The Eighth Steering Committee Meeting of ALCOM was held in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, during 13–16 February 1995. Delegations were present from ten of the eleven participating countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Members attended from the donors' countries, Belgium and Sweden, and from FAO. The SADC Coordinating Units for Inland Fisheries (Malawi) and Marine Fisheries and Resources (Namibia), the FAO/SIDA Farming Systems Programme, and the fish farming programme of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (Arusha Region) participated as observers. The list of participants is attached as Appendix 1.
Dr B.W. Oelofsen, the outgoing Chairman of ALCOM's Steering Committee, called the meeting to order and thanked the Government of Tanzania for their hospitality. He welcomed the Principal Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Natural Resources and Environment, the representatives of FAO and of donors' and member countries, with special reference to South Africa as new member of SADC and of ALCOM.
Mr R. Fuller, FAO Representative in Tanzania, thanked the Principal Secretary for attending the opening ceremony and welcomed all present on behalf of FAO. ALCOM's assistance over the past eight years had demonstrated the benefit rural small-scale farmers could derive from the practice of fish farming and of fisheries in small reservoirs. The inclusion of fish in other farming activities provided in rural areas an important and often missing diet component and was an added source of income. ALCOM's major result to date was tangible in the extension methods developed and being introduced at the farmer-extensionist level and in the organization of extension services. Achievements had been made possible by the continued generous support that Sweden and Belgium provided to the Programme through FAO, who had also added its contribution from the Technical Cooperation Programme for the application of extension methods in Mozambique and Zambia. This aspect of the programme would be elaborated in the seminar organized in conjunction with this meeting.
Mr M. Pedini, FAO Senior Adviser (Aquaculture Development), welcomed the participants on behalf of Dr W. Krone, Assistant Director-General a.i., Department of Fisheries of FAO. He thanked the Government of Tanzania for hosting this meeting and partners from donors' and participating countries for their support which had allowed ALCOM to develop into a reference programme for aquaculture development in rural areas. He exposed the broad lines of the ongoing reorganization of FAO being implemented by the new Director General of FAO, Mr Jacques Diouf, with the scope of improving service to member countries. Of specific interest to the meeting was future progressive increased availability of technical personnel in new FAO sub-regional offices in Africa. There was also considerable increase in the importance being assigned to aquaculture development within the Regular Programme of the Fisheries Department and to its integration with other relevant programmes of the Agriculture Department and of the newly established Department for Sustainable Development. He expressed FAO satisfaction for the accomplishments of ALCOM. In the process of methodology development, the programme had promoted fora for discussion of key topics related to aquaculture development technologies and improved utilization of small water bodies. ALCOM's library was one of the more important libraries on aquaculture in the region. He urged the meeting to closely consider the timely measures needed to ensure progressive local capacity increase towards the establishment of permanent structures for aquaculture development to build upon externally supported programmes.
Dr Ben E. Moshi, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Natural Resources and Environment of Tanzania expressed his pleasure in welcoming country and donor representatives, FAO and the SADC Fisheries Coordination Units, and wished all participants a pleasant stay in Tanzania. He appreciated the concerted efforts of all engaged in ALCOM's endeavours for development of aquaculture focusing on the needs of the small-scale rural farmer. He made reference to the motivation raised among rural farmers in the sub-project “Development of Semi-Intensive Fish Farming in Morogoro Region of Tanzania” through the application of methodologies formulated by the programme. He noted the acute need to augment the protein diet in Africa, and the high potential of aquaculture in the SADC region. He identified the reasons of low development of aquaculture as due to inadequate technical know-how, need for its higher institutional/priority rating, inadequate consideration of socio-economic elements, and lack or insufficient availability of seeds. The trend of the world maximum sustainable yields in capture fisheries was declining, whilst the demand for fish continued to rise with the increasing population, particularly in Africa. Aquaculture development could increase the low average per capita fish consumption in Africa where there was a vast potential to augment the low production. In Tanzania, and to various degrees in many other developing countries, malnutrition was one of the main causes of the high average mortality rate of children, particularly so in rural communities where supply of fish was hampered by the isolation of the areas coupled with poor processing, preservation and transportation facilities. Integration of aquaculture with other existing farming systems and rationally managed exploitation of small water bodies offered a solution for protein rich food production. ALCOM was regarded as a major catalyst in the region for aquaculture development among poor rural populations. Participating countries were advised to take advantage of the existing external aid to ensure that they also cater to in-built mechanisms for their future sustainability. Having drawn attention to this important task for this session, the Principal Secretary declared the meeting open.
