The fifth meeting of ALCOM's Steering Committee, February 1992, appointed a Working Group on the Future of ALCOM. The tasks were to elaborate on priorities for aquaculture development in a medium-term (10 year) perspective, and within that perspective determine the need for interventions and propose actions to be taken. If determined feasible the Working Group should outline a five-year regional programme, as a new phase of ALCOM.
The Working Group has met three times to synthesize information gathered by members and resource persons. It presented its preliminary report to the Sixth Steering Committee Meeting, February 1993.
Information and data were was compiled on
As decided by the Steering Committee the Working Group considered inland fish farming, fisheries and aquaculture on reservoirs (small water bodies), and mariculture.
The Working Group defined needs for continued interventions and support for the development of the sector and carefully considered the levels (national, regional, inter-regional) at which interventions would have the most impact given limited resources. It concluded that, while there were pressing needs for national level interventions, related for example to infrastructure, extension, training, and institution building, several aspects of these would benefit from a regional approach that would ensure efficient use of resources and flexibility in resource allocation. So also would basic research, applied research, information dissemination, and training.
Important changes occurred in the economic policies in some of the countries during the period the Working Group analyzed and synthesized data and information, drastically altering the marketing situation. Consequently, the Working Group stressed the need for more emphasis on the economics of aquaculture and reservoir fisheries and the need for careful marketing studies, when national development interventions are considered.
The Working Group proposes, within a ten-year perspective, a regional programme consisting of self-contained components. These can be implemented in a phased manner on the basis of resources made available. Although the components could be implemented as autonomous projects, the Working Group stresses the advantages of an umbrella programme allowing efficient use of resources, flexibility in implementation, coordination, and information exchange and dissemination.
The Working Group has considered the existing SADC aquaculture development programme (especially the training programme) and national programmes. The activities it proposes are intended to complement those.
It has drawn on the work done by SIFR (Study on International Fisheries Research) and results from a study using Geographic Information Systems methods, carried out for the Working Group and ALCOM by FAO's Regular Programme.
