CGIAR Research Program on FISH Annual report 2018

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The FISH 2018 Annual Report > Capacity development

Photo by Fatmata Binta Jalloh
Lead farmer Abu Kargbo harvesting his pond in Kamathor community, Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone.

Boosting aquaculture through farmer-to-farmer learning

Small-scale aquaculture has significant potential to diversify livelihoods, raise incomes and create employment opportunities as well as improve household food security through greater access to fresh, nutritious fish. Despite these benefits, few farmers in Sierra Leone are currently engaged in aquaculture, mainly because the concept of fish farming for business is relatively new in the country.

As part of our efforts to support the development of the national aquaculture sector, we have been developing and testing participatory extension approaches designed to give farmers the skills and knowledge they need to operate profitable aquaculture businesses.

Of the extension approaches tested to date, our research suggests that the most successful learning occurs at the pond site. Through exchange visits, new and interested farmers are able to observe the construction of fishponds, receive assistance in farm management, ask questions and hear about challenges and successes from their peers.

We are very happy to show other people our ponds and try to bring them on board. There is high demand for fish in our communities and we alone cannot supply all the fish needed all year round. It is also a privilege to help impact other people’s lives and improve their livelihoods.Jeremiah Janjuma,lead farmer, Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone

Jeremiah Janjuma, one of the lead farmers in Bumbuna community, stocked his first pond with tilapia fingerlings in August 2017 and shared his progress with other farmers. In his 500 m2 pond, he produced 137 kg of fish. He sold 117 kg of that and earned 700,000 Sierra Leonean leones (USD 43). He reserved the remaining 20 kg for household consumption.

Sustained attention to creating an enabling environment for farmer-to-farmer learning and equipping farmers with the skills and knowledge to run businesses will ensure that long-term benefits are maintained and scaled up beyond the duration of the project.

In addition, the willingness of lead farmers to act as community extension workers and spearhead the adoption of better farming techniques through training sessions and knowledge sharing holds the promise of transforming the aquaculture sector in Sierra Leone.

Supporting more sustainable, productive and inclusive fish agri-food systems

Annual Report 2018

Youth collecting sea cucumbers in Solomon Islands. Photo by Hampus Eriksson.

The CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH) made significant progress in producing and disseminating a suite of research innovations for the sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture across Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

Highlights from 2018

Photo by Michael Akester
Fishers from Papin village, Maubin township, Myanmar returning from a floodplain fishery with a range of freshwater fish for marketing.
9 countries where research informed national policies
18,000 audience in panel presentation on 'women in the blue economy'
67,687 people received short-term training, of which 25,270 were women
179 active partnerships: 85 new for 2018
35% of partnerships focused on scaling
32 private sector partnerships
6 countries adopted improved fish seed and farm management practices
3 countries deployed new online tool for disease epidemiology and risk assessment
52 countries where research with FAO is illuminating the hidden harvests of small-scale fisheries
775 million people highly dependent on marine fisheries, new FISH evidence showed

FISH research contributes directly to 10 SDGs

FISH research contributes to aspects of 3 other SDGs

Research Highlights

Photo by Chosa Mweemba
Production of high quality fingerlings in Zambia.

Where we work

FISH pursues an integrated body of research in six focal countries. Three are in Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia and Myanmar) and three are in Africa (Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia). In addition, the program focuses on Egypt as a research hub and training center for our aquaculture capacity development in Africa, and Solomon Islands as a hub for our learning networks on small-scale fisheries governance in the Pacific.

Successes and lessons learned from research are scaled with partners to achieve impact and are being progressively expanded to Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, Uganda and Vietnam.

  • Africa

    • We completed research on integration of fish into foresight studies and fish supply-demand modeling, including landmark publications on sustainable aquaculture growth at Africa regional level and for Zambia, both indicating the essential need for future investment in fisheries and aquaculture.

    • Our participatory engagement with regional and national governments along the four main trade corridors in Southern, Eastern, Central and West Africa led to some significant policy shifts, including fish product standards and trade facilitation. The COMESA Fish Inspection and Certification Facility, which was opened in December 2018 on the Zambia-Zimbabwe-Mozambique border, is one example of outcomes from research that identified challenges impeding cross-border trade, including lengthy customs and bureaucratic formalities at border posts.

    • We designed and tested tablet-based performance assessment tools in several countries, including Egypt. A new partnership with private sector feed manufacturer Skretting was agreed to further develop these tools and extend their use in tilapia aquaculture, with a focus on Africa.

    • We produced new knowledge on gender barriers and implications in fisheries-dependent communities, published in key papers from Malawi and Zambia.