The participants in the meeting expressed their grief for the recent passing away of Dr R. Kankondi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Namibia, who had participated in the opening of the Seventh Steering Committee Meeting held in Swakopmund. His memory was honoured with a minute of silence.
The delegate of Mozambique proposed the election of Tanzania as Chairperson. The proposal was seconded by the delegate of Zambia. Dr. B. Oelofsen, the outgoing Chairman, welcomed Mr. R. Lema to the chair and wished him a successful task. He expressed appreciation for the support he had received during the inter-sessional year from colleagues, SADC and from Mr B. Haight, Programme Manager a.i., in particular. Mr Lema thanked the meeting for the honour conferred on Tanzania and counted on the assistance of his experienced colleagues to assist him in carrying out his task.
In accordance with the Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee, Namibia was appointed Vice-Chairman.
The delegate from SADC proposed moving Item 7 of the agenda forward to consideration after Item 3, which would allow for conclusive examination of Items 5 and 6. The delegate of Namibia seconded the proposal, and the agenda was adopted as presented in Appendix 2.
The Vice-chairman presented the report on the actions taken on decisions and recommendations of the 7th Steering Committee held in Swakopmund, Namibia in 1994.
Nine decisions/recommendations were reported from the last Steering Committee meeting. The first one referred to the continuation of ALCOM for a Third Phase, maintaining the original objectives of the core programme and emphasizing institution building aspects. A proposal had been prepared by the Programme and reviewed by the evaluation mission, after which it was amended and submitted to SIDA for consideration last September. The second decision requested an improved presentation of the progress report, which had been acted upon to the satisfaction of the member countries, Sweden, and the originator of the request, Belgium. Sweden stated that the inclusion of an indication of the contributions of member countries in the implementation of pilot projects was a welcomed improvement that should be maintained in future annual reports of the Programme.
The third point, on the resolution of regulatory constraints in small water bodies, had advanced well in Lesotho with the assistance of an FAO funded TCP now being concluded with the support of the FAO Legal Branch, while Angola and Malawi, and in addition Namibia, were reviewing their aquaculture and fisheries legislation and Mozambique had indicated their intention to do the same. The elaboration of the follow-up of the small water bodies sub-projects in Lesotho and Malawi, fourth point in the list of recommendations, was awaiting the conclusion of the revision of the legal aspects in Lesotho, and in Malawi a draft proposal was the basis for the formulation of the 1995 pilot project work plan on this subject.
The fifth point related to the completion of the Mariculture mission for Angola, for submission to the SADC Sector Coordination Unit for Marine Fisheries. The mission had been implemented in June and the report submitted to SADC. SADC informed that the report would be discussed by the Technical Sub-Committee meeting in April 1995 and would later be submitted to their Council for endorsement. The sixth point on the follow-up of the gender guidelines, saw two documents prepared by the project on gender issues in aquaculture and in small water bodies fisheries management. In view of the few comments received by the Programme on these papers and taking also into account the fact that gender issues was an on-going topic in the Programme, the countries were requested to send additional comments for inclusion in future revisions of the guidelines.
The seventh point on the decision to have a Technical Consultation on Species for Small Reservoir Fisheries and Aquaculture had been implemented, and is discussed below as point 4 of the agenda. The eighth point, on the establishment of contacts with the authorities in charge of aquaculture development in South Africa resulted in: the participation, sponsored by ALCOM, of the SADC Sector Coordinator for Inland Fisheries, in the annual meeting of the Aquaculture Association of Southern Africa in September 1994; in the participation of South African delegates at the Technical Consultation on Species for Small Reservoir Fisheries and Aquaculture; and in the presence of South Africa at the 8th Steering Committee meeting.
