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Report 3 of 5:
Fishy
Business - Mozambique
Introduction
The Nampula Artisanal Fisheries Project in Mozambique was developed in 1993. The project aims to improve the level of income, employment and food security of artisanal fishermen and their families through the provision of fishing inputs and credit, testing and promoting of new fishing techniques and processing methods, improving transport and marketing, and improving the access to drinking water and sanitation facilities. The four main sets of activities under the project are fisheries support, financial services, institutional strengthening and rural infrastructure. In 1999, a Community Development Fund was added to the project. The project is managed and executed through the Government’s Institute for the Development of Small-Scale Fisheries - IDPPE.
Fishing input supplies
The project is intervening directly to stimulate the private sector trade of fishing equipment. Initially, it provided an interested Nampula based company with information on the market potential in the project area and supplied it with a list of the most appropriate fishing equipment. In late 1998, the company opened a major retail outlet in the project area, and the fishermen are now in a position to buy their equipment locally, instead of travelling to Nacala, and at acceptable prices. The project then provided similar support to a second company, and it too is now active in the area.
The programme has been largely successful in terms of the availability and price of fishing equipment which has been substantially improved, and the amount used has also been increased. The project will continue with these cost-effective methods to stimulate the fishing input supply market.
Fisheries technology
Substantial progress has been made in this area. After an initial visit to India, to view improved fishing technologies and gather valuable information for trials with new types of nets, an experimental programme aiming at encouraging diversification of fishing techniques has been established. It has successfully tested improved fishing equipment, such as larger mesh sized gill nets, long lines and trammel nets for shrimp. The project is now aiming to convert the positive results into practical and viable fishing alternatives for local fishermen, and in particular, introducing a "financial package" to facilitate access to credit to fishermen to invest in this type of operation.
Fish processing and marketing
No major breakthrough has been observed in post-harvest processing, particularly in the promotion of smoking kilns, salt and drying racks. This is mainly due to the limited needs of fish conservation in the current market situation in the area. However, in the medium term, increased use of larger mesh size nets and long lines partly depends on the availability of ice and cold storage facilities in the area. The availability of ice at an affordable price could encourage increased catch of higher value fish. Fortunately, a local company is in an advanced stage of establishing an ice production plant. In another initiative aimed at stimulating fish marketing, the project has started promoting the monitoring of fish prices. The prices of two types of dried fish are already being recorded systematically in a number of markets in the area.
Fisheries policies
Through the project, the Mozambique Government has been encouraged to amend its fisheries policies so as to create an enabling legislative framework for artisanal fishermen. Three areas are worth mentioning. First, the modification of fishing regulations to allow fishermen to use nets of a reduced mesh size in beach seine nets of 0.5 inches, rather than 1.5 inches as formerly. Under the former legislation, the small mesh nets were not available in the shops, with the result that fishermen used mosquito nets for fishing — a practice which was environmentally unsustainable. Once the amendment to the legislation was issued, the project assisted the removal of the mosquito nets. After a declaration to replace all the mosquito nets by year 2000 was signed in a first-ever fishermen’s mass meeting, the project distributed 10 sets of the 0.5 inch nets to selected seine net owners. Each set is worth of US$210, and the beneficiaries are expected to pay back the amount in 12 months.
A second, and equally important measure, has been an amendment to the legislation governing the fisheries zone reserved for artisanal fishermen, and from which the industrial fishing fleet is excluded. Formerly, the industrial fleet was able to come within one mile of the coast but as a result of the amendment pushed for by the project and WAD, they can now come only within three miles of the coastline.
Thirdly, the project has been instrumental in the establishment of 13 local fish resource management committees. These committees, each consisting of 10 selected members of each fishing community, have been important instruments in creating awareness in the communities of the need to replace the mosquito nets. They also provide the basis for a ‘co-management’ structure for fishing activities and resources in the project area. Under the new set-up, a Regional Co-Management Committee, consisting of representatives from all concerned parties, including the local management committees, meets twice a year to pass resolutions on subjects relevant to the artisanal fisheries activities.
