1. business and industrial
2. agriculture and forestry
3. aquaculture

J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 1
AquaFish Innovation Lab Proposal Cover Sheet
Title of Proposal:
Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda: Indigenous Species, Training, and Water Science
Names, institutional affiliation, address, telephone, and email address of Lead US Principal
Investigator submitting this proposal:
Joseph J. Molnar Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Coordinator,
Office of International Agriculture 108B Comer Hall Mornings 334.844.5518 FAX 2937 301 Comer
Hall Afternoons 334.844.5615 FAX 5639 Cell 334.663.2375 Auburn University 181 Simmons Drive
Auburn, AL 36849-5406 [email protected]
Name and affiliation of all US and HC co-PIs:
Kevin Fitzsimmons Professor, Research Scientist and Extension Specialist, Department of Soil Water and
Environmental Science Director, International Programs, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
University of Arizona 1140 E. South Campus Drive Forbes 306 Tucson, AZ 85719
[email protected]
John K. Walakira, Aquaculture Scientist, Aquaculture Research and Development Center-Kajjansi,
National Fisheries Resources Research Institute-NARO, P.O. Box 530,Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256
777673696 Email: [email protected]
Claude Boyd, Professor, Fisheries and Allied Aquaculture, Auburn University 131 Aquatic Resource
Management Building Auburn University, AL 36849 Phone: (334) 844-4078
[email protected]
James O. Bukenya, Professor, Resource Economics, Alabama A&M University P. O. Box 1042 Normal, AL
35762 Tel:(256) 372-5729; Fax: 372-5911 [email protected]
Theodora Hyuha, Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Makerere University, Kampala
Uganda [email protected]
Charles Ngugi, Fisheries Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, P.O. Box 5818700200 Nairobi, Kenya. [email protected]
Julius Manyala, Associate Professor, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences,
University of Eldoret, P. O. Box 1125 30100, Eldoret, Kenya, +254 733 397 285
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
1
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 2
Total Cost
Proposed Project Period: Start:
(27 months maximum, ending 30 September 2015)
Required prior to award
Animal Use Approval(attach approval)
Approved
Human Subjects Approval(attach)
x
Total Federal
Funds Requested
Total US nonFederal Cost
Share
$750,343
$241,139
7/1/13
Pending
x
to End:
9/30/15
Not necessary
NICRA (Lead Institution’s Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement)
x
Institutional and Agency Certifications and Assurances
x
Development Theme
x
A Improved Health and Nutrition, Food
Quality, and Food Safety
C Environmental Management for
Sustainable Aquatic Resources Use
B Income Generation for Small-Scale
Fish Farmers
D Enhanced Trade and Investment for Global
Fishery Markets
Region
Africa 100 % effort:
Authorized US Institutional Representative
(John Mason, Jr. (334) 844-4784)
Associate Provost and
Vice President for Research
Signature
2
Date
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 3
AquaFish Innovation Lab Proposal Summary Page Form
Title of Proposal: Aquaculture
Development in Kenya and Uganda: Indigenous Species,
Training, and Water Science
Development Theme (select only one)
A Improved Health and Nutrition, Food
C Environmental Management for
Quality, and Food Safety
Sustainable Aquatic Resources Use
B Income Generation for Small-Scale Fish
D Enhanced Trade and Investment for Global
x
Farmers
Fishery Markets
Names and institutional affiliations of Principal Investigator(s) and Co-PIs submitting this proposal:
Kevin Fitzsimmons Professor, Research Scientist and Extension Specialist, Department of Soil Water and
Environmental Science Director, International Programs, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
University of Arizona 1140 E. South Campus Drive Forbes 306 Tucson, AZ 85719
[email protected]
John K. Walakira, Aquaculture Scientist, Aquaculture Research and Development Center-Kajjansi,
National Fisheries Resources Research Institute-NARO, P.O. Box 530,Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256
777673696 Email: [email protected]
Claude Boyd, Professor, Fisheries and Allied Aquaculture, Auburn University 131 Aquatic Resource
Management Building Auburn University, AL 36849 Phone: (334) 844-4078
[email protected]
James O. Bukenya, Professor, Resource Economics, Alabama A&M University P. O. Box 1042 Normal, AL
35762 Tel:(256) 372-5729; Fax: 372-5911 [email protected]
Theodora Hyuha, Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Makerere University, Kampala
Uganda [email protected]
Charles Ngugi, Fisheries Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, P.O. Box 5818700200 Nairobi, Kenya. [email protected]
Julius Manyala, Associate Professor, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Eldoret,
P. O. Box 1125 30100, Eldoret, Kenya, +254 733 397 285 Email: [email protected] or
[email protected]
3
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 4
Seven investigations per proposal is recommended. Maximum of 10 investigations per proposal.
