Smallholder fish farming in Zambia is constrained by the lack of access to aquaculture inputs, output markets, technical information, and other extension support services. We piloted a private sector-led model to improve access to production inputs, output markets, and disseminate novel technologies, information and training to smallholder fish farmers. The paper reports results of the piloted model.
The paper uses data collected as part of the evaluation and monitoring framework for the project. The project collected farmer census data at baseline, collected routine monitoring data, conducted an independent midterm review, and an independent end-of-term project evaluation and lessons learnt study. The census was conducted in 2020 and 2021 in selected districts in the Northern and Luapula provinces of Zambia. The census utilised the iForm app to collect quantitative data including the spatial location of fish farms, demographic details of fish farmers, fish farming background, resources and fish species cultured, gender and youth involvement, access to markets and extension services, and production constraints and opportunities from 2,341 (2,013 men and 328 women) smallholder fish farmers. The independent mid-term project evaluation employed a mixed-methods design, incorporating observations, participatory evaluation, and the end term evaluation used a gender-sensitive approach which entailed actively targeting women in households and cooperatives for interviews. Additionally, women were interviewed separately from men to express themselves freely. In addition to 83 quantitative interviews, 184 people participated in focus group discussions (FGDs). Six FGDs were conducted with 54 cooperative members, with two of the groups being women cooperatives. For the final evaluation survey, 214 smallholder farmers participated (26% women) from the Northern and Luapula Provinces. The evaluation study collected qualitative and quantitative data to assess achievement of the project’s intended outcomes. The project team also documented project activities through field reports and collected routine monitoring data which was used to calculate how much the SMEs invested and the revenues they got.
Our findings show that a private-sector approach designed with vulnerable groups and smallholder farmers in mind can go a long way in integrating them into markets in inclusive ways that address the constraints they face. The interesting part is that the adoption rate for trained women was higher than that of men. The presented model and case study underscore that a private sector-led approach is among the models that can foster smallholder aquaculture development, as evidenced by the linkages that resulted in improved availability and accessibility of production inputs, fish market and technical services that led to the engagement of more smallholder farmers and enhanced fish production and productivity. While this model provides an excellent example of an innovative way that donors, development organisations , research institutions, the private sector and farmers, as well as governments, can employ to develop the smallholder aquaculture sector, there is still a need to establish mechanisms for financial input linkages between financial institutions and smallholder farmers.