LIST OF ACRONYMS
1.1 Origin, Organization and Objectives of the Mission
1.2 FAO Special Programme for Food Security
1.3 Positive Aspects of Aquaculture-Irrigation Integration
1.4 Constraints to Aquaculture-Irrigation Integration
1.5 Small-water Body Fisheries in Africa
AGAP | Animal Production Service (FAO) |
AGLW | Water Resources, Development and Management Service (FAO) |
CIFA | Committee for Inland Fisheries of Africa (FAO/RAF) |
FAO | UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome |
FIRI | Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service (FAO) |
RAF | Regional Office for Africa, Accra (FAO) |
SIDA | Swedish International Development Authority, Stockholm |
SIFR | Study on International Fisheries Research, 1989-91 |
SPFS | Special Programme for Food Security (FAO) |
SWB | Small-water bodies |
TCI | Investment Centre Division (FAO) |
As a follow-up to the Study on International Fisheries Research (SIFR, 1989-91), FAO, in collaboration with the Economic Commission for Africa and the European Union, launched in 1992 a regional study on aquaculture development and research in sub-Saharan Africa.
The resulting synthesis of the information presented in 12 national reviews on development and research needs provided the basis for proposing an indicative Action Plan for Aquaculture Research in sub-Saharan Africa (Coche, Haight and Vincke, 1994; Coche, 1994).
Eight priority research programmes were identified among which "Aquaculture in irrigation schemes" and "Small water body fisheries enhancement", to be supported by an Aquatic Systems Information Network (Coche and Collins, 1997).
Since 1995, the FAO Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS, Section 1.2) is gradually being implemented in several African countries. It usually includes an irrigation component into which small-scale aquaculture can be integrated successfully.
In July 1997, a seminar on the "Contribution of Fisheries in Man-made Lakes and Irrigation Dams to Food Security in the Sahelian Zone" was organized by the FAO Regional Office for Africa within the framework of the Sahel sub-committee of the Committee for Inland Fisheries of Africa (CIFA). Among its recommendations to Member Governments, the seminar stressed that:
The seminar also recommended that FAO should facilitate inter-regional networking and information exchange.
As follow-up to these activities and using the Partnership Programme Scheme, the Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service of the FAO Fisheries Department organized in October 1997 an identification mission in sub-Saharan Africa with the following objectives:
Before being fielded, the mission was briefed on aquaculture, irrigation and SPFS subjects in FAO Headquarters, Rome, as follows:
- Land and Water Development Division,
Water Resources, Development and Management Service (AGLW)
- Kandiah, A. (Zimbabwe)
- Faures, J.-M. (Burkina Faso)
- Florin, R. (Mali)
- Smith, M. (Ghana, Zambia)
- Animal Production and Health Division
,
Animal Production Service (AGAP)
- Branckaert, R.D.S. (francophone Africa)
- Investment Centre Division
(TCI)
- Strebelle, J. (Mali)
- Clement, D. (SPFS/Mali)
- Fishery Resources Division
,
Inland Water Resources and Aquaculture Service (FIRI)
- Pedini, M. (Aquaculture and overall coordination of the mission)
The identification mission visited various institutions in Sahelian, western and southern Africa between 22 October and 21 November 1997, as follows:
A more detailed schedule of the mission together with names of institutions/projects visited are provided as an Annex.
Each country visited is the subject of a separate Chapter (Chapters 2 to 6) where a list of persons met, generalities about aquaculture and irrigation, details about visited institutions/projects (research or development oriented) and literature consulted, are successively given.
The Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) was launched by FAO in September 1994. Its objectives are:
SPFS is guided by the following basic principles:
SPFS strategy
includes:Implementation is in two phases:
The SPFS irrigation component should develop and demonstrate appropriate irrigation technologies which can be effectively sustained by small-scale farmers.
The SPFS aquaculture component should be preferably fully integrated with the irrigation component and, as far as possible, with the animal husbandry component if present.
The integration of aquaculture and irrigation can result, for the smallholder farmer in particular, in a number of varied benefits.
From a practical point of view, the presence of a water storage facility:
From the social point of view, integrated fish farming:
From the economical point of view, integrated fish farming:
From the irrigation point of view, integrated pond fish farming:
From the farming system point of view, integrated fish farming:
Integration of aquaculture and irrigation is not always feasible and numerous previous attempts have failed for not taking into consideration the following:
In the context of sub-Saharan Africa, small-water bodies (SWB) are generally defined as small man-made impoundments of water built primarily for domestic use, livestock watering, and/or irrigation, where fish production is usually a secondary use, but can nevertheless produce an important amount of fish for consumption and sale by the local community. They are particularly numerous in northern and southern subtropical African countries.
SWB fisheries differ significantly from natural lake fisheries and are susceptible to enhancement (Section 8.1.3). Seasonally variable water levels and the resulting magnification of environmental variation, artificial assemblages of mainly riverine fish species in a lacustrine environment, and relatively small surface areas are all characteristics which could be exploited through improved management and aquaculture techniques to increase fish production.
Management and enhancement of small water body fisheries has been intensively studied at the SIDA/Belgium/FAO Programme on "Aquatic Resources Management for Local Communities" (Chapter 6, Section 4.1).