The Ninth Steering Committee Meeting of ALCOM was held in Gaborone, Botswana, from 13 to 16 February 1996. Delegations were present from eight of the twelve participating countries: Botswana, Malawi, 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), and ICLARM participated as observers. The list of participants is attached as Appendix 1.
Mr. R. Lema, the outgoing Chairman of the Committee, called the meeting to order. On behalf of the Committee members, he thanked the Government of Botswana for hosting the meeting and making such fine facilities available to the participants.
Mr. P. Gonzalez-Alberdi, Chief of the Fisheries Operations Service in FAO Headquarters, Rome, conveyed the wishes of the FAO Director-General, Dr. Jacques Diouf, for a successful meeting. He referred briefly to the ongoing process of reorganization and decentralization at FAO, including the separation of its normative and operational functions. In the specific case of the Fisheries Department, the Fisheries Operations Service, with responsibility for projects such as ALCOM, had been transferred to the newly created Technical Cooperation Department, and some operational staff were being transferred to field offices. However, close cooperation and coordination was being maintained between the FAO technical and operations departments.
Mr. Gonzalez-Alberdi expressed his appreciation for the significant progress achieved by the Programme, which he had personally witnessed during his recent visit to several pilot project sites. The work of the Programme closely matched the priorities of FAO, including food security for rural populations, improved utilization of water resources, participatory development, and attention to gender issues. He noted that the discussions which would take place at this meeting were crucial for the future of ALCOM, in particular concerning the envisaged integration of the regional activities of ALCOM to the SADC Inland Fisheries Sector Technical Coordination Unit (IFSTCU).
Mr. Gonzalez-Alberdi expressed the appreciation of FAO to the two donors, Belgium and Sweden, for their long and sustained support to the Programme. He also thanked Zimbabwe for hosting ALCOM's headquarters and providing office accommodation. He recalled that FAO had, within its limited possibilities, also contributed to support of the Programme during the last two years through its Technical Cooperation Programme. In this respect, he reassured the delegates that FAO was prepared to continue its cooperation with the Programme beyond 1996, in consultation with participating countries, SADC and donors. In conclusion, Mr. Gonzalez-Alberdi thanked the Government of Botswana, and in particular the Ministry of Agriculture, for the hospitality offered to the participants and the excellent arrangements made for the meeting.
Mr. E. Yeboah, FAO Programme Officer, welcomed the participants on behalf of Mrs. Victoria Sekitoleko, FAO Sub-Regional Representative for Eastern and Southern Africa. He conveyed the satisfaction of the Sub-Regional Representative with ALCOM's progress and results. He noted that the Sub-Regional Office, which covered 21 countries of Eastern and Southern Africa, had recently been established in Harare in order to bring FAO's technical expertise closer to member countries. When fully functional, the office would be staffed by over 20 professionals from a wide range of disciplines who would provide policy advice and technical support to countries and regional bodies in agriculture production, market reform and regional trade. He wished the participants fruitful deliberations and progress on aquaculture development.
Dr. K.V. Masupu, Acting Director of Animal Health and Production in the Ministry of Agriculture, Botswana, welcomed the participants and wished them an enjoyable and productive stay. After referring to the severe drought from which the Southern African region was now emerging, he informed participants that the Botswana Government was promoting the diversification of agricultural production, now focused on beef cattle, to include, inter alia, development of fisheries and aquaculture. ALCOM had played a key role in this process, having identified constraints to fish production and consumption in the southeastern Botswana, and having worked with the Government to develop fish production in small reservoirs. Although Botswana's main fishery was in the Chobe/Linyati and Okavango areas in the north, and the Government was developing processing, storage and marketing facilities in these areas, the price of fish was rising in the major markets in the south of the country. While this opened opportunities for aquaculture, it had also made fish inaccessible to the lower income groups.
Dr. Masupu informed the meeting that Botswana looked forward to building on the work of ALCOM to further develop its small reservoir fisheries and aquaculture potential. Several measures had been included in the Seventh National Development Plan to enhance fingerling production and small reservoir fisheries exploitation, and fisheries and aquaculture had been incorporated as subjects in the agriculture training syllabus.
Dr. Masupu urged the meeting to find a sustainable mechanism for continuing ALCOM at the regional level for the benefit of all member countries. He thanked the donor countries for their support to ALCOM over the years and, having underlined the important tasks facing the delegates, Dr. Masupu declared the meeting open.