The ninth and last recommendation referred to the expansion of fingerling production in the region. This matter had been addressed in the course of the year through the sub-projects EXT/MOZ, EXT/ZAM and REC/URT.
After the presentation and discussion of the decisions/recommendations of the Seventh Steering Committee, the Programme Manager a.i. presented a summary of the progress achieved in the past year in the four Action Programmes of ALCOM. In the course of 1994 the programme had been financed from three sources, SIDA, Belgium and the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme. The funding available amounted to US$ 1.3 million, and the expenditures by budget line and by sub-project were included in the progress report. Delivery had been 71% of budget which was due to the non recruitment of the Programme Manager, the lack of involvement on development planning and communication and the limited work under Action Programme 3 where several planned regional-level activities had not been fully implemented.
Action Programme 1 Institutions for Aquaculture Extension, had been funded mainly by the FAO TCP in Zambia and Mozambique. The two sub-projects had similar design characteristics as the countries' institutional set up was to some extent also similar. The approach adopted, to organize extension of aquaculture techniques through agricultural extensionists, had produced the expected results. In Mozambique the activities had taken place in Manica Province where two districts were included in the sub-project and good expansion in the number of families taking up aquaculture production integrated with farming practices had been witnessed. In Zambia, outputs were achieved on schedule in three provinces although due to positive response of the farmers the production of seed for distribution became a bottleneck which still required action through the promotion of fingerling production by the private sector. The strategy tested under ALCOM for aquaculture extension had been adopted for nation-wide execution under the Agriculture Sector Investment Programme, to be funded mainly by the World Bank.
Action Programme 2, Institutions for Development Planning, Communication and Information, funded by SIDA, had been limited in 1994 to the information component. The Action Programme had produced the four issues of the quarterly newsletter ALCOM News and ten technical reports and field documents, in addition to maintaining and building-up the ALCOM Library which has become an important asset of the project. Aspects of development planning have been addressed by facilitating the participation of officers to an FAO organized workshop on Project Design, Monitoring and Evaluation, held in Harare.
Action Programme 3 on Diversification of Rural Economies through Aquaculture saw five sub-projects in operation in 1994 of which two were at sub-national (in Mozambique and Tanzania) and three at regional level. Modest progress had been obtained due to the recent start of the sub-projects at national level, although Chinese carps were spawned in Mozambique, and areas and farmers in Tanzania had been selected for semi-intensive farming. The regional activities on economics had in general not been implemented and the activity on marketing was restricted to a study on the situation in Zimbabwe. Activities on promotion of private sector production of fingerlings had been limited to Zambia and Mozambique as reported under Action Programme 1.
In Action Programme 4, Utilization of Small Water Bodies for Fisheries and Aquaculture, funded by Belgium, two regional and three national sub-projects (Lesotho, Malawi and Zimbabwe) were implemented. The three sub-national projects had been concluded during the year and were realigned in the preparation of the revised project document covering this Action Programme, as a result of the recommendations of the evaluation mission. In Lesotho a Seminar on Fish Production in Lowlands Reservoirs had taken place examining the potential and proposing production enhancement strategies. Implementation awaited the completion of the revision of the regulatory measures. In Malawi the pilot project culminated in a report on fish growth and a proposal for fisheries management and production. In Zimbabwe management of two case study dams was ongoing, but additional work was required in the area of assessment of impact on the fishery and socioeconomic impact on the communities. At regional level the activities under this Action Programme included the Technical Consultation on Species for Small Reservoir Fisheries and Aquaculture which had been held in Zambia, and the assessment of potential of small water bodies which had seen the continuation of the inventories and development of the regional data base. It was pointed out that the revision of the project document proposed to Belgium included an added position of a socio-economist.
