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UFFCA congratulates NAADS on their five years of support to Fishers’ empowerment
1.0 INTRODUCTION:-
Uganda Fisheries and Fish Conservation Association (UFFCA) is a non-stock, non-governmental membership Organization that was founded in December 1993 and got registered with the Uganda Government Ministry of Internal Affairs' NGO Board in March 1994. It is a national collective of community-based fisheries-related organizations that are rooted in, and accountable to, the lake dependant communities in which it works.
UFFCA caters for the concerns, needs and strategic interests plus aspirations of more than 2.5 million people in the lake dependent communities, country- wide. Right from its inception, the Organization has been involved in community mobilizing and organizing, and policy advocacy for fisheries reform at local and national government levels.
Increasingly, the Organisation realized that addressing poverty and other socio-economic deprivations among the rural communities required an integrated people-centered development approach and philosophy. In addressing this challenge, UFFCA is working in partnership with other stakeholder institutions and organizations at international, national, local government, and community levels.
2.0 BACKGROUND:-
Water bodies, which are the major sources of fish, cover about 20% of Uganda's surface area and comprise five major lakes; Victoria, Albert, Kyoga, Edward and George, and the River Nile System. The current fisheries resource base is comprised of capture fisheries (artisanal) and aquaculture.
The major commercial species include; Nile Perch (Lates Nilotica), Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis nilotica), small silver minnow:
"Mukene" (Rastrineobola agentae), Clarias gariapisis, "Male", Bagrus docmac "Semutundu" and Protopterus aethopicus "Mamba". There are also larger silver minnow locally known as "Ngara" and Tiger fishes, Hydrocynus species, locally known as "Ngasia" and "Nganya", "Wagaisa".
Uganda is estimated to have the capacity to produce about 300,000 metric tones of fish annually on a sustainable basis. The annual average catch per year is estimated to be 200,000 metric tons.
Artisanal fishermen who are regarded as sole fish producers, and estimated at over 150,000 fishers in 2005, wholly dominate the Uganda's fisheries resources. Over 700,000 people are involved in fisheries - related activities, such as; artisanal fish processing, fish trading or marketing locally and boat building. Some people are also involved in industrial fish processing and exporting, fishing equipment, trade, fisheries research, extension service and administration.
It is estimated that out of the total quantity of fish landed, 60% is marketed fresh, while 20% is processed using traditional methods of smoking, salting, frying and sun drying.
The marketing of fish is characterized by several channels of distribution serving both the domestic, regional and international export markets.
Fish has now become one of the country's major source of income and an important export commodity. It is estimated that over US$ 142.7 million was earned from fish exports in the year 2005. The fisheries sector's share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was estimated at 1.9% (2005) and has improved given the increased export performance and investment in aquaculture development.
However, it is disheartening to note that despite the economic boom n the fisheries industry, the fishing communities have remained socially and economically backward; with raising poverty levels, food insecure, unstable incomes, and poor processing technologies.
3.0 UFFCA's role and contribution to the NAADS programme:
Where as the NAADS Programme has in the past three (3) years succeeded in organizing and empowering farmers for improved and increased agricultural production and productivity, and to demand advisory services, the reverse is true for those in the fishing industry. Because of this, UFFCA is involved in,
- Monitoring the programme at local level so that it remains focused to the needs of the people.
- Working in partnership with NAADS to bring on Board the Capture Fisheries Sector to benefit from NAADS future Programme Implementation.
- UFFCA is now working with NAADS to bring the fishers on board as a key target for its advisory services.
- In collaboration with NAADS, UFFCA is involved in the review of the NAADS Act 2001 so that capture fisheries concerns could also be considered under its programme.
- Together with NAADS, UFFCA is developing a Strategy towards the Socio-Economic Empowerment of fishers through the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) Programme Support.
- UFFCA with support from NAADS facilitated the National Fishers' Consultative process on the NAADS programme Implementation to benefit the Fishers.
- NAADS supports Fishers' empowerment especially during their National World Fisheries Day (WFD) celebrations.
4.0 Challenges
The lack of support and poor service delivery system among the fishing communities need to be addressed.
The fishing communities (fishers) are themeselves not organized. They need to be organized so that they can be able to demand for services.
To this end, just like the farmer institutional development process was facilitated by the NAADS programme support, NAADS too needs to shift some of its focus and make strategic interventions directed towards those in the capture fisheries sector; fishing, fish processing and storage, value addition, fish marketing etc.
5.0 Way forward for NAADS
NAADS Programme should now focus on:
- Assisting in mobilizing and organizing fishing communities to become economically organized through building fishing
groups/associations, fish processing and or fish marketing groups.
- Providing advisory services to these already organized fishers' economic units/groups, which will have become NAADS compliant in areas of improved fisheries post-harvest technologies and provision of fish handling facilities and marketing information.
Eventually, these fisher groups will together with other farmer groups in the NAADS subcounties form themselves into NAADS subcounty and District farmer foras with representation from fishers who will, among others, be able to lobby and advocate for their interests around accessing credit, infrastructure, markets, training, etc.
UFFCA would like to join NAADS in celebrating its 5 years of existence in Uganda and look forward to its Strategic Support to the Capture Fisheries Sector in Uganda in the next period/season.
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