Upon nomination by South Africa and secondment by Namibia, Botswana was unanimously elected Chair of the Steering Committee. The outgoing Chairperson, Mr. R. Lema, welcomed Mr. T. Mmopelwa to the Chair and wished him a successful tenure. Mr. Lema noted that ALCOM had many accomplishments in member countries, and this year would be crucial for determining the future of ALCOM in the region.
Mr. Mmopelwa congratulated Mr. Lema for the wise and efficient manner in which he had undertaken his duties during the year. He noted that, in accordance with the Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee, Tanzania was now appointed Vice-Chair.
The delegate from Sweden proposed to switch the order of discussion of Items 4 and 5, since the deliberations on Item 5 (future of ALCOM) could have an impact on Item 4 (Evaluation Mission). The delegate from Swaziland seconded the proposal, and the agenda was adopted as presented in Appendix 2.
This item was introduced by Mr. Boyd Haight, former ALCOM Programme Coordinator, who had served in this capacity during the whole of 1995 and had been transferred to FAO Rome in January 1996.
The 8th Steering Committee Meeting had made ten decisions and recommendations concerning implementation of ALCOM's Plan of Operation during 1995. The first point was a recommendation to obtain comments on the use of gender guidelines in pilot projects. While the guidelines had been published by ALCOM and were available for use in all pilot projects, very little feedback had been obtained and more active promotion was needed both by ALCOM and member countries. The second point recommended the gathering and evaluation of data on the economics of fish farming at the household level. ALCOM had incorporated such data gathering in its extension monitoring and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) activities in all pilot projects, e.g. in the impact assessment studies in Eastern Province, Zambia, and Manica Province, Mozambique, and in farmer trials in Morogoro Region, Tanzania. However, only limited quantitative information had been obtained and data collection methods were being revised.
The third, fourth and fifth points were recommendations to FAO, ALCOM and member countries to elaborate, test and use the species codes of practice. While the codes were still under preparation by FAO Rome, all pilot projects paid attention to issues concerning the use of indigenous and exotic species.
The sixth point was a decision by the Committee that pilot projects should focus on locations with the most favourable conditions for obtaining positive results, with all countries benefiting from the regional information and coordination services. The 1995 work plan had focused pilot projects on specific areas in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, while activities under INF/REG, COR/REG and POT/REG covered all member countries. The eighth point was a decision that countries should aim to match 20% of the donor financing by the end of 1996. While such inputs were being monitored, ALCOM Management had sought clarification from member countries and the donors on the methodology for measuring these inputs to obtain a more equitable and accurate indication of country contributions to the sector.
The seventh and tenth points were decisions to revise the work plan in view of Sida's decision to provide only two years funding for ALCOM Phase III. They had been carried out. The ninth point was a decision to establish the Second Working Group on the Future of ALCOM, which was reported under a separate agenda item.
The former Programme Coordinator, assisted by the ALCOM Aquaculturist and the ALCOM Small Reservoir Fisheries Specialist, presented a summary of progress achieved on the Core Programme, whose regional activities and aquaculture pilot projects were financed by Sweden, and in-part during 1995, by FAO's Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP), and the Small Water Bodies Project financed by Belgium. The total funding available amounted to US$ 1.46 million, and expenditures by budget line and by sub-project were included in the progress report. Delivery had been at the level of 88% of budget for the Swedish and Belgian financed projects, while only 62% of the TCP funds had been delivered due to reduced use of internationally-recruited staff.
Progress against five indicators of overall impact, as derived from the project document, was reported. Concerning local institutions promoting fish culture integrated into local farming systems, this was well advanced in Zambia and started in Mozambique. The concept was widely accepted but not commonly put into practice elsewhere due to institutional constraints, which were addressed at the regional ALCOM technical consultation on extension methods in November. Concerning farmers practising fish culture integrated into local farming systems, most smallholder farmers who practised fish farming did so as one of many integrated farming activities. The number of farmers adopting fish farming was increasing in pilot project areas, and beyond pilot project areas in Zambia. Benefits (nutritional, economic, farming system) derived from adoption were being investigated to enable improvement of fish farming practices for better defined target groups, impact assessment, and wider dissemination of fish farming information. With respect to fish seed available from private fingerling producers, progress had been made in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia based on training of extensionists and farmers, and increased demand for fingerlings. Broodstock and fish seed production was still not well organized at Government and private levels. Improvement of broodstock and seed quality, market (supply/demand) information and seed distribution mechanisms were necessary conditions to establishing private fingerling production and were being addressed in aquaculture pilot projects.