Host
Type:
Topic Area
Title of
Total
Cost
Country
Experiment/
(RFP p. 3-4)
1 (US $)
Investigation
Institutions
Study/ Activity
(one per investigation)
Involved
1. Development of low-cost
Climate Change
captive breeding and hatching Adaptation: Indigenous
technologies for the African
Species Development
Lungfish (Protopterus spp) to
Study
NaFIRRI
213,680
improve livelihoods, nutrition
and income for vulnerable
communities in Uganda
2. New Approaches to Inform,
Production system
Motivate, and Advance Small design and best
and Medium-scale Fish
management alternatives
Study
Farmers: Building Industry
189,423
Makerere
Capacity through Cell Phone (Women--Outreach)
University
Networks, Training, and
Market Participation
3. Assessment of Market
Marketing, Economic
Opportunities for Small-Scale
Risk Assessment, and
Makerere
123,693 University
Fishers and Farmers in Central Trade (MER)
Study
Uganda
4. Assessment of growth
performance of monosex Nile Sustainable Feed
Sagana
tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Technology and Nutrient
Experiment
Research
using low cost supplemental Input Systems (SFT)
120,783
Station
feeds in cages and training fish
KMALF
farmers on best management
practices in Kenya
5. Formulation and manufacture Sustainable Feed
of practical feeds for Western Technology and Nutrient
Eldoret
123,453 University
Kenya
Input Systems (SFT)
Experiment
6. Development of low–cost
Production system
aquaponics systems for Kenya design and best
management alternatives
Activity
Sum:
1
102,641
Eldoret
University
$
750,343
The sum of the costs of all investigations should equal the total cost of federal funds requested on the cover sheet.
032613
4
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The project features collaboration between three U.S. institutions with extensive
experience in aquacultural development, research and training in Africa. Our four host
country partner institutions reflect a key university in aquaculture and the central
division of the government that is charged with overseeing fishery and aquacultural
resources. Each of the lead investigators has a strong record of research
accomplishments and practical impact on aquaculture development in Africa. In
particular, each participant has had previous research involvement and has directed
students whose theses focused on the problems of income generation for small-scale
fish farmers, species selection, or the management of aquatic resources.
The project brings a strong supporting team of experienced colleagues in each African
and U.S. institution who have experience and publications related to diverse aspects of
aquacultural development, including, water chemistry, economics, agricultural
engineering, sociology, and the biology of aquatic organisms.
Each of the component studies endeavors to solve or clarify some bottleneck or
unknown dimension that limits the advance of fish culture in Uganda and Kenya.
Whether it be the reproductive control and managed grow out of a new species such as
lungfish, the established practice of tilapia culture under diverse and changing local
circumstances, or new insights on how to reach and engage fish farmers with practical
information through their cellphones, this project is committed to practical, tangible
results.
The Kenya context for the growth of aquaculture is particularly promising due to the
policy environment that encourages fish culture in that country. A program of
fingerling subsidy has induced a broad array of producers to engage in fish culture in
diverse ways. It is clear that only a small proportion will retain interest and
commitment to fish farming, but this motivated and able subset will form the nucleus of
an industry that will be providing employment, income, and food security a decade
from now.
The graduate students that will conduct research and organize practical activities such
as training events and guidance conferences will learn from these experience as well
and contribute to the advance of the industry. The project seeks to support a small
subset of individuals for U.S. training, but also supports graduate students at the host
country institutions who will engage in studies, trials, and training events in ways that
will advance their projects but also build each nation’s human capacity for aquacultural
development.
