Preface
This report presents the findings of the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM, which was appointed by the Fifth ALCOM Steering Committee Meeting in February 1992.
The Working Group met three times during 1992 and 1993, and collected information on status and trends in aquaculture in the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region, government and SADC plans and polices, and donor support to the sector. It analyzed the outlook for aquaculture development and development needs from a 10-year perspective.
The group also discussed the work of ALCOM from 1986 to 1994. On the basis of its analysis of aquaculture needs and ALCOM's work, the report proposed the outline of a regional programme from 1995 to 1999.
The first meeting of the Working Group was held in Harare 3–5 June 1992, the second meeting in Harare on 23–25 November 1992, and the third meeting in Harare on 25–27 October 1993.
The Working Group members as appointed by the Steering Committee were Mr. Tau Mokohlane, Chief Fisheries Officer, Lesotho; Ms. Maria do Carmo Carrilho, Head, Fish Culture Department, Mozambique; Mr. H.G. Mudenda, Director of Fisheries, Zambia; the SADC Sector Coordinator for Fisheries (represented by Mr.B.J. Mkoko or Mr.D.D. Bandula); and a representative of ALCOM. Ms. S. Mofolo replaced Mr. Mokohlane in 1994. ALCOM staff assisted the Working Group as resource persons.
ALCOM is a regional aquaculture and fisheries programme of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). Based in Harare, Zimbabwe, it covers all the member-countries of SADC (Southern African Development Community) -- Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
The aim of ALCOM is to assist member-countries improve the living standards of rural populations through the practice of aquaculture. Toward this end, pilot activities are conducted in member-countries to demonstrate new techniques, technologies or methodologies. Successes achieved, ideas derived, lessons learnt, are applied on a wider scale by member-governments.
ALCOM is funded by Sweden and Belgium. Its preparatory phase began in 1986, and its first implementation phase in 1990.
ALCOM address:
| Mail: | P O Box 3730, Harare, Zimbabwe. |
| Telephones: | 263-4-724985, 263-4-734797. |
| Telex: | 26040 FAO ZW. |
| Fax: | 263-4-736847. |
| E-mail: | [email protected] |
1. Introduction
This report presents the findings of the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM, which was appointed by the fifth Steering Committee Meeting in February 1992. The Working Group met three times during 1992 and 1993. It gathered information and data on the status and trends in aquaculture in the SADC region, SADC's and governments' policies and plans, and donor policies and support to the sector. It analyzed the outlook for aquaculture development (inland fish farming, fisheries and aquaculture on reservoirs, and marine and brackishwater aquaculture) and development needs in a ten-year perspective. Based on the analysis the Working Group proposes a continued regional programme for 1995 – 1999, focusing on experimental work on small-scale market-oriented inland aquaculture, fisheries and aquaculture on reservoirs, coastal small-scale aquaculture, and strengthening of aquaculture institutions.
2. Status and trends in aquaculture development
The physical potential for warm water inland fish farming in the region is restricted to areas in Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola, Malawi, and Zambia. A conservative estimate of the potential is 250 000 t/yr. The present production is less than 5000 t/yr.
Extensive, subsistence-level fish farming has expanded in Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, where there are some 25 000 fish ponds. Fish farming has virtually ceased in Angola and Mozambique, and is negligible in the other SADC countries. Pond culture, mainly of tilapia in ponds, has expanded wherever an extension system is in place.
There is a small commercial-scale inland aquaculture sub-sector in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, which is active but static-no expansion has taken place recently.
The most remarkable development of mariculture in the region has been seaweed culture in Zanzibar, now producing 5000 t/yr wet weight by 15 000 small-scale producers, mainly women. Oysters, mussels, and seaweed are produced on a modest scale in Namibia. There is one pilot shrimp farm in Mozambique. There is no mariculture in Angola. There has been a growing interest in mariculture in the coastal SADC countries both in the government and the private sectors.