Cost-effective fisheries management and enhanced fish production from small reservoirs had not yet been widely achieved. Basic information on fish production, fishing activities and community management options was being collected and analyzed, which would enable more effective fishery management and enhancement activities. Biological and physico-chemical sampling provided a technical basis for improved management, while socio-economic information, which was gathered through a participatory approach, would be used to fit the technical options to the situation and needs of the local communities in a cost-effective manner. Fisheries co-management had been established on two reservoirs in Tanzania with positive results: fish yield had increased and fishermen felt more responsible for the resource. In all cases, the participatory approach had generated an improved awareness about the fishery resource and contributed to the prospects for improved management.
The capability by development institutions to assess how farmers and communities benefit from aquaculture, through increased cash income at household level and increased animal protein intake at household and community level, was under development in five countries in the form of PRA exercises and field surveys carried out by local institutions and individuals guided by ALCOM staff. A one-week training course was conducted in Harare during May for staff and associates from all small water body pilot projects. In Malawi, an interdisciplinary team of Government field workers had carried out PRA's on several reservoirs (SWB/MLW), and would continue to monitor impact. In Mozambique, the Centro da Formacao Agraria had been contracted to carry out a study in Gaza Province (AQU/MOZ). In Tanzania, AQU/URT pilot project staff worked with Fisheries Section staff on socio-economic assessments. In Zambia, an individual had been contracted to carry out an impact study in Eastern Province (AQU/ZAM). ALCOM staff have assisted the Departments of Fisheries and Agriculture in Southern Province (SWB/ZAM) to carry out PRA's on selected reservoirs. In Zimbabwe, two staff members of the Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS), University of Zimbabwe, were contracted to carry out PRA's on SWB/ZIM pilot project reservoirs. Overall, institutional capability was being developed through hands-on experience by national personnel who also contributed to the development of assessment methods and indicators of impact.
There had been a major turnover of Programme staff during 1995. The Senior Aquaculturist had been appointed Programme Coordinator, having acted in this position since late 1993. As a result, an international Aquaculturist had been recruited under the Core Programme. A new international Socio-economist had taken up his duties early in the year under the Small Water Bodies project, and an international Socio-economist had been recruited during the last quarter under the Core Programme and posted to Malawi. The international Small Reservoir Fisheries Specialist had been replaced during the second quarter. The international Information Officer had been replaced by a national Information Officer from Zimbabwe, and new National Professional Officers had been hired to work on pilot projects in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. In addition, the specialized services of two international and three national consultants had been contracted during the year, along with the services of a national institution in Mozambique.
The major challenge faced by the Programme during 1995 concerned the persistent drought which caused severe water shortages throughout the Southern Africa Region. An additional operational problem confronting ALCOM management was the lack of telecommunication services at the new offices in Harare; a problem which the Government of Zimbabwe was trying hard to resolve.
After presentation of the progress report, the delegate from Zimbabwe noted the lack of quantitative information reported for the indicators of progress. The delegate from Sweden, while noting his countries' overall satisfaction with the reporting format and content, suggested that the relation of fish farming's contribution to total farm output would be a useful quantitative measure to pursue. In view of these suggestions, ALCOM Programme Management would report more quantitative information on progress against indicators in the future.
The delegate from Belgium requested clarification on the lack of progress noted in the indicator for fisheries management and enhanced fish production. The Small Reservoir Fisheries Specialist replied that, while there were a few cases where small water bodies management and enhancement had started, the majority of the work still focused on information gathering and analysis which was the foundation for sound management. This information had contributed to the elaboration of a community-based fisheries management and enhancement decision-tree which would be tested in all pilot projects during 1996.
The delegate from Namibia inquired about the extent to which the persistent drought in Southern Africa had influenced the activities of farmers with respect to their interest in aquaculture and the alternative use of productive resources. In particular, he cautioned against using the past five years as a norm for measuring progress. The ALCOM Aquaculturist stated that, while adoption rates among farmers had diminished during this period, it had been possible to identify those farmers with the most reliable water resources and therefore the most likely to continue fish farming under drought conditions. Furthermore, this information was useful in selecting sites and farmers for fingerling production activities.
The delegate from Swaziland inquired if there were any guidelines on how long a pilot project could run. The former Programme Coordinator replied that the duration of a pilot project was governed by a work plan agreed with collaborating national agencies within the context of ALCOM's Plan of Operation. It was possible, as for example in Eastern Province, Zambia, to have several successive pilot projects in the same area addressing different and evolving issues.