    • Our research on fish disease and biosecurity provided new surveillance and diagnostic techniques and tools for addressing the global challenge from the emerging tilapia lake virus (TiLV). Assistance with the application of these tools was provided to several countries to improve policies for health management, including Egypt and Zambia.

    • Our research fed into a rapid assessment of fish in food systems and value chains in the Great Lakes region, as reported in keynote presentations and a side event at the 6th Pan-African Fish and Fisheries Association conference.

    • Findings from a youth-focused study led by FISH managing partner IWMI in eight focal countries are being published in a brief on youth in fish agri-food systems and a FISH Youth Strategy, due for 2019 release. In addition, actions are being integrated into new youth-focused interventions in the ten-country aquaculture component of the Technologies for African Agriculture Transformation initiative and capacity development in an aquaculture vocational and entrepreneurship training investment in Zambia.

    • We conducted studies in Nigeria to identify entrepreneurship opportunities for women.

  • Asia

    • Improved fish breeds, aquafeeds, fish disease control measures and/or improvements in aquaculture management practices derived from our research continued to be disseminated widely and adopted by fish farm households across Asia, through multiple channels and partnerships.

    • Co-management innovations derived from our research were adopted across large areas of the Meghna river system in Bangladesh and the nationally important hilsa fishery, contributing to substantial gains in productivity and sustainability.

    • In a series of experiments in Bangladesh and Vietnam, our feeds research showed that low-protein, high-energy diets stimulated natural food production in the pond, which compensated not only for the reduced supply of dietary protein but also contributed to higher fish growth.

    • Research on fish in sustainable rice-fish systems and co- organization of a regional symposium led to the Naypyitaw Agreement, a foundation for policy change to enable adoption of integrated rice-fish system innovations by farmers at scale in Myanmar and potentially beyond.

    • Our research with the Government of Odisha, India contributed to policy changes in the state. For example, the Government Policy Corrigendum on Grant of Long-term Lease of Gram Panchayat Tanks for Pisciculture allows communities longer term access to small water bodies for aquaculture.

    • Our technologies and management systems were integrated in climate-smart agriculture initiatives in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam, leading to several promising climate-smart agriculture innovations for vulnerable communities dependent on aquatic systems. During 2018, a gendered analysis of the learning and outcomes from these investments in Bangladesh was conducted, including drawing out lessons to enhance impacts of climate-smart agriculture investments in Bangladesh on vulnerable women.

    • We completed a study on the adoption of better management practices in Bangladesh. The study, which will be published in 2019, indicated that farmers adopting simple operational improvements had 50 percent higher productivity.

    • Our assessments of potential for sustainable intensification of aquaculture in Bangladesh identified changes in fish farming technology and management that can help make the global transition to more intensive forms of aquaculture more sustainable.

    • Our research made national policy contributions in 10 countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India and Myanmar.

  • Pacific

    • A study conducted with FISH managing partner James Cook University and published in Nature Climate Change contributed a new framework for building adaptive capacity in tropical coastal communities. The framework was subsequently tested through cases in five countries, including Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.

    • We collaborated with private sector partner Pelagic Data Systems to develop an integrated data pipeline to highlight temporal and spatial changes in production from small-scale fisheries. The proposal was a winner of the CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture’s 2018 Inspire Challenge, which encourages the use of big data approaches to advance agricultural research and development.

    • We generated new knowledge and collaboration on cross-scale governance mechanisms, with evidence published in key papers focusing on Pacific Island coastal fisheries and Solomon Islands.

    • Our small-scale fisheries researchers facilitated revision of the national fishery law in Timor-Leste governing 75,000 hectares of coastal seas. Forty diverse stakeholder groups across three workshops, and a technical working group across many meetings, saw a 15-year-old fisheries law reduced from 465 articles to 150 and made relevant to the fishery sector, supporting the rights of fishers and promoting nutrition security through fisheries.

    • We conducted youth-focused research in eight focal countries, including Solomon Islands, providing a framework for analyzing youth inclusion and identifying potential interventions for more youth-inclusive aquaculture and fisheries sectors.

    • We tested the ‘light touch’ approach to community-based resource management in Solomon Islands, as a result of which 1137 hectares of marine water area were brought under improved management by 23 communities.

    • Our efforts to support women fishers to participate in decisions about small-scale fisheries, including through the landmark Women Fishers’ Forum, are providing inputs to fisheries policy processes in Timor-Leste.

Stories of Change

Communications and knowledge sharing

Our Partners

Photo by Mohammad Mahabubur Rahman
Hilsa catch, Bangladesh.

Our partners are essential for bringing technologies and innovations to scale and achieving development impact. We work with an extensive network of partners, including international, national, regional and local governmental institutions, universities, private sector organizations and NGOs, who share our commitment to creating positive change for the millions who depend on fish in the developing world.