5
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 6
INTRODUCTION:
Building on Previous CRSP work. Efforts to promote Aquaculture in Kenya have
several threads of activity. A research and demonstration fish farm was started in the
1940s, the Sagana Fish Farm. Later, the Eat More Fish Campaign (1960s -1970s) and the
FAO aquaculture program in Kisumu were notable efforts to advance fish farming. The
AquaFish Innovation Lab Support Program (AFIL) started in Kenya in 1997. Karen
Veverica was an AFIL researcher who renovated and expanded the Sagana station,
cooperating with Charles Ngugi and other host country researchers. The development
of aquaculture surged with AFIL practices and technologies developed and
demonstrated at Sagana. A 5-year FISH project supported by the USAID mission
endeavored to jump-start aquacultural development by focusing of a cadre of
commercial operations and the development of capacity for extruded feed production.
Tilapia and catfish research and extension has built current annual fish production to
over 200,000 Mt. The AFIL focused on pond design, construction techniques, and water
management.
Construction of additional ponds both at Eldoret University and Sagana Fish Farm (a
unit of the Kenya Marine Fisheries Development) improved opportunities for research
and demonstration. Individual farmers constructed a considerable number of small
ponds throughout the country, particularly in the Kisumu area. Short courses in pond
construction and management were conducted for University students, fisheries
personnel, and fish farmers. Feed formulation using locally available raw materials was
coupled with the CRSP paradigm that features fertilization then feeding in later stages
of growth.
A series of short courses for personnel of the Kenya Marine Fisheries Department
(KMFD) was begun in 1999 and concluded in 2005. In these sessions, Fisheries
Department staff received two to three weeks of training in pond design; pond
construction, pond management, and business plan preparation for commercial
aquaculture. Undergraduate students received stipends for aquaculture work
conducted in association with their special projects. Selected graduate students were
awarded full scholarships and enrolled at Moi University’s Chepkoilel Campus (now
Eldoret University) in Eldoret, to begin their studies. Short training courses have
improved technical confidence and morale among fisheries personnel involved in
extension work. Support and hands-on guidance of undergraduate and graduate
aquaculture students also strengthened the degree programs and helped promote
productive and sustainable aquaculture growth in Kenya and in the region by
providing a cadre of trained staff for commercial aquaculture. These series of training
sessions helped build a pool of trained staff that were engaged in the Economic
Stimulus Programme funded by the Government of Kenya.
6
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 7
Studies evaluated the growth performance and economic feasibility of feeding Nile
tilapia with diets made up of locally available feedstuffs. On-farm testing of various
alternatives of pond management allowed farmers to assess their costs and benefits
under local conditions. Farmers learned that improved management lead to increased
production and grasped new techniques on pond record keeping, fish sampling, and
other basic practices. These are the central paths for increasing income generation for
small-scale fish farmers.
In Uganda, the annual Fish Farmers Symposium & Trade Fair provides farmers and
would-be aquaculturalists a unique opportunity to network, learn new skills, and view
the latest in aquaculture equipment and products. Stakeholders all along the
aquaculture value chain are invited to attend. In its 6th year, the event is sponsored by
the Walimi Fish Farmers Cooperative Society (WAFICOS) with USAID support.
AquaFish CRSP helped organize the 2010 and 2011 symposia and related study tours.
Improving the practice of fish culture by reinforcing best management practices and
peer-to-peer problem solving is a fundamental process for increasing farm incomes and
improving human nutrition through fish farming.
One of several fish farmer associations in Uganda, WAFICOS is a successful service
model for the Uganda aquaculture sector. Since its creation in 2004, the association has
grown to over 300 members mostly from central Uganda. Its membership covers the
spectrum of the aquaculture sector — grow-out farmers, fish seed producers and
breeders, feed manufacturers, suppliers, processors, extensionists, and researchers.
Members have access to technical advisory services, affordable input supplies, and
equipment rentals. A major thrust of the WAFICOS cooperative’s outreach services is
the annual symposium and trade fair. Aquaculture in Kenya and Uganda has been
practiced largely at a subsistence level, with a poorly functioning marketing system. It
seems that Kenya institutions serving aquaculture and fisheries are better funded and
more developed.