The delegate from Botswana underlined fingerling production as the main technical constraint to aquaculture development in the region. This point was seconded by the delegate from Tanzania, who pointed out that, while the pilot project in Morogoro Region (AQU/URT) had achieved impressive results in the adoption of fish farming and pond production, expansion was limited by the lack of fingerlings. The Programme was encouraged to give increased emphasis to fingerlings production methods in its pilot projects.
The delegate from Tanzania, while noting that the small water bodies project in Tanzania had achieved good results, had encountered difficulties with implementing technical recommendations on fishing gears when they conflicted with existing regulations. This applied in particular to the use of traditional gears, and he called on the Programme to pay more attention to this issue in the future.
The delegate from Namibia informed the Committee that his Government had recently contracted a private sector company to produce a survey of small reservoirs in Namibia in the form of a Geographic Information System. The results would be of interest to member countries and FAO.
Following these comments, the progress report was adopted by the Committee.
Finally, the delegate from Malawi, on behalf of all member countries and the SADC IFSTCU, thanked Mr. Haight for his long and dedicated service to ALCOM since its inception in 1986. He had served in various roles in the pilot projects and at ALCOM headquarters, culminating in the overall management and coordination of the Programme over the last two years. Noting that he had always been an inspiring example for his colleagues through hard work, team spirit, and commitment to the goals of ALCOM, the Steering Committee wished him well in his new position at FAO Headquarters in Rome. At the same time, he welcomed the appointment of Dr. John Moehl as new ALCOM Programme Coordinator, and all members looked forward to working with him during the coming years.
The countries also wished to express their deep gratitude to Mrs. Dora Blessich, FAO Project Operations Officer for ALCOM since its inception, for her tireless efforts on behalf of the Programme with FAO and the member and donor countries. The Committee requested the delegate from FAO to convey to Mrs. Blessich their best wishes in her new assignment with the FAO Regional Office in Bangkok.
The delegate from Namibia, on behalf of the Chair of the Working Group, who sent her apologies for being unable to attend the meeting, presented this agenda item. He reported that the Working Group had met three times during 1995, including one meeting in conjunction with the 20th SADC Fisheries Sector Technical Consultative Meeting (TCM).
The Working Group had prepared a revised project outline for SADC Project AAA.4.7(1) ALCOM Phase IIIa which envisaged the integration of ALCOM's regional aquaculture development, coordination and information activities into the SADC IFSTCU. The revised project outline had gone through the SADC decision-making process, from consideration by the TCM in April to endorsement by the SADC Council of Ministers in August. ALCOM member countries had been given the opportunity to comment on the outline during and after the TCM. The revised project outline had been formally submitted by SADC to Sida for consideration in October, and a response was awaited.
The Working Group had also surveyed all the other major donors for interest in supporting ALCOM. While no interest in direct support was indicated yet by any donor, FAO had informed the Working Group that the European Commission might have avenues for co-financing, and the outline had been sent by IFSTCU informally to the EC in Brussels.
With respect to practical linkages with other programmes of relevance, the Working Group had exchanged information and visits with the Pond Dynamics/Aquaculture Collaborative Research Support Program, which is a multi-national consortium of seven USA universities and several host country institutions worldwide. It also maintained close ties with the ICLARM Africa Aquaculture Project in Malawi. The Working Group had met with the Coordinating Committee of the FAO Farming Systems Programme, at its request, to exchange views on formulation of the Sida-financed, FAO-executed regional smallholder farmer development programme.
Concerning disposal of ALCOM's assets, the Working Group had noted that, since ALCOM was a project executed by FAO under the FAO/Government Cooperative Programme agreements with the Governments of Sweden and Belgium, the disposal of ALCOM's assets was governed by FAO's rules and regulations and any requirements within the GCP agreements. The Working Group recommended to the Steering Committee that two principles should be observed within the context of these rules:
equipment and materials associated with regional activities, and with national and sub-national pilot projects, should remain with the counterpart entities to strengthen their capacity to carry on activities beyond the life of the project.
The adviser to IFSTCU emphasized that ALCOM's regional functions, which had been successfully implemented, were functions that the Unit would in any case have had to develop. Their transfer to the Unit would efficiently and effectively establish these functions as an integral part of the Unit, and they would not remain as separate entities. The delegate from Zimbabwe inquired whether the proposed alternative budgets adequately reflected the cost implications for IFSTCU. The adviser to IFSTCU indicated that the three budgets, for low, medium and high levels of activity, were realistic. He noted, however, that the high level budget financed with donor support would result in the most effective integration scenario since it provided the means to strengthen the Unit's capacity to absorb ALCOM's regional functions.
