, on behalf of Belgium and Sweden, thanked the Government of Namibia for the interesting visits arranged during the meeting as well as the excellent facilities made available. He thanked the delegates for the full and frank discussions during the meeting which would provide useful guidance in finalizing the proposal for a third phase, on which he looked forward to continuing collaboration in the future.
The delegate from FAO thanked the Government of Namibia for the warm hospitality and meeting arrangements, the participants for their contributions to the discussions, the donors for their continuous support to ALCOM, and the Programme staff for their dedication and hard work.
He expressed confidence in the continuous and increasing role of ALCOM in supporting rural development through aquaculture in the region. This was facilitated by the teamwork achieved by the countries, donors and Programme staff in planning and implementing the Programme's work plan. In particular, this meeting had been a useful forum for clarifying priorities for attention by ALCOM in the future.
He indicated that FAO would continue its assistance to the region on many fronts, not only through ALCOM but in related initiatives such as the Farming Systems Programme and SIFR. ALCOM was important because it undertook several new initiatives: addressing the socio-economic aspects of aquaculture in the rural environment, an approach which contributed to its success; and, development of methods to utilize the fishery resources of small water bodies.
The chairperson thanked the delegates and observers for contributing toward a productive meeting. Hearing no objection, he declared the report adopted and the meeting closed.