Other functions of the programme in the course of 1994 included development support, with a mission to Angola to review mariculture status and potential. Assistance had also been provided to Zambia in the formulation and appraisal exercises of the Agricultural Sector Investment Programme (ASIP) through the revision of the Fisheries Development Sub-Programme and redrafting of the document. A proposal for submission to the Netherlands for aquaculture development in Zimbabwe had been prepared with assistance from ALCOM. Forms for inclusion in the Roster of Aquaculture experts of the FAO had been distributed, with little response from the countries. Assistance had also been provided to Lesotho in connection with the revision of the regulatory framework for small reservoirs.
Regarding participation of ALCOM staff to meetings not organized by ALCOM, the Programme Manager a.i. mentioned their participation to: the Workshop on Research and Training in Population and Development Dynamics of Rural Fishing Communities in Asia and Africa, held in Bangladesh; the ICLARM Workshop on Aquaculture Policy Options for integrated Resource Management in Southern Africa held in Malawi; and the Seminar on the management of integrated Agropiscicultural Ecosystems in Tropical Areas, held in Belgium. The programme had also supported the participation of National Officers to the CIFA Seminar on Fisheries, Aquaculture and the Environment, held in Harare as well as the participation of the SADC Sector Coordinator for Inland Fisheries to the Aquaculture 94 Congress of the Aquaculture Association of Southern Africa.
An independent evaluation of ALCOM had taken place in April/May 1994 and the report had been distributed by ALCOM to the countries in October 1994. This is covered in detail as point 5 of the adopted Agenda.
Two international staff left ALCOM at the end of 1994, the Information Officer and the Socio-economist. One long term international consultant aquaculturist was recruited to support the Senior Aquaculturist who had to discharge also management duties in the absence of a Programme Manager. The Programme utilized the services of three nationally recruited professional staff of which two were stationed in Harare, and one in Morogoro, and issued an author's contract to a Malawi national to prepare the technical report of the Malawi sub-project. Of the seven Associate Professional Officers completing the technical staff of the Programme, three were still in service at the end of the year.
After the summary presentation of the progress report, the SADC delegate requested clarification on the reasons for the limited progress on the sub-project ECO/REG Economics of Small-scale Aquaculture. It was explained that not many fish farmers maintain the data which would be necessary for an analysis of the economic impact of aquaculture and that the data collected were not entirely reliable, thus the approach to delay analysis until a larger number of fish farmers was available. However, the situation in Zambia was better than in the other countries and some data existed. ICLARM in Malawi was also looking at these aspects and had encountered similar problems.
Tanzania and Zambia gave detailed presentations of the national sub-projects in their respective countries. Tanzania indicated that the presence of ALCOM in the area of Morogoro had had a positive impact in motivating farmers' interest in aquaculture which, due to the delays experienced in the completion of the National Aquaculture Centre, had faded some years ago. With the completion of the construction of the centre by Government, now in its final phase, the development of semi-intensive aquaculture in Morogoro could soon become a reality. The Zambian delegate pointed out that the work of the Programme in three provinces had made possible a cooperation with the World Bank which, by adopting the ALCOM approach and methodologies, was now going to amplify the work of the programme to other parts of the country. Regarding the concern expressed in the detailed progress report about the difficulties experienced in the preparation and publication of Zambian Fish Farmer, it was indicated that it was related to the lack of computer skills of the personnel in charge, but that the situation would improve progressively.
The SADC delegation brought the attention of the meeting to the report on ECO/REG Economics of Small-scale Aquaculture in which it was indicated that the integration of rice-cum-fish in Luapula province of Zambia had not been profitable for the farmers and queried whether this type of practice was ruled out by the Programme in the region on the basis of these first results. He expressed concern since in parts of Asia this integration of crops and fish farming was considered profitable. The view of the Programme and of the FAO was that economic profitability was considerably site dependent and that there could be other locations in the region where this integration could be positive in economic terms. The example of Madagascar, where this practice has expanded considerably, was cited.
The progress report was adopted following the proposal of the delegate of Botswana which was seconded by the delegate of Zimbabwe.