The delegate from Zimbabwe thanked the Working Group members for their hard work on tight deadlines. He urged caution on the issue of country contributions to ALCOM activities, noting that the economies of many countries were struggling with the effects of the persistent drought. He emphasized that the integration of ALCOM's regional functions into the IFSTCU, while logical and efficient, would have to be done carefully and probably with external support. In this regard, he strongly endorsed the posting of an aquaculture adviser to IFSTCU, who could also assist countries absorb their national-level responsibilities.
The delegate from Sweden, while reiterating Sida's decision to end its support to ALCOM in its current form when the present approved funding was exhausted, welcomed the initiative taken by the Working Group and SADC to propose the integration of ALCOM's regional functions with IFSTCU. Sida was now reviewing SADC's proposal and was likely to suggest carrying out an appraisal which would consider inter alia the following issues: would the proposed integration lead to sustainable use of ALCOM's methods in the SADC countries; what was the level of commitment by SADC and the participating countries, including complementary activities now being carried out; what was the current and anticipated capacity of IFSTCU with respect to ALCOM's regional functions; and, how did the proposal relate to the aquaculture and inland fisheries situation in Southern Africa. The appraisal would be carried out by one or two persons visiting Malawi and Zimbabwe on behalf of Sida, and would likely start within the first trimester of 1996.
The delegate from FAO was pleased to see that ALCOM, as a project, had matured to the point where the member countries were ready and eager to undertake full responsibility for its regional and national activities; this was an ultimate goal of all development interventions. He was also encouraged to learn that Sida was interested to support the final integration of these activities into IFSTCU, since this would be a delicate period in the life of ALCOM. He emphasized to the Committee that the proposal prepared by the Working Group was only an outline which would need further elaboration before implementation. He noted that SADC had expressed its preference to have FAO remain involved with SADC/ALCOM, and FAO was ready to assist if called upon by the member countries and the donor. He added that the particular case of the small water bodies project should receive careful consideration to avoid any disruption in its work at the time of the integration of the ALCOM core programme into IFSTCU.
The delegate from Swaziland thanked the Working Group for its clear and concise reporting. He expressed the view that, since some countries were more intimately involved with ALCOM than others, once the TCM took on the responsibilities of the ALCOM Steering Committee, then those countries more involved should form a sub-group to guide ALCOM. The delegate from Namibia suggested that this was one of the issues which should be considered during elaboration of the proposal in consultation with IFSTCU.
The delegate from Zimbabwe expressed his support for the Working Group's recommendations on disposal of ALCOM's assets. The delegate from Namibia seconded this view, emphasizing, in the case of the location of ALCOM's library, the need to consider three criteria: accessibility to all SADC member countries, support available for maintenance, and support available for growth. The delegate from Swaziland concurred, but inquired whether ALCOM's library holdings might overlap with the existing library resources in Malawi. The adviser to IFSTCU informed the Committee that ICEIDA was providing support to IFSTCU's information function in the form of an Information/Library Adviser to build up IFSTCU's capacity in information services, including links with other national and regional institutions. Furthermore, the Government of Malawi planned to post an Information Officer to IFSTCU during the second quarter of 1996. He also informed the Committee that the ALCOM Librarian and the ICEIDA Information/Library Adviser had jointly surveyed the Malawi fisheries/aquaculture library resources in January 1996 and were now preparing their report. A similar exercise had already been carried out by ALCOM in Zimbabwe.
The delegate from Zimbabwe emphasized the critical nature of the issues raised by the representative from FAO, particularly the need to elaborate the outline into a full-blown SADC/ALCOM project document and clarify the status of the small water bodies project. Since the appraisal mission proposed by Sida would only look at SADC's proposal from Sida's point of view, he suggested that the Second Working Group on the Future of ALCOM continue to operate during 1996. In particular, it should meet with the Sida appraisal mission and assist IFSTCU to elaborate on the project outline. The delegate from South Africa, noting the excellent work carried out by the Working Group so far, supported this suggestion. He further proposed that a new issue be added to the Working Group's terms of reference, to facilitate the integration of ALCOM's activities into IFSTCU.