By 2012 many of the original local partners in early Aqua CRSP projects had moved into
the private sector or into higher positions in the government. Although these were
beneficial on a national and regional scale, and a great success of the program, the
expertise and experience had been lost at the university level. This realization led to
another project to rebuild human and physical capacity at the university level. With a
focus on pond management and water quality assessment, the Kenya project provided
training at Eldoret for the new faculty members and assisted them with many field
visits to farmers, funded participation in international conferences and the WAFICOS
meetings in Uganda. The project provided complete new sets of water quality testing
apparatus and the hard to replace reagents and training to students, staff, and visiting
farmers on proper water testing and pond management.
7
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 8
Constraints Driving the Research. Ensuring the supply of quality seed to enable
income generation for small-scale fish farmers is a fundamental task in both Uganda
and Kenya. Training, research, and outreach focused on growing a spatially balanced
distribution of seed stock producer clusters will foster the development of the tilapia
industry. Readily available, high quality fingerlings will facilitate producer motivation
for timely restocking for increased production and enhance availability of supply.
Developing and stimulating the network of fingerling producers also will foster peer-topeer technical support, market development, and other forms of mutual support.
Alignment with AquaFish Themes. Each of the studies resonates with THEME B
Income Generation for Small-Scale Fish Farmers. The study that addresses the
development of low-cost captive breeding and hatching technologies for the African
Lungfish (Protopterus spp) is intended to improve livelihoods, nutrition and income for
vulnerable communities in Uganda. The new species could provide an expanded
availability of now-rare food item for local markets by allowing small producers to
culture a vigorous fish tolerant of a wide range of water quality conditions. The activity
that explores new approaches to inform, motivate, and advance small and mediumscale fish farmers addresses the often unrecognized fact that new technologies are not
what constrain aquaculture in Africa. Rather is the lack of compliance with known
protocols for reproducing and growing fish.
One way to build industry networks that will reinforce production messages is through
cell phone networks, training, and market participation through mobile devices,
particularly for remotely located farm operators. The study that provides an assessment
of market opportunities for small-scale fishers and farmers in Central Uganda will
complement and extend the aforementioned study. It will clarify those strategies that
work for successful producers and outline the structural barriers to improved market
performance. Assessment of growth performance of monosex Nile tilapia (Oreochromis
niloticus) using low cost supplemental feeds in cages and training fish farmers on best
management practices in Kenya will provide practical guidance to the large number of
new fish farmers in that country. Formulation and manufacture of practical feeds for
Western Kenya will identify practical means for increasing the availability of wellformulated floating feeds that are important aspects of productive fish farming. Finally,
the development of low–cost aquaponics systems for Kenya will provide opportunities
for small operators with aquatic resources on their small land holdings. Requiring a
higher skill level, aquaponic systems can be important local sources of food, nutrition,
and incomes, as well as seed stock for surrounding farms.
Feed the Future Alignment. Fish is the number three Government of Uganda priority
commodity. The Uganda FtF strategy emphasizes an integrated approach that has as its
ultimate objectives to increase income and reduce the prevalence of under nutrition.
8
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 9
The latter is achieved through increased household consumption of diverse and
nutritious foods, including fish. In addition, the increased household adoption of
essential nutrition actions related to the preparation and storage of food. The project
contributes to the FtF strategy by enhancing the availability of fish protein throughout
the year in places where often dwindling capture supplies do not reach.
In each country, but particularly in Uganda, we intend to improved fish market
infrastructure, and post-harvest handling practices, with strategic aggregation centers
available to farmers. We build on effective farmer organizations to leverage finance,
broker trade arrangements and facilitate fish farmer access to purchase inputs and
equipment. Accessible market information system with up-to-date prices and an ability
to trade via information communication technology (ICT). The main idea is to use
state-of-the-art ICT innovations and local Ugandan partners to close the market
information gap for small-holder farmers and traders.
In Kenya, the linkages between nutrition and the aquacultural value chain focus on
increasing Kenya’s capacity to produce fish and ownership of the input supply chain to
sustain the development of the industry. Fish culture will contribute to improvements
in diet quality and diversity. Enhanced availability of fish will improve nutritionrelated behaviors by increasing awareness of fish protein from fresh, dried, and process
products. The project also will endeavor to increase utilization of health and nutrition
services and increase access to food safety information by working with district
nutrition officers as one target audience for project outputs.