The Programme Manager a.i. presented the summary report of the technical consultation. The Committee had previously noted that species selection was an important national and regional issue in small reservoir fisheries and aquaculture development. The meeting provided a forum for regional interaction on the improved utilization and conservation of indigenous species and responsible use of exotic species. It was also an opportunity for regional experts to make their views and concerns known to FAO, which was preparing a framework for codes of practice on the conservation and use of aquatic genetic resources. The consultation prepared findings and recommendations in three main areas of species selection: biogeographical aspects, including potential environmental impact; selection criteria based on bio-technical and socio-economic aspects of culture conditions; and, policy, legal and infrastructure mechanisms for implementation of species selection protocols.
The observer from SADC commended ALCOM for organizing the consultation and preparing the summary report. He reiterated the need for the development of codes of practice suitable to the region, and training of national staff in application of the codes. The delegates from Namibia and Zimbabwe amplified these views and pointed out that the consultation had recommended FAO to assist the region with formulation of codes and training in their use.
The delegate from FAO informed the Committee that a staff member from the Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service (FIRI) of the FAO Fisheries Department had participated in the consultation as part of FAO's effort to modify the codes to make them more useful. However, this was an ongoing process which would require the testing and reformulation of the codes over a long period of time. He informed the Committee that the Technical Consultation on the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing had recognized the need to consider introductions and their impacts in the specific article for aquaculture. Moreover, the Working Party on Aquaculture of the Committee for the Inland Fisheries of Africa (CIFA), meeting in September 1993, had endorsed the proposal under the Strategy for International Fisheries Research that a research network be formed on the utilization of indigenous fish species for culture. Unfortunately, no donor had yet expressed interest in this proposal. He suggested that ALCOM could be involved in testing the guidelines when available.
The delegates from Swaziland and Zimbabwe encouraged member countries to apply the codes at national and regional levels once they were made available by FAO. The delegate from Namibia supported this view and suggested that ALCOM take a proactive stance to encourage use of the codes, including guidance on harmonizing legislation and regulations on species transfers and introductions. The delegate from Swaziland endorsed these views and further suggested that the SADC Coordination Unit for Inland Fisheries be involved in the process.
The observer from SADC urged ALCOM to liaise with FIRI to ensure that the views expressed by the regional experts during the consultation were reflected in the codes of practice, and that the codes were made available for testing and use in the region in a timely manner. The delegates from Swaziland and Tanzania suggested that, in the meantime, the issues raised by the consultation be brought to the attention of existing joint commissions.
It was agreed that ALCOM should address the issues raised by the consultation on conservation and utilization of aquatic species within the context of ongoing pilot projects.
The evaluation mission had taken place as scheduled during the period 15 April – 3 June 1994 with participation of all parties involved. Belgium, Sweden and FAO nominated each one member, and participating countries associated themselves with resource staff from Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and the SADC Inland Fisheries Coordination Unit. The ensuing report had been submitted to the attention of the donors in August 1994, and had been made available to member countries. The mission's findings had identified ALCOM's most outstanding achievements as having been the propagation of fish as a supplementary crop, the development of an extension methodology, the setting up of an information service, and having facilitated a consultation platform through workshops and seminars. There was still room to improve ALCOM's implementation. The mission had advised that the programme should be more focused topically and geographically, and that pilot projects would gain from a more complete integration of all target areas. The advice was applicable both to the ALCOM core programme and the project for enhanced production and management of small water bodies.
The mission had also the mandate to provide their suggestions on the future of the programme. On the basis of achievements, and of the status gained by the programme in the region as a catalytic vehicle to foster fish farming as a component of the whole farming context, they recommended an extension of ALCOM for five years. Follow-up had been taken, and the above mentioned valid recommendations had been included in the project document for ALCOM, Phase III. The work plan of the small water bodies project had also been revised accordingly.
The mission had been insistent in reiterating their concern for future sustainability, a concern shared by all parties and requiring the special attention of the meeting in its deliberations on the programme's orientation during the two years for which SIDA had secured financing.