The delegates from Namibia and Zambia concurred with these suggestions. The delegate from FAO indicated that ALCOM would be in a position to assist the Working Group with technical advice on the elaboration of the SADC/ALCOM proposal. After further general discussion, the Committee decided that the Working Group should continue to operate during 1996 with the same composition, subject to adjustments for personal circumstances, using the same terms of reference supplemented by a new issue on facilitating the integration of ALCOM's activities into IFSTCU. The Committee requested the Chair of the Working Group to convene a meeting during the current session of the Committee to revise its terms of reference, prepare a plan of work, and report back before closing.
The fourth meeting of the Second Working Group on the Future of ALCOM was held on 14 February in Gaborone, Botswana, as requested by the Steering Committee. The report is found in Appendix 3. The Committee endorsed the proposed changes in the composition and terms of reference of the Working Group, and its plan of work for 1996.
The agenda item was introduced by the former Programme Coordinator. Under the terms of the project agreements with Sweden and Belgium, an independent evaluation was required prior to the end of the projects. Since the Swedish-funded project terminated at the end of 1996, and the Belgian-funded project in August 1997, the evaluation should take place this year. FAO, as executing agency, had the responsibility for organizing the mission. It had drafted Terms of Reference according to its evaluation guidelines. It proposed a mission of six weeks composed of one representative each from FAO, Sweden, and Belgium, and one member representing the ALCOM-member countries (to be appointed by SADC IFSTCU), to start in May 1996.
The delegate from Zimbabwe sought clarification on the relationship between the evaluation mission and the Sida appraisal mission. He suggested that the evaluation mission might provide useful information which could feed into the appraisal. The delegate from Sweden stated that the evaluation was a requirement under the existing project which took a broad view and involved all parties, while the appraisal was a narrower Sida exercise that would only consider the proposal from SADC IFSTCU, which was on a different track from the current ALCOM. He suggested that the appraisal should take place as soon as possible, and preferably before the evaluation mission. Otherwise, Sweden had no preference on timing of the evaluation mission.
The delegate from FAO concurred with the views of Sida on the relationship of the two exercises. In particular, the results of the evaluation mission would be of value in considering how to apply ALCOM's results on a wider scale and through other mechanisms and donors. He agreed with the delegate from Zimbabwe that time was of the essence, but it would be practically impossible to field the evaluation mission before May.
The delegate from Sweden requested that consultations with other similar programmes in the region, e.g. ICLARM and the FAO Farming Systems, be included in the terms of reference.
The delegate from Tanzania inquired how the itinerary had been established. The delegate from FAO replied that the itinerary enabled visits to the widest range of ALCOM activities in the short time available to the mission. The delegate from Swaziland inquired how countries not visited by the mission could express their views during the evaluation exercise. It was suggested that SADC consider nominating as the country representative a member from a country not visited by the mission.
In view of the many time-sensitive developments concerning the future of ALCOM, FAO agreed that it would take a flexible approach to the mission's timing and itinerary. The Committee requested ALCOM Programme Management to coordinate with FAO, the Chair of the Steering Committee, and the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM concerning the timing and organization of the evaluation mission.
The agenda item was introduced by the former Programme Coordinator. He indicated that funding for the Programme during 1996 would come from Sweden and Belgium, with funds from the previous FAO/TCP project no longer available. The total indicative donor budget for 1996 was US$ 1.4 million.
An indicative budget of SADC and country matching contributions showed these to be about 8% of the total ALCOM budget. These calculations were deemed preliminary, and, in line with recommendations made by the Working Group on the Future of ALCOM, Programme Management would work to better quantify country contributions.
The 1996 Work Plan was prepared in accordance with the agreed project documents and the planning framework approved by the 8th Steering Committee Meeting. It consisted of two components: the work plan for the regional activities of the core programme funded by Sweden, prepared in consultation with IFSTCU; and, the work plans for pilot projects supported by Sweden and Belgium, which were prepared by the pilot project teams. Detailed work plans and budgets for each activity and pilot project were provided for review by the Committee.
The four activities under the management and administration element of the core programme were the same as 1995, with the addition of a fifth element to close-out the Swedish-funded project. Two other new activities, 1.2.3 and 1.3.2, covered the integration of ALCOM information and coordination functions into IFSTCU at the end of current donor funding. Technical Consultations on institutional strengthening and small reservoir fisheries, funded by Sweden and Belgium respectively, were planned for 1996. It was noted that activity 1.1.2, the organization of the 10th Steering Committee Meeting, could not be accomplished unless core funding was made available in 1997.
