These guidelines describe the approach taken by ALCOM's first pilot project, in Eastern Province, Zambia, from 1987 to 1991. The pilot project aimed at introducing small-scale aquaculture in rural communities through a participatory approach, mobilizing the communities' own resources.
The pilot project was carried out by a team comprising a socio-economist, Jennie van der Mheen-Sluijer, and three aquaculturists: Boyd A. Haight, Henk van der Mheen, and Joseph Mutale.
The guidelines will be useful in the SADC (Southern Africa Development Community) region, and elsewhere, for designing small-scale fish farming extension programmes and training development workers. Comments and feedback from readers and users are invited.
ALCOM, the Aquaculture for Local Community Development Programme, 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: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
ALCOM's aim is to assist member countries improve the living standards of rural populations through the practice of aquaculture and small reservoir fisheries. Towards this end, pilot activities are conducted in selected member-countries to demonstrate new techniques, technologies or methodologies. Successes achieved, ideas derived, and lessons learned are disseminated for use in the region. ALCOM began its work in 1986 and is funded by Sweden and Belgium, with contributions to pilot projects from member-countries.
ALCOM Address:
| Mail: | PO Box 3730, Harare, Zimbabwe |
| Phone: | +263-4-724985 |
| Fax: | +263-4-736847 |
| Telex: | 26040 FAO ZW |
| E-mail: | [email protected] |
This report provides a framework and practical guidelines for work in fish farming extension. The description of experiences, problems and possible solutions is based on five years of field experience in Chipata, Eastern Province in Zambia.
The pilot project intended to develop an extension methodology to reach small-scale rural farmers. This group of farmers had hardly benefitted from fish farming development in Zambia. A problem-solving approach was adopted to reach the target population. This approach requires that advice be directed specifically towards target groups and it also demands their active participation.
The first step was to identify the different groups in the pilot areas, and describe their characteristics. Based on this description, the target group was chosen. It was decided to target subsistence farmers who make up about 86% of the farmers in Eastern Province. It was anticipated that the willingness of small-scale farmers to adopt fish farming would increase by directing fish farming extension to the specific circumstances of the target group. Therefore, the current situation of the target group regarding access to production factors, communication channels, extension services, past fish farming development efforts, adoption of fish farming, farmers' awareness of fish farming, causes of their problems, awareness of solutions, as well as their goals, were analyzed. At the same time the existing extension system, its achievements, problems, and possibilities were reviewed. The more was known about the target group, their behavioral alternatives as well as the media and resources available to the extension agent, the more precise and comprehensive the planning of extension could be.
The diagnosis based on this situation analysis established that the previous fish farming development efforts had not reached the small-scale farmers. Even if they had been reached they would have lacked the resources to adopt the fish farming package proposed to them. Moreover, the extension method applied led to dependency of farmers on the Department of Fisheries which impeded long-term sustainability.
Based on the situation analysis and the diagnosis, a strategy to reach the small-scale farmers was worked out. It comprised:
an active approach to reach small-scale farmers;
provision of information on requirements to start, risks involved and expected yields. The project's target group was farmers with meagre resources who could only bear small risks. Therefore, the extension service started with recommendations which did not require extra financial expenditures.
stimulation of farmers to take their own decisions regarding the system to adopt and self-reliance with regard to inputs;
familiarisation of extensionists with the assessment of farmers' potential and constraints which results into introduction of fish farming technology adapted to farmers' resources.
Appropriate ways of providing the information to the target groups had to be found, to facilitate farmers' decisions whether or not, and how to adopt fish farming.
The critical involvement of the target group in the adoption process was considered crucial. Firstly, a better solution is usually found if extension worker and farmer work together since each has part of the relevant information. Secondly, the understanding and free will of farmers encourages interest and adoption of fish farming. Additionally, it helps the farmer's personal development if he/she can solve his/her own problems and will positively influence long-term sustainability.
Different extension methods were used to reach the target group. Group methods (village meetings, slide shows) were an important tool for arousing awareness and for facilitating the decision process to adopt fish farming. Individual extension complemented the group methods. After having given as many people as possible the basic information on fish farming, only those who had shown interest were followed-up with on-farm visits. When the number of fish farmers increased, interested fish farmers emerged and started to function as motivators. They provided a contact between farmers and the pilot project and also gave advisory support to late adopters.