Following an expression of concern by the delegate of Swaziland on the limitation introduced in the number of countries for operation of sub-projects, the meeting recognized the need to focus in locations with most favourable conditions for obtaining results. All countries would benefit from the knowledge shared through ALCOM information systems. This would facilitate their search for financing from other sources.
The delegates of Zambia and Zimbabwe took objection to a number of blunt statements which did not reflect factual truth. The delegate from FAO informed the meeting that FAO was under the obligation of respecting the independent views of evaluation missions. As such, FAO had not altered the content of the report, but had indeed challenged some of the statements therein at the time of presentation of the report to the donors and to participating countries.
The delegate from Sweden reassured the meeting to the effect that they were fully aware the report contained inconsistencies, but still considered it a good working document which had generated proposals for improvements in ALCOM implementation. SIDA's decision on the programme's funding had not been influenced negatively by the conclusions of the mission.
The delegate of Belgium regarded the evaluation mission work as positive for having stimulated closer dialogue among all parties.
The SADC observer drew the attention of the Committee to the fact that the mission had called upon SADC to assume responsibility for the future sustainability of the programme.
The Programme Manager a.i. introduced the agenda item. He informed the Committee that the project document for a five-year ALCOM Phase III, as submitted to the donors in September 1994, was a revision of the proposal for ALCOM Phase III presented at the 7th Steering Committee Meeting in February 1994. It was based on consultations with the Chairs of the Steering Committee and the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM, taking into account the findings and recommendations of the evaluation mission. The work plan for the small water bodies project reflected changes made after submission of the document, based on further consultation with Belgium.
The Programme Manager a.i. called the attention of the Committee to sections of the project document concerning programme strategy and implementing arrangements, and output 2.1, which provided guidelines for pilot project selection, design and execution. Innovative and practical pilot projects would initially be implemented in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia in the context of the nine target areas identified in the project document. Local communities should actively participate in pilot project design, and local institutions should be identified to assist with implementation.
FAO informed the meeting that Sweden had indicated, in late December 1994, that it would fund the core programme of ALCOM Phase III for two years, from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 1996. Information was also given on the specifications that are part of the agreement between FAO and Sweden as listed in the introduction to the Work Plan for 1995. A headline will be inserted to clarify that the conditions stated are part of the agreement between FAO and Sweden. Furthermore, note should be taken that the wording in the second to the last point will be changed by replacing the word “integration” with “utilization”, and the word “activities” with “results and experiences”.
The delegate from Sweden confirmed the information given about the agreement between FAO and Sweden for funding of ALCOM Phase III and the two-year time frame. He also stated that member countries should have a target for their contributions to programme activities matching 20% of donor funding by the end of 1996, up from an estimated 9% at the end of 1994.
Furthermore, the purpose of strengthening the management function would be to reinforce the effort which should now be undertaken by member countries to design support for ALCOM, as a SADC project, in preparation for the period beyond 1996 when Sweden will no longer fund ALCOM's core programme on methodology development.
As a point of information, the delegate from Sweden also indicated that, in the context of its long-term and continued support to the region, it was in the process of designing a new programme for small-scale farmer development. This programme would strengthen national and regional capacities to evaluate and develop viable and sustainable production systems for small-scale farmers, including aquaculture production systems. SIDA had not yet decided which countries to invite to participate in the new programme, but it was likely that the regional composition would be different from that of ALCOM. Sweden intended to include in the process of formulating the new programme, consultation with the existing special programmes funded by Sweden, including ALCOM, so that the lessons learned and methods developed could be incorporated.
FAO informed the meeting that there had been no official response from Belgium concerning the revised work plan and budget for the small water bodies project. This project was funded by Belgium and approved for execution through FAO for five years, from September 1992 through August 1997.
The delegate from Belgium informed the meeting that he anticipated the revised work plan would be accepted within Belgium's five-year agreement with FAO. He further informed the meeting that Belgium would not, within the existing agreement, be able to take over the functions of ALCOM's core programme.
The delegates from the ten participating countries present at the meeting, after consultation among themselves and with the observers from SADC outside the meeting, made the following consensus statement to include inter alia the following concerns:
The countries had only now been informed of a process which was started over 6 months ago by Sweden to prepare for a new programme.