3. Aquaculture institutions
Aquaculture is a young and small sub-sector in all SADC countries. Consequently, aquaculture institutions are generally weak. Training facilities exist for extension workers in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Tanzania, higher-level training only in Malawi. Research facilities have suffered from the general decline of governmental fish farming stations, and functioning research centres exist only in Malawi, Lesotho, and Namibia (inland aquaculture) and in Tanzania and Namibia (mariculture).
The capability of aquaculture extension in the region varies. In Zimbabwe, it is part of an agriculture extension service that is functioning well. Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique are improving their extension services by collaboration with agriculture extension systems.
Libraries and documentation centres for fisheries and aquaculture exist in all countries. However, the holdings are often out-of-date and qualified staff are lacking. There are no linkages with regional (ALCOM, ICLARM) or international documentation centres and databases.
Private sector research is carried out on trout and bream culture in Zimbabwe; on oysters, mussels, and seaweed in Namibia and on seaweed in Tanzania.
4. Polices and plans for aquaculture development:
SADC has a stated policy for fisheries development including aquaculture. It focuses on fish protein production, maximum sustainable yield and self-sufficiency. But there are few national development polices and plans for fisheries and aquaculture development. Such planning is under way however, in Malawi. Zambia and Zimbabwe have requested FAO assistance for elaborating sectoral development plans.
5. Donor agencies' policies and support to the aquaculture sector
SADC's inland fisheries sector has 18 projects, of which six have been funded (including ALCOM). During the last 20 years, 59 national aquaculture projects or projects with an aquaculture component have been implemented in the region. These projects have covered all SADC countries except Botswana and Angola. The only project listed for Namibia has been fully funded by the government. The main donor has been UNDP. Other donors include the Netherlands, USAID, NORAD, Japan, and joint Nordic funding of a project in Mozambique. Eleven NGOs have supported aquaculture development.
The Working Group noted that the number of projects had decreased since the 1980s, that few evaluation reports were available, and that socio-economic expertise had increasingly been involved.
The Working Group concluded that aquaculture projects generally had not met with the expected success, and identified a number of reasons, such as an initial emphasis on the establishment of governmental fish stations which could not be sustained; technologies which were not adapted to the region; and unrealistic and sometimes contradictory objectives. It noted that the lessons from failures had increasingly been used in designing later projects.
6. ALCOM 1986 – 1994
The Working Group reviewed the progress of ALCOM, and found that immediate objectives had been achieved in some areas. These related to methods for extension, information gathering for planning and project design, gender issues, aquaculture and human nutrition, and environmental aspects. Other target areas, aquaculture and farming systems and the utilization of small water bodies, which had been initiated later had not yet yielded conclusive results. Results from the work on extension and information gathering methods are now being applied on a larger scale in Zambia, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
ALCOM's Steering Committee ensured active involvement in the programme by the participating countries. The Information Service of ALCOM and the technical consultations, workshops and seminars organized by the Programme were valuable for exchange and dissemination of information in the region.
7. Outlook for inland aquaculture up to 2005
Physical conditions in the region limit warm water aquaculture to restricted areas in Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola, Malawi, and Zambia (a few areas in Zimbabwe can be included), with a potential of some 250000 t/yr. While species such as tilapias, suitable for warm water fish culture, are well-known, systems for temperate conditions are not well known. Temperate species used in aquaculture in the region are exotics. This limits the immediate expansion of fish farming in the region.
Recent macro-economic changes in the region include trade liberalization, free markets, reduction of subsidies, and retrenchment of government staff. Following these changes cheap sea fish reaches expanding markets in for example Zimbabwe, selling at prices which fish farmers cannot compete with. Increasing amounts of higher-value sea fish species are also penetrating markets. If the supply of cheap sea fish is sustainable the small-scale fish farming sub-sector needs to reorient itself and produce products with a higher market value locally or abroad. The Working Group concludes that in this situation, the prime objective of fish farming should be income for the producers, not increased supply of cheap fish.
