Aquaculture goes to market: jobs for youth in Warri City, Nigeria
BEAM Grab the Mic webinar
Date: 19 July 2018
Speakers:
James Elekwachi and Faith Soya, PIND Foundation
Employment opportunities for young people in fish farming are growing thanks to a market systems approach to aquaculture promotion.
This webinar examined how sound analysis to determine the critical underlying constraints in a sector - followed by an appropriately scaled pilot intervention - can lead to sustainable employment.
The Ufoma Fish Farmers Association (UFFA) in Warri City is the biggest fish farming cluster in Nigeria. Nigeria’s fish market is estimated at 2.5 million tonnes. Half of that is met by import.
Small fish farmers in Warri City experience low productivity and profitability. Their farms experience high mortality and slow growth. And despite some use of improved feed - it has been insufficient and wasteful.
Since the intervention the demo model has been scaled up. Trained young local service providers now run demos and train farmers at a fee. Additional youths are joining the association as farmers. There are two service providers in each of the nine states in the Niger Delta. The 15 Aquaculture Service Providers are reaching a combined total of around 4,000 pond farmers in their various locations. Within six months there was an increased yield and profits increased from 5 - 10 per cent.
James Elekwachi and Faith Soya explored the process behind developing and implementing the following interventions:
- a demonstration pond pilot intervention to showcase best agronomical practice
- feed companies were invited to sponsor the demonstrations
- the hatchery was invited to supply post fingerlings
- the Ufoma Fish Farmers Association coordinated its members
- the demo farmers managed the demonstration ponds