Needs Assessment. We assess needs for this work through the documentation available
in the published literature, the extensive assessments conducted by USAID and other
organizations, and the direct experience of our host country partners. Their work with
district fisheries officers, NGOs, and other groups who are close to farms and
communities provide frequent and timely intelligence on the practices and problems
that frustrate producers and block progress in aquacultural development.
Kenya has instituted its Economic Stimulus Package which included funding for
thousands of fish ponds across the country. The funds reimburse farmers for pond
construction, installation of a liner and water supply inlet. The project also provides
fingerlings and feed at subsidized prices for beginners. However, no funds were
allocated for training or education of farmers in fish farming or pond management.
The Aqua Innovation Lab has determined that we can play a central role in training the
trainers needed to provide these services as well as to assist with the first round of field
training.
Beneficiaries. The most immediate beneficiaries of the project are men and women fish
farmers who are motivated to increase the efficiency and technical rigor of their
production operations, in turn increasing incomes and sustainable livelihoods.
9
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 10
Consumer benefit from the enhanced diet variety associated with the availability of fish
and derive products in the market at affordable prices. Children benefit from enhanced
nutrition and the consequent impacts on development and school readiness. University
faculty, staff and students will also benefit as the capacity of their programs will be
enhanced and strengthened. We will most directly benefit two universities, but also
incorporate faculty from several other universities, trade schools, and extension service
and government agencies.
Institutional Capacity and Track Record. The U.S. institutions have a strong record of
research and development involvement in aquaculture in Africa and around the world.
The key national institutions, universities and research institutes, have solid records of
training students and engaging farmers in aquacultural development. The project PI's
have made many trips to Africa and specifically to Kenya and Uganda and have former
student alumni now back in the host countries as colleagues.
The presence of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi and its
branch office in Kampala are institutional resources that augment the capacity of the
project. ILRI has formal ties to the World Fish Center, another CGIAR research center.
Project personnel have visited both offices and are participating in conferences and
other activities organized by ILRI that focus on aquaculture.
Justification. Aquaculture development is building in Uganda as at least one large
commercial farm is using cage culture to produce daily truckloads of tilapia destined
for export to Congo. The medium and small scale sector is advancing through the
endeavors of project-developed and supported Annual Fish Farmer Conference and
Trade Show that has become a focal event for the industry. Project-trained trainers
continue to hold events and work with producers throughout the country. Tilapia
remains a readily marketed and popular consumer item, particularly in locales away
from Lake Victoria and other large water bodies. Yet serious deficiencies in production
practice, value chain development, and species alternative remain. Research is needed
to demonstrate and clarify optimal timing and strategies for producing tilapia and
clarius for food and baitfish. New cell-phone based systems for market development,
management guidance, and seed stock coordination present real possibilities for
augmenting the value captured by producers in the marketing chain. New species,
particularly lungfish, offer the advantages of known consumer acceptability associated
with a popular indigenous species.
In Kenya, national polices have promoted fish culture through the subsidized
distribution of fingerlings and the coordination of feed supplies. The government has
also promoted creation of thousands of small farm ponds so that many new farmers
have access to ponds and need technical guidance. We will contribute to capacity
building of university and extension to train these new farmers.
10
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 11
Collaboration between Countries. The studies and activities in Kenya and Uganda are
in most ways specific to each country, yet there are important synergies and mutual
points of stimulation between the two sets of projects. The main point of intersection is
the Annual Fish Farmer Conference and Trade Show that has been an annual event in
Uganda, and is being initiated in Kenya. The Uganda approaches and experiences will
facilitate the Kenya effort. As aquaculture is somewhat more advanced in the Kisumu
area, we plan to bring Uganda farmers to visit that area and participate in the annual
conference when it is held there. We will additionally seek to exchange seminars and
research visits between University of Eldoret (UE) and Makerere University; and
between NaFIRRI and KMFD. The exchanges of seminars and facility tours should
stimulate the project and the farms we visit in each other’s locales.
