Impact Assessment of Investment in Aquaculture-Based Livelihoods in the Pacific Islands Region and Tropical Australia
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Impact assessment of investment in aquaculture-based livelihoods in the Pacific islands region and tropical Australia ACIAR Impact Assessment Series 96 Impact assessment of investment in aquaculture-based livelihoods in the Pacific islands region and tropical Australia Mr Michael Clarke AgEconPlus Pty Ltd Dr Katja Mikhailovich KPM Epoch Consulting ACIAR Impact Assessment Series Report No. 96 Research that works for developing countries and Australia The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) was established in June 1982 by an Act of the Australian Parliament. ACIAR operates as part of Australia’s international development cooperation program, with a mission to achieve more productive and sustainable agricultural systems, for the benefit of developing countries and Australia. It commissions collaborative research between Australian and developing‑country researchers in areas where Australia has special research competence. It also administers Australia’s contribution to the International Agricultural Research Centres. Where trade names are used, this constitutes neither endorsement of nor discrimination against any product by ACIAR. ACIAR IMPACT ASSESSMENT SERIES ACIAR seeks to ensure that the outputs of the research it funds are adopted by farmers, policymakers, quarantine officers and other beneficiaries. In order to monitor the effects of its projects, ACIAR commissions independent assessments of selected projects. This series of publications reports the results of these independent studies. Numbers in this series are distributed internationally to selected individuals and scientific institutions, and are also available from ACIAR’s website at aciar.gov.au. © Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) 2018 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from ACIAR, GPO Box 1571, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia, [email protected]. Clarke, M. and Mikhailovich, K. 2018. Impact assessment of investment in aquaculture‑ based livelihoods in the Pacific islands region and tropical Australia. ACIAR Impact Assessment Series Report No. 96. Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research: Canberra. 108 pp. ISSN 1832‑1879 (print) ISSN 1839‑6097 (online) ISBN 978‑1‑925746‑23‑5 (print) ISBN 978‑1‑925746‑24‑2 (online/PDF) ACIAR publication number IAS096 Editing: Edit Sense, Canberra Design: giraffe.com.au Cover photo: Conor Ashleigh Foreword Since the early 1990s, the Australian Centre for In all three quantitative case studies, the International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has technologies developed were found to be practical funded projects to improve aquaculture‑based and applicable to the communities for which enterprises, which are the primary source of they were intended. But in every case, obstacles income and support of livelihoods for small of reliable supply, distance from markets and communities of Pacific island countries. enterprise sustainability were encountered. ACIAR‑supported projects also provide valuable The fourth case study was a qualitative and opportunities for women and youth who are often quantitative assessment of three mini‑projects under‑represented in village economic activity. addressing a winged pearl oyster hatchery, This impact assessment study sought to nursery culture, training and mabé (half‑pearl) understand the influence of two major production in Fiji and Tonga. aquaculture‑based livelihood projects through Advances in aquaculture achieved through these the lens of the 40 mini‑projects they spawned. projects, combined with advances from linked This novel approach to research and development ACIAR project investments, are forecast to produce delivery was a collaboration between ACIAR a positive return on investment. The appraisers project leaders and stakeholders in Pacific found that final users have adopted research island countries. Bottlenecks were identified that outputs, which is largely attributable to the holistic could be resolved with short‑term projects to approach of maintaining research team continuity help advance a wide range of aquaculture topics and in‑country presence, taking a long‑term view in seven Pacific island countries: Fiji, Vanuatu, focused on developing an industry, partnering Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa, Kiribati, with governments in Fiji and Tonga, and working Solomon Islands and Nauru; one Pacific island in collaboration with the commercial sector. territory, Wallis and Fortuna; and Australia. An added benefit for the research environment The appraisers adopted a staged approach for these projects was the absence of negative to deal with the obvious challenge of assessing social and environmental impacts. 