Media can make the work of extension workers easier and the range of people addressed can be widened. They can also make it easier for the target group to absorb information. The choice on which media to use, was directed by the outcome of the situation analysis on their availability, their reception by the target group, and their suitability for a particular subject matter. The pilot project opted for a combination of slide shows and illustrated pamphlets, since each had its special advantages and limitations.
The brief, thought-provoking, participatory slide show was used to convey the idea, the necessary means and expected results of fish farming. The slide show reached a large audience of literates as well as illiterates. The village setting was particularly effective at reaching women. The illustrated pamphlets gave more detailed information and were a backup of the slide show and farm visits.
The perception and interpretation of images and text by the target group was crucial in the transfer of information process. This was not evident in a culture with little experience of pictorial material. Therefore, trials had to be made, slides replaced and the pamphlets reworked to improve their contents.
Because the pilot project's participatory extension approach deviated from the more common approach where the extension agent delivers a package to the farmers, different standards were expected of the extension staff. On-the-job training and formal refresher courses were used to prepare the staff for their new requirements.
The on-the-job training concentrated on target group analysis and its consequences for the introduction of fish farming; participatory communication techniques; development, testing and use of extension material; analysis of the field performance of extension workers in relation to the skills and behaviour desired by the problem-solving approach.
A training module was developed for the refresher courses. It addressed the role of extension agents as ‘facilitators’ in the adoption process, stimulating farmers to play an active, innovative role at all stages. To bring about the desired change in attitude and extension methods of the extension agents required the use of participatory teaching methods. Discussions, case studies and role plays were the most important techniques used for the training courses.
Monitoring and evaluation was imperative to reveal whether the pilot project was achieving its desired results, and whether the objectives were reached in an effective way. It showed that the pilot project did reach the target group with information on fish farming and that many small-scale farmers had taken it up. This was especially true for households with limited means of production, who had to diversify their activities in order to meet their consumption and production needs; for them fish farming was a valuable extra source of food and income. The revenue of a batch harvest after a culture period of six months of a 100 m2 pond was equivalent to at least a monthly income. The fish farmer was usually the first recipient of the proceeds from the fish sales. On the other hand, women and children consumed the largest share of the fish.
However, few women were owners of fish ponds. The evaluation also revealed that in spite of women's contribution to family ponds, they did not always take part in the decision making process.
The majority of fish farmers were independent of the Department of Fisheries concerning the supply of fingerlings and extension advice. With the increasing number of fish farmers and the constraints faced by the extension service, the farmer-to-farmer extension as well as the sale of fingerlings between farmers, became more and more important. The pilot project formalized the role of many interested fish farmers who started to function as motivators by giving them additional training and by using them as a contact person between the project and other fish farmers in the area. This informal type of extension needed to be closely monitored because sometimes farmers copied wrong practices from each other. It was found that in some areas dike construction was weak, fewer farmers applied composting, and that pond areas were decreasing.
In spite of a general interest in their work, fish scouts did not always find it easy to use the pilot project's approach. It was much simpler for them to deliver a ‘standard package’ to the farmers. The performance of the motivators was quite good, considering that they were not paid or given anything.
The pilot project has concentrated on the development of a participatory extension methodology to reach small-scale farmers. During the large-scale implementation of the methodology it became clear that the organizational aspects of extension needed to be emphasized. The programming of extension, follow-up and monitoring of fish scouts and motivators, is essential during the implementation to ensure the quality of the approach. Moreover, the roles of the different parties involved in fish farming extension may have to be redefined. Considering the increasing interest in fish farming and the concern for long-term sustainability, it is debatable whether the extension service should continue to try to distribute fingerlings and proceed with their erratic extension. The facts indicate that only a minority of the fish farmers received advice through the ‘official channels’. It would thus be better to support the existing informal extension effort and guarantee its quality. This could be done through systematically training and monitoring of motivators. In areas where fish farming has not yet taken off, the extension workers could concentrate on awareness creation.