On the basis of these considerations, the Working Group sees the development of inland aquaculture along three lines
Expansion of small-scale subsistence-oriented fish farming in areas that display a combination of three characteristics: the physical conditions are right, an extension system is in place, and macro-economic changes have not made an impact yet. In areas affected by change the farmers may opt to abandon fish farming when the ponds need major repairs.
A small-scale semi-intensive sub-sector may develop in areas close to markets, provided profitable culture systems with species in demand on the market can be identified
The large-scale commercial sub-sector may give up producing for the local market because of competition with cheap imported sea fish, or attempt export. New entrants into fish farming will look for high-value products for the domestic and export markets.
8. Outlook for marine and brackishwater aquaculture up to 2005
The best physical potential for mariculture lies in Tanzania and Mozambique. However, areas with mariculture potential are also found in parts of Namibia and Angola.
It is anticipated that the macro-economic changes discussed above have both short and long-term positive effects on mariculture, because of freer trade and improved market infrastructures. Mariculture will also benefit from the prospects of improved infrastructure for sea fisheries.
The Working Group considers it premature to detail the prospects for mariculture. But it concludes that mariculture could expand significantly provided
9. Need for development interventions
The Working Group identified four priority areas for aquaculture development for the next ten years:
Small-scale inland aquaculture
Testing and demonstrating economically viable culture systems for warm and temperate water species intergrated with existing farming systems is the main need for this sub-sector. There is also need for economic assessment of culture systems, market research, farmer-managed trials to test culture systems, broodstock management, fingerling production, trials with feed and fertilizers, and preparation of extension materials.
Utilization of small water bodies
Interventions for enhancement and management need to be planned and tested. Enhancement trials would include habitat improvements; effects of various nutrient inputs; cage and pen culture systems; impact of stocking. Management tests would include three basic systems: community-based management, direct government management, and private management.
Mariculture
Mariculture needs to be included in coastal management planning. Applied research is needed on species and technologies both for the warm east coast and the more temperate west coast, including mollusc culture, crab fattening, pearl farming, and seaweed. Product development on seaweed and molluscs is necessary, so is improved marketing information to the private sector. The Working Group concluded that more preparatory work is required to detail intervention needs in mariculture.
Aquaculture institutions
Aquaculture institutions are weak, and need to be strengthened in a number of areas: policy and planning, project formulation and management, documentation and information, research and training, extension, marketing and marketing information. The Working Group urges closer collaboration between government and private sector institutions.
10. A new regional programme 1995 – 1999 - Recommendations
The Working Group recommends that
A Plan of Operation for a five-year regional programme (ALCOM Phase III), consisting of self-contained components, is elaborated, based on the outline in this report
The following components should constitute the Programme:
Strengthening of aquaculture institutions
An umbrella programme is maintained as for the previous phases of ALCOM to ensure efficient and flexible use of scarce resources, sharing of expertise between components, exchange of information, and coordination of efforts.
A Steering Committee continues to review progress and decide on orientation and annual work plans.
The mariculture component should be elaborated in detail during a preparatory phase.
All components should be regarded as equally important. In case of limited funding the Programme should focus on components (a) and (b) followed by (d) and (c). This is based on the fact that ALCOM's earlier phases have almost exclusively addressed inland aquaculture and that tested methods and techniques are required for strengthening of institutions.
The Steering Committee, endorses the Plan of Operation and requests SADC and FAO to approach several donors for contributions to the Programme.
During the implementation of sub-projects and activities the Programme pays close attention to the active involvement of beneficiaries in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; that gender issues be considered, and that environmental impact studies are carried out as and needed. In planning of its activities, together with national and regional institutions, the Programme should always keep in mind the sustainability of the interventions.
The Steering Committee proposes to participating countries to commit resources to the Programme. Different forms for such contributions should be considered. They could include contributions to common functions such as operations of the Committee itself and its sub-committees or working groups or for information activities, equally benefiting all member countries.
