2. Methods
2.1. Description of the Study Area
The study was conducted in communities around the different minor lakes of SWHAEZ where there are present or past cage aquaculture activities. The minor lakes are currently the main inland water bodies used for cage fish farming in SWHAEZ. They present enormous opportunities for aquaculture expansion. Communities around these lakes are mainly engaged in fishing and farming employing mostly men with the women focusing on fish processing and trading. These minor lakes are found in the districts of Kabale, Rubanda and Kisooro with 90% of the lakes located in Kisoro district. Lakes, Kayumbu, Mulehe, Mutanda (in Kisoro) and Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale were the main focus of this study. The respondent groups from the districts in the zone were identified and selected based on the recommendations from the fisheries officers.
2.2. Sample Selection and Data Collection
The surveys were done with three main respondents including current cage fish farmers, cage fish farmers who have abandoned the business and potential adopters represented by people with fish-related livelihoods such as pond aquaculture and trading in fish. The other respondents were the aquaculture technicians, district fisheries officers and representatives of financial institutions. The group consisted of people already employed in fishing activities including fishermen, pond based fish farmers and fish traders. District Fisheries Officers function as extension officers to fish farmers in addition to their prescribed duties. Therefore we included this respondent group to learn about their perspectives of what the constraints in cage aquaculture in the zone were.
With the exception of potential adopters and financial institutions, all respondents identified for this study had small populations which were easily accessed through census. A list of Adopters and Abandoned was obtained from the Fisheries Officers and contacted as many as were available. Where we could not contact farmers directly, we employed opinion leaders to help access them. The study also conducted interviews with selected financial institutions based on their availability and preparedness to voluntarily answer questions.
The field studies were conducted between February and May 2017. Surveys and interviews were employed in this study. Questionnaires were administered in person to ensure answers provided were directed to exact questions asked. A total of 82 questionnaires were administered. Questionnaires were structured to suit respondent groups but we incorporated similar questions in some questionnaires to aid comparison among groups. In this study, 23 Adopters, 19 Abandoned and 29 Potential Adopters were interviewed. The study also identified and administered 1 questionnaire to the Fisheries and aquaculture technician for the Zonal research institute, 5 questionnaires to the district Fisheries Officers, and 5 financial institutions. Key informants in relevant government institutions were further interviewed.
2.3. Questionnaire Design
Based on the information available in the literature about constraints in aquaculture in general and cage aquaculture in specific, nine items representing constraints that could be evaluated by Adopters, Abandoned and Potential Adopters were developed. The nine items were presented and scored on a four-point interval scale ranging from “not important” to “very important” modified from level of problem type-scale. Respondents were to rank the constraints according to how important they were in their cage aquaculture operations, their decision to abandon or adopt the business. Additionally we presented the same set of constraints to the fisheries and aquaculture technician and the district fisheries officers. An open-ended option was provided for respondents to state other constraints that thought were very important.
Adopters, Abandoned and Potential Adopters were asked to indicate (yes/no) whether they had had specific cage aquaculture training. An open ended question of the type of training, where and when they had the training was followed. Multiple measures of training as a way of assessing the level of knowledge of respondents in cage aquaculture were used.
The market availability for products, the profitability of cage aquaculture from the respondents’ perspective, and interest in the business were also evaluated. To do this, a series of binary response questions which were presented to the appropriate respondent groups was developed. Adopters were asked to indicate (yes/no) whether they thought they would be able to sell more fish if they could expand production above their current level. Then they were asked them if they would recommend cage aquaculture to potential farmers. Potential Adopters were asked to indicate (yes/no) whether they were interested in starting cage aquaculture in the minor lakes of the zone. Both Abandoned and Potential Adopters were asked to indicate (yes/no) if they were interested in resuming or starting cage aquaculture if constraints are removed, and to provide reasons for their responses.
Opportunities available for farmers to access loans from banks and financial institutions were explored through both close-ended and open-ended questions. Financial institutions were asked to indicate (yes/no) if they had given loans to fish farmers in the past. When the response was yes, they were further asked to indicate the percentages of farmers who paid the loan at the appointed time, sometime after the appointed time or never repaid the loan. Future opportunities for loans were explored by asking financial institutions to indicate (yes/no) whether they had some form of budget for fish farmers currently. For those that responded in the affirmative, we asked them to provide specific requirements that farmers needed to meet in order to access a loan.
2.4. Interviews
Select questions were used from the questionnaires as an interview guide in conducting the interviews with the key informants in government research institutions. Interviewees were asked their opinions about the constraints in cage aquaculture in the zone and opportunities they knew existed which could improve the industry. Notes were taken in all interviews but recorded none of the interviews to avoid making interviewees uncomfortable.
In this preliminary analysis, the quantitative questions in the surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as arithmetic means, percentages and proportions and the qualitative questions were either coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics or analyzed qualitatively. All interviews were transcribed and stored to await analysis with the surveys.
3. Conclusions and Recommendations
The survey suggests that lack of funds to purchase input such as feed, fingerlings is the main constraint in cage aquaculture in the zone. Lack of money prevented farmers who had abandoned and at the same-time farmers who had interests in starting up fish farmers. Farmers also had limited knowledge in management and operation of the cages to raise fish thus need for extension services. Aquaculture through cage fish farming has the potential to increase fish production especially in the current state of low capture fisheries. Boosting aquaculture could be through subsidizing feed cost for small-holders, especially if quality floating feed is produced locally. The government can also provide subsidies to most expensive inputs like feeds, seinenet, water testing kits and construction costs for aquaculture. There is need to empower and build capacity for the extension workers through improved good management practices like feed and feeding and record keeping.