The ALCOM Aquaculturist briefly presented the work plans for aquaculture pilot projects. The projects generally had the same work plans as in 1995, with adjustments to reflect accomplishments and problems. The pilot project in Manica Province, Mozambique (EXT/MOZ) was unchanged. The pilot project in Gaza Province, Mozambique (AQU/MOZ) was refocused to analyze the environmental impact of exotic species, to train national staff in the use of such analyses, and to identify how best to integrate fish farming with irrigation schemes. A major concern for the pilot project in Tanzania (AQU/URT) was to identify communication channels which could be used most effectively for aquaculture extension and to train people in the use of these channels. Fingerling production would have a higher priority in the pilot project in Zambia (AQU/ZAM). Studies begun in 1995 would be continued in 1996 with the goal of identifying the most effective methods of aquaculture extension.
The ALCOM Small Reservoir Fisheries Specialist briefly presented the work plans for small water bodies pilot projects. There were no changes noted in the regional activity to assess the potential of small water bodies (POT/REG). The four national-level pilot projects in Malawi (SWB/MLW), Tanzania (SWB/URT), Zambia (SWB/ZAM) and Zimbabwe (SWB/ZIM) took the same approach and incorporated the recommendations of the Small Water Bodies Team Meeting held in November 1995. Sampling would continue on a bi-monthly basis with an increased focus on creel surveys. Additional effort would be devoted to reservoir fisheries management and follow-up.
It was noted that the level of Programme staffing would be the same as 1995, with the addition of a nationally-recruited Fisheries Officer in Malawi. Activities presented in the 1996 Work Plan would be implemented with five internationally-recruited staff, seven nationally-recruited staff, and seven nationally-contributed staff. The target areas given in the Report of the 8th Steering Committee were unchanged.
With reference to the Agreement between FAO and Sida, the delegate from Sweden informed the Committee that, although the present budget provides funds for planned activities through 31 December 1996, the present Agreement remains valid until 30 June 1997. Activities approved for 1996 but not likely to be completed during the year, such as the preparation of the final report by the programme management, could be completed throughout the period of validity of the Agreement. Accordingly, the Committee agreed that the proposed technical consultation on institutional strengthening be designed to be held in conjunction with the 10th Steering Committee Meeting in early 1997. This would provide for a proper review and recapitulation of ALCOM's accomplishments by member countries, and would facilitate the integration of ALCOM's regional activities into IFSTCU.
The delegate from Tanzania strongly supported the suggestion of holding a combined Technical Consultation and Steering Committee Meeting in early 1997.
The delegate from Tanzania expressed his satisfaction with work plans for the pilot projects in Tanzania and confirmed that, with many potential fish farmers, it was necessary to insure quality aquaculture extension support.
The delegate from Zambia expressed his satisfaction with work plans for the pilot projects in Zambia, which built on the results to date and underscored the importance of fingerling production. The activities planned should help alleviate the fingerling shortages which have been a major constraint to the expansion of aquaculture production.
The delegate from Zimbabwe, noting the statement by FAO in the opening ceremony concerning FAO's reorganization, inquired how FAO planned to provide technical backstopping to ALCOM during 1996. The delegates from FAO pointed out that this was a very important issue for all field projects which was under discussion at FAO headquarters. After the reorganization, the technical divisions at FAO Rome still had responsibility for the technical quality of the FAO field programme. However, the modalities of assuring this quality, through monitoring and backstopping, were still evolving. In the case of the Fisheries Department, three technical staff had been transferred to the Sub-Regional Office in Harare and would therefore be in a better position to monitor and advise ALCOM. However, none of these staff had yet been physically transferred, and there would probably be occasions where the advice of specialists at FAO would be needed. Therefore, the delegates from FAO undertook to transmit the concern of the Committee on this very important issue to their respective operational and technical divisions in Rome.
The delegate from Malawi informed the Committee that pilot activities supported by ALCOM in Malawi had stimulated new interest on the part of the Ministry of Agriculture to collaborate with the Fisheries Department on aquaculture and small water body activities. This was encouraging both from a technical and an operational point of view.
The delegate from Botswana reiterated the need to make productive use of small water bodies. Although irrigation was frequently mentioned as the principal use of impounded water, fisheries was often not cited. Multiple use of water was critical in areas with highly variable aquatic resources.
The 1996 Work Plan was adopted by the Committee as presented.
The ALCOM Aquaculturist presented a summary of the report of the technical consultation. The consultation was aimed at improving the understanding of the integrated approach to aquaculture extension and to review different extension structures and organizations. Thirty-seven participants from within and outside the region presented 15 papers, made contributions to three technical sessions, and took part in three working groups which made recommendations for more effective aquaculture extension methods.
