Understanding the Role of Fish Farmer Associations As
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Aquacu nd ltu a r e s e J i o r u e r h n s a i l F Fisheries and Aquaculture Journal Stutzman et al., Fish Aqua J 2017, 8:3 ISSN: 2150-3508 DOI: 10.4172/2150-3508.1000214 Review Article Open Access Understanding the Role of Fish Farmer Associations as Intermediaries for the Commercialization of Aquaculture in Uganda Emily Stutzman1, Joseph Molnar2*, Gertrude Atukunda3 and John Walakira3 1Lipscomb University, 1 University Park Dr Nashville, TN 37204, USA 2Auburn University, 203 Comer Hall Auburn, AL 36849, USA 3Aquaculture Research and Development Center-Kajjansi, National Fisheries Resources Research Institute-NARO, Kampala, Uganda *Corresponding author: Joseph Molnar, Auburn University, 203 Comer Hall Auburn, AL 36849, USA, Tel: +1 334-844-2345; E-mail: [email protected] Received date: July 13, 2017; Accepted date: August 04, 2017; Published date: August 11, 2017 Copyright: © 2017 Stutzman E, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Aquaculture development commentary supports the formation of fish farmer associations or producer organizations as avenues for cultivating small- and medium-scale commercial farmers. However, little is known about the types of associations that facilitate commercialization. This research presents four qualitative case studies, based on semi-structured interviews, profiling existing associations of commercial fish farmers in Uganda. We conclude that the umbrella organizations under which local fish farmer associations vertically align themselves have important implications for fish farmer production. Aquaculture-specific umbrella organizations contribute to the success of local member association’s more than general umbrella organizations do. Successful fish farmer associations accept government assistance only when it directly improves their fish farm operations. Other farmer groups seemed to wait for direct subsidization. Training fish farmers, providing quality information, cost sharing, and advocating for the aquaculture sector, not donor seeking, are the top priorities in productive fish farmer associations. Keywords Fish farming; Uganda; Cage culture; Tilapia; Co- expense of training and extension and the low expectations for operatives; Development economic returns from this diversified farming system and thus the focus has turned to the development of a commercial aquaculture List of Abbreviations FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization of sector [1,2]. the United Nations; IDP(s): Internally displaced person(s); KARDC: Subsistence aquaculture is being re-evaluated and the Aquaculture Research and Development Centre, Kajjansi; NAADS: commercialization of agriculture as a whole is the present focus of the National Agricultural Advisory Services; NaFIRRI: The National Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Fisheries Resources Research Institute; NUSAF: Northern Ugandan Sub-Saharan Africa and the Ugandan government’s national policy as Social Action Fund; PO(s): Producer organization(s); USAID: United well. Several organizations, including the Ugandan government, States Agency for International Development; USAID/LEAD: United United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the States Agency for International Development/Livelihoods and FAO, are working to transform selected farmers from small-scale to Enterprises in Agriculture Development; UCA: Uganda Cooperative commercial fish farm operators. The premise is that this category of Alliance; WAFICOS: Walimi Fish Farmers Cooperative Society. commercial aquaculture producers is made up of fish farmers who operate mainly for profit and are the driving force behind aquaculture The Importance of Fish Farmer Associations to infrastructure development, including the production of quality fish Aquaculture Development fingerlings or “seed” and formulated feed. Cage culture, where fish are farmed in cages in natural water bodies, is characteristic of this Improving the livelihoods, nutrition, and opportunities of the rural growing commercial aquaculture sector [2]. In fact, comparative poor is a central goal of development efforts, particularly the analysis of subsistence aquaculture and small- and medium-sized aquaculture sector. These efforts target the rural poor farmer, who commercial aquaculture operations indicates that commercial makes up 70 percent of the African continent’s population. Most rural aquaculture contributes most to poverty reduction through driving farmers make their livelihoods on small-scale, mixed enterprise farms, economic growth [3]. The abiding characteristics of these profit- producing first for home consumption and second for sale [1]. The oriented farmers are yet to be noted, as there are currently only 200 prevailing approach to aquaculture development in Sub-Saharan such Ugandan fish farmers. A focus on commercial operators aquaculture between the 1970s through the 1990s targeted the rural coincides coinciding with the Ugandan government’s promotion of fish poor. The FAO, the Peace Corps, and USAID largely centered their exports [2]. efforts on small-scale, limited input, integrated fish farming for improved household fish consumption and income and 90 percent of Aquaculture now is seen as a private-sector led enterprise that is African fish farmers fall into this small-scale or artisanal category [1,2] technically sound, economically profitable, socially acceptable, and These small-scale, integrated fish farming operations do not realize environmentally sustainable with the state playing a role as a facilitator profits due to the small quantities and low production intensity, that is, and monitor [1,4]. Commercialization of aquaculture need not exclude the weight of fish produce per unit area. Several factors work against small holders; the distinction is more a reflection of motivation, goals, the continued promotion of subsistence-level fish farms, including the and business and management practices than scale [1,5]. In Fish Aqua J, an open access journal Volume 8 • Issue 3 • 1000214 ISSN:2150-3508 Citation: Stutzman E, Molnar J, Atukunda G, Walakira J (2017) Understanding the Role of Fish Farmer Associations as Intermediaries for the Commercialization of Aquaculture in Uganda. Fish Aqua J 8: 214. doi:10.4172/2150-3508.1000214 Page 2 of 12 comparison to artisanal, integrated fish farmers, the small-to medium- aquaculture in Uganda by examining four existing fish farmer scale commercial farmers typically build more ponds, use more associations. technology, employ labourers, purchase fingerlings, use commercial feeds, and employ nonlocal business strategies [2,4]. Regional Methods producers and consumers benefit from the commercialization of aquaculture [3]. Case studies of four fish farmer organizations in diverse areas of Uganda during January and February 2010. Yin [10] defines a case Fish farmer associations are a key factor in establishing a viable study as an “…empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary commercial aquaculture sector in Sub-Saharan Africa [4]. A farmer phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the association is defined as a conglomeration of individual farmers and/or boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident” fish farming groups joined for the purpose of more effective [10]. Multiple case study analysis is a research method which looks coordination of activities, and for established capacities to address carefully at persons and operations at several locations in order to several constraints and limitations faced by members. Some beneficial understand a complex situation. Evidence from multiple case studies is roles which fish farmer associations can play include influencing policy likely to be stronger than that of single case studies [10]. and regulations, providing technical services, facilitating market access, aiding in aquaculture research programs, providing extension The sample included four associations of fish farmers who live in the services, developing and encouraging adherence to codes of conduct or three major geographic regions of Uganda: Northern, Central, and better management practices, extending credit to member farmers, and Western Uganda. facilitating knowledge-sharing [4,6]. Each case study consists of multiple participants, representing the Despite the long lists of roles for fish farmer associations to perform, formal leaders as well as the members of each fish farmer association. no framework or set of guidelines exists for how effective associations The four cases are thematically titled “The Unaccountable Leaders,” can be created [5]. In fact, many fish farmer associations are described “The Helping Hands,” “The Family Affair,” and “The Cooperative as ineffective or short-lived, and links between donor funding and Society.” association creation are common, as promises of gifts often accompany Collaborating Ugandan fishery officers identified the following three injunctions to form farmer associations; in these cases, associations fish farmer associations: “The Unaccountable Leaders,” “The Helping commonly disintegrate after incentives disappear [5,7]. There are few Hands,” and “The Family Affair,” as participants in the broader surviving instances of thriving fish farmer associations to cite as AquaFish CRSP research program and for this case study research. examples