Experience showed there was a serious risk that the amalgamation of aquaculture and agriculture in one large programme, as proposed by Sweden, could lead to neglect of aquaculture and the loss of the good work and progress made by ALCOM.
The resulting cessation of Swedish funding after 1996 for the core programme of ALCOM would have serious implications for the implementation of the whole of ALCOM as a SADC project, and of each of the four individual elements of ALCOM. In particular, the regional function of ALCOM to spread the results of the aquaculture methodology it had developed to all SADC countries would be compromised.
The countries noted with concern that infrastructure set up by ALCOM, in particular the ALCOM library, might be lost to SADC countries.
In view of the above, the countries proposed, with endorsement from Belgium, FAO and Sweden, to form a new Working Group on the Future of ALCOM to find ways and means of supporting the activities of ALCOM beyond 1996 as a SADC project and for the benefit of all SADC countries. The Working Group would comprise: Mr R. Lema, Senior Aquaculturist, Tanzania; Dr B. Oelofsen, Chief: Fisheries Research, Namibia; Ms S. Mutsekwa, Senior Ecologist (Aquatic), Zimbabwe; Mr B. Mkoko, Coordinator, SADC Inland Fisheries Subsector, Malawi; and, the Programme Manager of ALCOM. The Working Group would, in consultation with the Chair of the Steering Committee, be empowered to take decisions on behalf of the Steering Committee within the context of its terms of reference as attached in Appendix 3. The Programme would provide the secretariat for the working group and operational support within its 1995 work plan.
The delegate from FAO urged that the working group adequately and frequently consult with all member countries of the Steering Committee.
This point of the agenda was introduced by the Programme Manager a.i. who indicated that funding for the programme for 1995 would still come from three sources, SIDA, Belgium and the FAO TCP. The latter had been extended in duration with the same funding provision due to the delays in implementation encountered in the Mozambique sub-project. A total of about 1.3 million US$ was thus available for 1995.
It was noted that the work plan for 1995 was in accordance with the agreement between FAO and Sweden. Furthermore, the plan was prepared following a logical framework and consisted of two main components: the core programme and the small water bodies project. Impact indicators had been identified based on the programme design.
The core programme, funded by SIDA and FAO, included regional and pilot project elements. The first ones were related to the administration and management of the whole programme, the dissemination of information, and to efforts for improved regional development. The pilot projects for small farmer development under the core programme were the continuation of already on-going activities with the incorporation of the design criteria provided in the project document. Four pilot projects were included, two of them in Mozambique, in Gaza Province and in Manica Province, one in Morogoro Region of Tanzania and the fourth one in Eastern Province of Zambia.
The Small Water Bodies project had three immediate objectives in the revised work plan for 1995–97, which were reflected in the activities of five sub-projects. Of these one was regional, for analysis of regional potential of the small water bodies, and four were national sub-projects: in Malawi, on small reservoir fisheries management and production; in Tanzania, on assessment of small water bodies resource potential; in Zambia, on small reservoir fisheries management and production for the Southern Province; and in Zimbabwe, also on small reservoir fisheries management and production. Detailed work plans of the various sub-projects and their respective budgets were also provided to the Committee.
The activities contemplated in the 1995 work plan would be implemented with the assistance of five internationally recruited staff, including a Programme Manager still to be recruited, six nationally recruited staff and six nationally contributed staff. FAO would assign Associate Professional Officers in key specialities if and when suitable candidates were made available.
The attention of the meeting was drawn to the detailed description of Immediate Objective 1 on administration and management of the whole programme, in relation to the discussion of the previous point of the Agenda and the establishment by the participating countries of a new Working Group on the Future of ALCOM. It was agreed that the description of indicators for activity 1.1.3 should be deleted.
The delegate from Namibia requested that a new activity 1.1.4 be inserted in the work plan for Immediate Objective 1 to facilitate support to the Working Group created by the SADC countries to address the future of the Programme after cessation of SIDA funding for the core programme of ALCOM Phase III. The request was accepted by the Committee as a matter of priority.