40 mini‑projects. They undertook a preliminary ACIAR gives particular attention to research that assessment of all 40 projects, using rapid appraisal can help women in developing countries. From this techniques in a framework adapted from the work perspective, the impact assessment revealed the of two Australian rural research and development recognition of women involved in mabé production corporations. From this overview, three case and the pearl industry in Fiji, and their prospects studies emerged for further quantitative analysis, for controlling productive assets through better and a fourth case study emerged for both opportunities for leadership and decision‑making. qualitative and quantitative analysis. The preliminary assessments affirmed that most mini‑projects were successful—adoption pathways were clear, capacity was built, scientific knowledge was created and community economic, social Andrew Campbell and environmental benefits were generated. Chief Executive Officer, ACIAR The appraisers rated the mini‑project approach as a useful model for wider ACIAR application. Impact Assessment Series Report No. 96 iii iv Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Contents Foreword iii Executive summary xi 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Impact assessment requirements 1 1.3 Impact assessment methods and activities 2 1.4 Project summaries 2 1.5 Report structure 3 2 Preliminary assessment 6 2.1 Methods for preliminary assessment of mini‑projects 6 2.2 Preliminary assessment findings 7 2.3 Usefulness of mini‑project approach 9 2.4 Case study selection 10 3 Qualitative analysis of three case studies 16 3.1 Methods used for qualitative analysis of three case studies 16 3.2 Native freshwater prawn capture and culture 17 3.3 Rainbow trout growth rates on locally produced feed 21 3.4 Transfer of experience—live rock production 24 3.5 Conclusions on qualitative case studies 28 4 Impact assessment of mabé production, Fiji and Tonga 29 4.1 Methods used for impact assessment 29 4.2 Mabé project background 29 4.3 Project locations 31 4.4 Research and extension investment 32 4.5 Impact pathway 35 4.6 Output, outcome and impact mapping 35 4.7 What was discovered—project outputs 38 4.8 Capacity development 39 4.9 Uptake of R&D outputs 41 4.10 Factors contributing to the adoption of project outputs 45 4.11 Mabé supply chain and market 49 4.12 Articulation of the counterfactual 50 4.13 Social impacts 51 Impact Assessment Series Report No. 96 v 4.14 Environmental impacts 52 4.15 Economic impacts 53 4.16 Lessons learned 59 5 Impact of women's involvement in mabé and pearl industries 61 5.1 Determining project benefits to women 61 5.2 Measuring gender impacts and women’s empowerment 63 5.3 Gender, culture and aquaculture in Fiji 64 5.4 Benefits of spat collection and mabé productions 66 5.5 Knowledge and skill development 68 5.6 Access and control of productive assets and income 69 5.7 Income distribution 72 5.8 Decision‑making and leadership 73 5.9 Time and workload 73 5.10 Broader social benefits 73 5.11 Benefits of jewellery and shell handicrafts 75 5.12 Lessons learned 78 5.13 Conclusions on women’s impacts 80 6 Conclusions 81 Appendix: Women’s impact assessment study design 82 References 85 vi Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Tables Table 1: Summary of ACIAR projects considered in this IAS 4 Table 2: Framework to determine preliminary assessment of mini‑projects 6 Table 3: Mini‑project summary statistics—preliminary assessment 8 Table 4: Summary of preliminary assessment results for FIS/2001/075 mini‑projects 12 Table 5: Summary of preliminary assessment results for FIS/2006/138 PNG mini‑projects 13 Table 6: Summary of preliminary assessment results for FIS/2006/138 Fiji mini‑projects 14 Table 7: Summary of preliminary assessment results for FIS/2006/138 Vanuatu mini‑projects 14 Table 8: Summary of preliminary assessment results for FIS/2006/138 Tonga mini‑projects 14 Table 9: Summary of preliminary assessment results for FIS/2006/138 Solomon Islands mini‑projects 15 Table 10: Summary of preliminary assessment results for FIS/2006/138 Samoa mini‑projects 15 Table 11: Summary of preliminary assessment results for FIS/2006/138 Kiribati mini‑projects 15 Table 12: Summary of preliminary assessment results for FIS/2006/138 Australia mini‑projects 15 Table 13: ACIAR categories for judging progress along adoption pathways 16 Table 14: IAS mini‑projects 30 Table 15: ACIAR investment in projects that include mabé production in Fiji and Tonga (A$) 33 Table 16: Cash and in‑kind contributions to FIS/2009/057 (A$) 33 Table 17: Cash and in‑kind contributions to PRA/2010.01 (A$) 34 Table 18: Cash and in‑kind contributions to FIS/2014/060 (A$) 34 Table 19: Uptake of new technology,