African aquaculture development 'must put the farmer first'
Professor will use keynote conference speech to call for change in approach that has led to poor outcomes
An emeritus professor and aquaculture expert from South Africa will call for more focus to be placed by development programmes on the needs and aspirations of fish farmers when he makes a keynote speech at the World Aquaculture Tanzania 2026 Conference (WA26T) which will take place from December 1 to 4 in Dar es Salaam.
Professor Peter Britz from Rhodes University, who was instrumental in the development of the South African abalone farming industry and the restoration of abalone fisheries through stock enhancement initiatives, will give an address titled “Why African Aquaculture Development Needs to Shift from a Technology Transfer Focus to a Value Chain Development Approach”.
African aquaculture is progressing from largely small-scale, low-input/low-output production systems to intensive commercial operations based on nutritionally complete feeds within a globalised value chain.
Essential change
This transformation is essential for increasing production volumes to meet the increasing demand for fish in Africa, creating economic opportunity and building a globally competitive aquaculture industry in Africa, Britz will say.
The professor's research interests encompass aquaculture, fisheries governance and policy, value chain development, and the human dimension of development.
He will say that the development approach for the African aquaculture sector has traditionally focused on technology transfer and the training of small farmers but has tended to overlook the human development needs of the participants as value chain actors. This oversight has led to many poor outcomes because the uptake and application of aquaculture technology into profitable enterprises has tended to be low.
Needs and aspirations
A contributing factor is that strongly pre-framed aquaculture development programmes which advocate the introduction of technologies such as in-pond raceways, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture and climate-smart aquaculture, often fail to “meet the farmers where they are at”, and to systematically address their context, capacity needs and aspirations, foremost of which is to be empowered to build competitive and profitable farming enterprises.
These experiences point to the need for a “human development” approach which defines aquaculture development primarily in terms of the expanded human capabilities required for farmers to realise their aspirations and opportunities within the value chain.
Access to credit
Central to achieving this is an adult education approach which equips farmers with modern, data-led production and business management skills. This should be complemented by strategies that build value chain institutions and services (e.g. access to credit) that make the farmers more competitive. Aquaculture value chain strengthening strategies and their outcomes should thus be grounded in appropriate human development and institutional strengthening strategies.
For more information on registration, exhibition opportunities, abstract submissions, special sessions, travel details, and other relevant information about WA26T, visit the event’s official website. For general inquiries, contact the WAS-AC Secretariat at africanchapter@was.org.