179 active partnerships

  • 54Academic and research institutions
  • 44Development organizations nongovernmental, networks and regional organizations
  • 32Private sector
  • 12National agricultural research and extension systems or national agricultural research systems
  • 10Governments
  • 7CGIAR
  • 6Community-based organizations and farmer groups
  • 6Foundations and financial institutions
  • 4Bilateral and donor governments
  • 2Multilateral
  • 2Others
discover the full list of partners

Investors and Financials

Photo by Finn Thilsted.
Fish drying, Ngapali beach, Gyeiktaw, Myanmar.

To meet future demand for fish, particularly in developing countries, production will need to double by 2030. The scale of this challenge requires research innovations across the whole spectrum of fisheries and aquaculture production systems and value chains. We are extremely grateful to all our investors who enable us to conduct this vital research. In 2018, FISH had 46 investors, providing a total budget of USD 25.7 million.

Planned budget 2018*
W1/W2** W3/bilateral Total
Sustainable Aquaculture 2,550,247 12,142,658 14,692,905
Sustaining Small-Scale Fisheries 953,055 8,493,894 9,446,949
Cross-program investments 905,366 905,366
FISH management and support costs 703,775 703,775
FISH total 5,112,443 20,636,552 25,748,995
Actual expenditure 2018*
W1/W2** W3/bilateral Total
Sustainable Aquaculture 2,561,474 10,123,797 12,685,271
Sustaining Small-Scale Fisheries 914,526 8,505,735 9,420,261
Cross-program investments 898,823 898,823
FISH management and support costs 678,338 678,388
FISH total 5,053,211 18,629,532 23,682,743
Difference
W1/W2** W3/bilateral Total
Sustainable Aquaculture (11,227) 2,018,861 2,007,634
Sustaining Small-Scale Fisheries 38,529 (11,841) 26,688
Cross-program investments 6,543 6,543
FISH management and support costs 25,387 25,387
FISH total 59,232 2,007,020 2,066,252
* 2018 CGIAR System Management Office-approved budget USD 4.86 million + 2017 carry-over USD 252,443 ** For an explanation of windows 1, 2 and 3 funding, please see the CGIAR website *** Source: Audited lead and participating center financial report

FISH people

Photo by Mohammad Shohorab Hossain, WorldFish
8th International Steering Committee Meeting of WorldFish, Bangladesh.

Independent steering committee (ISC)

  • Nigel Preston, ISC Chair, University of Queensland, Australia
  • Editrudith Lukanga, Environmental Management and Economic Development Organization, Tanzania
  • Gareth Johnstone, WorldFish, Malaysia
  • Ian Cowx, University of Hull, United Kingdom
  • M.A. Sattar Mandal, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh
  • Marian Kjellevold, Institute of Marine Research, Norway
  • Mark Smith, International Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka
  • Tony Haymet, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Australia

Country directors

Africa

  • Harrison Charo Karisa, Country Director, Egypt and Nigeria
  • Sloans Chimatiro, Country Director, Zambia and Tanzania

Asia

  • Malcolm Dickson, Country Director, Bangladesh
  • Yumiko Kura, Country Director, Cambodia
  • Michael Akester, Country Director, Myanmar

Pacific

  • Delvene Boso, Country Director, Solomon Islands

Management Committee (MC)

  • Michael Phillips, MC Chair, Director, CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems and Aquaculture and Fisheries Sciences, WorldFish
  • Cristiano Rossignoli, Monitoring and Evaluation Leader, WorldFish
  • Cynthia McDougall, Gender Research Leader, WorldFish
  • David Shearer, Director of International Partnerships and Program Delivery, WorldFish
  • Emily Khor, Program Lifecycle Performance Manager, WorldFish
  • Harrison Charo Karisa, Country Director, Egypt and Nigeria, WorldFish
  • Johan Verreth, Head of the Chair Group Aquaculture and Fisheries, Wageningen University & Research
  • John Benzie, Sustainable Aquaculture Program Leader, WorldFish
  • John Linton, Commercial Director, Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich
  • Marc-Antoine Baïssas, Director of Finance and IT Systems (interim), WorldFish
  • Michael Akester, Country Director, Myanmar, WorldFish
  • Philippa Cohen, Resilient Small-Scale Fisheries Program Leader, WorldFish
  • Paola Reale, Research Programs Manager, WorldFish
  • Shakuntala Thilsted, Value Chains and Nutrition Program Leader, WorldFish
  • Sonali S. Sellamuttu, Head of Southeast Asia Office, International Water Management Institute
  • Tana Lala-Pritchard, Director of Communications and Marketing, WorldFish
  • Terry Hughes, Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies

Managing Partners

Managing Partners