A remaining stumbling block is the lack of legal status of the local management committees. The project has financed a Legal Study on Fisheries Co-Management, which looks to define the legal framework for co-management in the fisheries sector, the definition of legal actions required to establish this structure, and the methods for the State to transfer duties and enforcement powers to the co-management structures.
The project has played a decisive role in developing a land-based system to monitor catch and fishing effort in artisanal fisheries, which is an indispensable tool for the management of fishery resources and the identification of potential development actions. With support from the project, the system was expanded to include some districts in Zambezia Province. Such an effort constitutes the basis for the implementation of a national artisanal fisheries statistical system.
Financial services
Savings and credit activities have been promoted for the project by the international NGO, CARE. Support has been provided for the establishment of savings clubs. Some 57 have been formed, comprising in most cases of 5-15 women, and credit worth US$135,000 has been disbursed. The cumulative portfolio considered "at risk" is low, at only 13%. CARE is also considering possibilities of operating a credit scheme within selected fishing communities, to finance diversification to gill nets.
A separate formal credit component for small-scale entrepreneurs - particularly, though not exclusively, those dealing in fishing equipment and fish sales, is operated through the state-controlled business development organisation, FFPI. Demand for these loans has proven to be very high and while there have been a number of delays in starting up the programme, so far some 29 loans, worth US$134,000, have been disbursed. Around 60% of these have gone for fishing and fisheries-related activities.
Community development
This new component of the project is testing a new working methodology which promotes the development of partnerships between the government and communities, in which communities actively participate in the identification and prioritisation of local needs and contribute in implementing the solution.
In 1998, the implementation of the component took off slowly - this was a result of the lack of experience in Mozambique in the planning and management of activities of this type, both by Government and the local communities. In early 1999, a short-term consultancy input was provided, to provide implementation support. Using a more participatory approach, a 300 pupil primary school with 6 classrooms has been built, and there are (as of mid-1999) five new projects in the pipeline.
The project is also providing support to two newly formed fishermen associations. These have been playing an important role in mobilising their members to participate in the implementation of project activities, lobbying with the government authorities and as representatives. However, they are facing difficulties in entering into economic activities to provide services to their members.
Rural infrastructure
The start of the roads rehabilitation program was delayed by changes in road sector policies. Therefore, the works only started in November 1997. Implementation has initially evolved at an extremely low pace due to the weak capacity of the selected local contractors. Nevertheless, about 130 kms out of 138 kms have been rehabilitated and the works are to be completed soon. The rehabilitation of feeder roads has contributed to the improvement of fish marketing and the reduction of post-harvest losses.
The implementation of the water sub-component has proceeded as planned with EPAR, a parastatal company, undertaking the rehabilitation and construction works. The plans to rehabilitate and construct 122 wells and boreholes have been successfully completed. Community members have been trained to maintain the water pumps and contributions are being collected to buy spares and cater for other maintenance requirements.
Two health posts have been constructed but problems were encountered with regard to the original designs, which did not include latrines, water installations and a power system. Funds have been committed by Healthnet to complete these works.
For further information, please contact:
Edward Heinemann
Country Programme Manager
IFAD
Via del Serafico
Rome 00142
Italy
Tel: +39 06 5459 2398
E-mail: IFAD@IFAD.ORG
Website: http://www.ifad.org/ |
Communications and Public Affairs Unit
IFAD
Via del Serafico
Rome 00142
Italy
Tel: +39 06 5459 2215
Fax: +39 06 5459 2143 / +39 06 5043463
E-mail: IFAD@IFAD.ORG
Website: http://www.ifad.org/ |
Intermediate Technology Development Group would like to thank IFAD, in particular Pascale de la Fregonniere, for providing the original material on the Nampula Artisanal Fisheries Project in Mozambique.
This document is an output from a project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the DFID.
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