The delegate from Malawi applauded the consultation and reported that recommendations had already been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture to formally recognize aquaculture as part of the agriculture sector, thereby facilitating the integration of aquaculture extension into general agriculture extension. Furthermore, beginning in 1996, a trial of the recommended integrated extension methodology would be undertaken.
The delegate from Swaziland suggested that a possible problem with the integrated approach was that agricultural extension agents would be overwhelmed if aquaculture was added to the array of other agricultural enterprises for which they are responsible. In such cases, the delivery of aquaculture information would depend on the personal motivation of the extension worker. This could be facilitated by training and study tours to examples of successful integrated extension systems.
The delegate from Zambia cautioned on the integration of fisheries-related elements of aquaculture into agriculture services. He suggested that aquaculture should remain as part of the fisheries sector since fish farmers could introduce unwanted fish species if not controlled by fisheries legislation.
The ALCOM Aquaculturist reminded the Committee that ALCOM, in its present form, mainly tests methodologies and makes recommendations. The institutionalization of these recommendations, and how effectively this is accomplished, depends upon individual countries.
The delegate from FAO expressed the organization's satisfaction with the results of the consultation and indicated that the results would be an important resource for the up-coming FAO Expert Consultation on Small-Scale Aquaculture Development in Rome.
The Steering Committee decided that its next session should be tentatively scheduled for early 1997 in conjunction with the technical consultation on institutional strengthening. The Committee accepted the proposal by the delegate from South Africa that FAO should approach his Government for approval to host the meeting. It was further agreed that Malawi would be the alternate venue in view of the location of IFSTCU in Lilongwe.
The observer from the SADC Marine Fisheries and Resources Sector Coordination Unit informed the Committee that the SADC mariculture study, in which ALCOM had participated, was being finalized by inclusion of information on South Africa. The study would be considered by the SADC Council of Ministers in August, and the unit would then follow-up on the studies' recommendations and proposals.
The observer from ICLARM briefed delegates on the activities of his organization in the region. While awaiting donor support for the SACCAR/ ICLARM project entitled “An Aquaculture Research and Development Network for Smallholder Farms in Southern Africa”, ICLARM had decided to use its core funding to initiate preliminary activities. These would include limited support to researchers in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, targeting integrated resource management and generating information appropriate for small-scale farmers. Meanwhile, the recommendations of the ICLARM Research Planning Workshop for Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and West Asia, held in September 1995, were under consideration by ICLARM and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.
The delegate from Sweden thanked the Government of Botswana for its hospitality and for hosting the 9th Steering Committee Meeting. Furthermore, he thanked the former ALCOM Programme Coordinator for his assistance to the programme's management and welcomed the new Coordinator, offering his wishes for a fruitful relationship in the future. Finally, he thanked Mr. R. Lema, delegate from Tanzania, for his many years of work with ALCOM, wishing him well in his up-coming retirement, and thanked all the delegates for their enthusiastic participation in the Steering Committee.
The delegate from Zimbabwe, on behalf of the delegates from the SADC countries, thanked the Chairman for his leadership and thanked the Government of Botswana for the facilities provided and warm hospitality offered. Moreover, the delegate thanked the Secretariat for doing an admirable job of facilitating the meeting and renewed the welcome to the new Programme Coordinator, expressing his confidence for productive future collaboration with ALCOM. Finally, the delegate offered personal thanks to Mr. B. Haight for his long-time contribution to ALCOM, wishing him well in his new post at FAO Headquarters, and confirmed all the participants' best wishes for Mr. R. Lema as he entered retirement.
The delegate from Belgium affirmed his Government's satisfaction with the achievements of ALCOM during the past year and seconded the statements by previous speakers, saying he looked forward to continued association with the Programme. He thanked the Government of Botswana for hosting the 9th Steering Committee Meeting and thanked all the participants for their contributions.
The delegate from the FAO noted the excellent organization of the 9th Steering Committee Meeting. He thanked the Government of Botswana and the ALCOM Secretariat for a successful meeting and declared this to be a good indication of the bright future for ALCOM and an affirmation of the importance of smallholder fish farms and small water bodies in Southern Africa.
The Chairman thanked the delegates and observers for their assistance and outstanding contributions. He corroborated previous wishes for continued success to the future of ALCOM. As proposed by the delegate from South Africa, and seconded by the delegate from Zambia, the Chairman declared the report adopted and the meeting closed.
