WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2024 41 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 42) is family land thus, it is largely presided over by household heads, usually men, while women and youths have little to no say in the land’s use. Property ownership and land inheritance challenges pose a threat to the country’s fish production continuity because, increasingly, ageing farmers typically experience difficulties in adopting new aquaculture technologies that are valuable for increased profitability and efficient productivity. The aquaculture business in Kenya is further characterized by a significant proportion of women who are less literate than their male counterparts (Kiumbuku et al. 2013). Having more men in the aquaculture business completing tertiary education indicates their greater chances in the sector. Women, on the other end of the spectrum, are less likely to have completed elementary and secondary school, which is critical for learning fundamental fish farming skills. In a study by Obiero et al. (2019), knowledge and use of all male tilapia fingerlings produced through sex-reversal technology, which is associated with higher aquaculture productivity and profitability, were more common among male farmers and male-headed households. Adoption of technologies in aquaculture is a factor of education and capital; poor investment in women’s and youths’ education and mentorship directly reduces their capacity to venture into the food production sector in Kenya (Obiero et al.. 2019). In many rural areas of Kenya access to financing and credit facilities is typically challenging for young people working in the aquaculture industry, households headed by females, and also for most female fish farmers (Githukia et al.. 2021). Women also have challenges in attending training due to mobility issues closely linked with domestic/household responsibilities, as noted by Lawless et al.. (2019) and Githukia et al.. (2020). Although financial constraints affect both genders, women face a greater challenge than men (Githukia et al. 2020) due to their household social status. For inclusive empowerment as well as advancement in economic status, gender awareness of opportunities in the aquaculture value chain is important, as these form the foundation upon which successful aquaculture depends, as well as a nation’s growth. Malawian Capture Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chains Malawi, like Zambia and Ethiopia, is a landlocked nation with primarily inland freshwater fish production, but with the distinction of being located in the African Great Lakes region. Water covers 20% of Malawi’s total land area, with the greatest resources being Lake Malawi, Malombe, Chilwa, and Chiuta (Jamu et al. 2011). These lakes, together with the upper and lower Shire Rivers, support the largest fisheries in Malawi, employing over 500,000 people and contributing around 4% to GDP (DoF 2016). Recent household surveys and government sources indicate that fish is the most common animal protein source in Malawian families, accounting for about 70% of the total animal protein consumed (DEPD 2019). Meanwhile, wild fish stocks in Malawi are declining due to overfishing, exacerbated by population growth and a lack of alternative income-generating opportunities for the local fishermen in the fishing communities (Mweninguwe 2013; Mulumpwa 2018; Kanyerere et al.. 2018). Worse still, climatic changes are expected to have a detrimental influence on Malawi’s agriculture and inland fishing production (O’Meara et al.. 2021). Eutrophication, agricultural runoff, development projects, infrastructural problems, and post-harvest losses are further risks to the capture fisheries performance (DEPD 2019; Torell et al.. 2020). As a result, per capita fish consumption in Malawi was halved from about 14 kg/ year in the 1970s to less than 7 kg/ year in 2005 (Russell 2008; (Nakwenya et al.. 2017). Smallholder farmers make up most of Malawi’s aquaculture industry. They are mostly unfocused on the market and face a variety of obstacles that lower their productivity, which disadvantages their financial returns (Munthali et al. 2022). At present, the aquaculture branch employs 15,465 people, with 62% being men and 38% being women (National Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum (NFAF) 2022). Climate change, low investor interest, a lack of fingerlings, poor feed quality, and restricted access to financial services all demand a comprehensive overhaul of the industry that will satisfy the rising demand for high-quality animal proteins, generate jobs, and lower rates of poverty among the most marginalized members of society — young people and women in this lens. Malawi’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy (2016) has been a vital aspect of national development goals aimed at supporting the government’s poverty-alleviation plan. The policy establishes operational principles for aquaculture growth, including Women comprise about 42% of the workforce of commercial aquaculture companies in subSaharan Africa, though they typically are not proprietors of the businesses. Women and youths are traditionally considered to be vulnerable groupings in Africa due to their common lack of properties and fixed assets, lesser income and experience, and the patrilineal family systems common in the SSA. Women and youths participate in all aspects of the fish value chains, but post-harvest roles like processing and trading account for most of their duties according to AUC-NEPAD (2014).
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