The remaining annexes with the detailed description of the pilot projects under the core programme and the small water bodies project were briefly reviewed in their structure and presentation. The delegates of Zimbabwe, Belgium and Sweden complimented the Programme Manager a.i. for the excellent presentation of the plan of work which had been considerably improved with respect to the past years and responded better to the expectations of the member countries. The adoption of the work plan for 1995 was proposed by Zimbabwe and seconded by Swaziland.
The Steering Committee decided that its next session should be tentatively scheduled for early 1996. The delegate of Swaziland proposed, seconded by the delegate of Malawi, that approval be sought from the Government of Botswana to host the next meeting with South Africa as alternate.
Only one item was presented under this agenda item. The FAO delegate informed the meeting about the advances in the follow-up of the aquaculture component in the multidonor exercise Strategy for International Fisheries Research. ALCOM had participated in the exercise on Africa South of the Sahara, coordinated by FAO Headquarters. The decision to participate was taken by the Fifth Steering Committee Meeting held in Mangochi, Malawi, and a first progress report of this exercise had been given at the Seventh Steering Committee held in Swakopmund, Namibia, in 1994.
The CIFA Technical Paper 23 Aquaculture Development and research in Sub-Saharan Africa, which contains the results of the study, was published and distributed by the FAO in 1994. It had been briefly presented and distributed at the Third Fisheries Donors Meeting held in Paris, France, in April 1994. No decision was taken by the donors on the follow-up on aquaculture, with formulation missions for the nine project ideas included in the paper, nor on any of the other initiatives started under the SIFR. At the Paris meeting a new Executive Secretary for SIFR had been elected, Dr Brian Davy, from IDRC, who took office only in late September 1994. In consultation with FAO Dr Davy had indicated that efforts to discuss the document with the donors should be continued both by the Executive Secretary and FAO. The Organization had been given the mandate by the Executive Secretary to continue the coordination of the aquaculture initiative. The FAO delegate indicated also that the Supplement to CIFA Technical Paper 23 containing the individual country reports of the 12 countries participating in the exercise was in printing and would be distributed shortly. It was also pointed out that FAO will continue its efforts to implement, within the limitation of the resources available, the mandate given by the Executive Secretary of SIFR which was in line with the long term programme of the Organization for aquaculture development.
In conjunction with the meeting, ALCOM organized for participants a two-hour Seminar on Fish Farming Extension Methods for Small-scale Farmers in Southern Africa. The seminar was lead by Ms. J. van der Mheen, Consultant Socio-economist, and Mr. J. Mutale, Senior Aquaculturist from the Department of Fisheries, Zambia. In addition, two one-day field trips were organized to visit small-scale seaweed farmers in Zanzibar, and to see small-scale fish farmers in Morogoro Region.
The delegate from Zambia, speaking also on behalf of the member countries, thanked the delegate from Tanzania for his ability in guiding the meeting during moments of exacting discussions and for his contribution to its successful outcome. He thanked the Government of Tanzania and the Fisheries Division for the very good facilities provided for the meeting and for the excellent hospitality. He extended the appreciation of all member countries to all the organisations which were assisting in the development of fish farming in the region. He expressed deep appreciation for the long standing and generous support received from SIDA over the years, and Belgium for funding the equally important programme component for the development of small water body fisheries. The Secretariat was commended for the efforts and competence in the smooth running of the meeting and for the diligence and hard work in making the minutes and reports of the discussions quickly available.
The delegate from SIDA, speaking also for the delegate from Belgium, thanked all present for the excellent contributions to the discussions and in particular the Chair for so effectively guiding the proceedings, which had certainly been stimulating towards renewed advancement in the development process. The stay in the host country had been very pleasant and enjoyable and it had given the opportunity of visits to interesting aquaculture sites.
The Chairman thanked the delegates and observers for having facilitated his task with their long experience, and SIDA, Belgium and FAO for their constructive mediation. Wishing continued success to the future of ALCOM, he declared the report adopted and meeting closed.