We will link the activities under the NaFIRRI lungfish research to UE graduate student
Leah Kerengo who has conducted ecological studies on the African Lungfish in Lake
Baringo. The cell phone in aquaculture study will benefit by an exchange visit to Kenya
to learn how the Enhanced Fish Marketing System (EFMIS) operates, required
platforms, linkages, data acquisition, data storage/archiving and distribution. This
system is already well developed in Kenya and covers over 150 fish landing sites and
markets. The fish marketing study in Uganda will have joint workshops with Kenya on
marketing using the value chain/value link concept to develop study tools.
Fish Farmer Workshops will bring producers together from both countries to compare
results of performance trials using similar protocols in Uganda and in Kenya. Selected
farmers/farms in similar agroecological zones will seek harmonization of monosex seed
for on-farm trials. The workshops will feature visits to fish farming clusters who have
made good progress in monosex tilapia seed production.
We also will seek to organize exchange visits to the proposed small scale feed unit at UE
and visit to fish farming clusters who have made good progress in feed compounding.
We also will organize exchange visits between selected farmers using aquaponics,
sharing these experiences through presentations at national workshops in each country.
The project will also assist development of small scale aquaponic and fish/vegetable
growing systems that will incorporate the nutrient rich pond water from fish farming
into more sustainable vegetable farming. Irrigation and fertilizer costs make vegetable
farming economically impractical in many areas. However, integration with fish
farming will share and reduce these costs and allow the small farmer to produce cost
effective crops.
Future Directions (Five Year Vision). Several different issues will require long term
focus for aquacultural development in Kenya and Uganda. New species, such as the
lungfish, have major scientific and technical issues to resolve before they can augment
the food supply and livelihoods in Central Africa. Spawning lungfish in a reliable way
11
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 12
that produces substantial quantities of viable fry is a fundamental objective that will not
be solved in the short term. The project’s findings have established that a market for
lungfish already exists, but we do not yet know how to advise farmers how to manage
the species to realize the promise of farmed lungfish as a consumer item.
Several different issues will require a long term focus for aquacultural development in
Kenya and Uganda. New species, such as the lungfish, have major scientific and
technical issues to resolve before they can augment the food supply and livelihoods in
Central Africa. The proliferation of small and medium size enterprises in aquaculture,
especially with tilapia and catfish, will drive an increase in employment and income.
These will in turn drive greater demand for higher quality fish for family diets as well
as food service. We anticipate a 50% in fish farm production within five years.
Twenty-Year Vision. In 20 years, each country will depend on an autonomous industry
that can produce and distribute fish in a safe, efficient, and economical way using
locally-produced plant-based feeds. Industry organizations will lead the adaptation of
technology to national conditions and constructively engage their government over
policy and regulations that enhance food security while protecting the environment and
the quality of water resources. As our target species are all native to Uganda and Kenya,
we expect that both countries will also become significant exporters of farmed fish
without concern over exotic species.
Exit strategy. We leave each country with a trained cadre of farmers, government
researchers, and active faculty capable of pushing the aquaculture industry forward in
fundamental ways. The farmer-led institutions that have been established, trade shows,
associations, and other mechanisms for joint action by the private sector will continue to
bring expertise to a wider audience. WAFICOS and other organizations can speak the
needs of fish farmers to the government, and otherwise serve as force to move fish
culture forward as a source of income, livelihood, and food security in Kenya, Uganda,
and surrounding nations.
12
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 13
1/6 Title: Development of low-cost captive breeding and hatching technologies for the
African Lungfish (Protopterus spp) to improve livelihoods, nutrition and income
for vulnerable communities in Uganda
Topic Area: Income Generation for Small-Scale Fishers and Farmers - Study
US-PI: Joseph J. Molnar, Auburn University; Claude Boyd, Auburn University
HC-PI: John Walakira, National Fisheries Resources Research Institute, Kampala,
Uganda
Objectives:
1. Determine the genetic diversity of the endemic African lungfish (Protopterus
aethiopicus) fingerlings sourced from four Agro-ecological Zones (East, North,
South western and Central) of Uganda.
2. Domesticate the African lungfish using simple, adoptable and productive captive
breeding techniques that integrates indigenous knowledge.
3. Assess the reproductive performance of the African lungfish in captivity.
4. Evaluate the culture performance of African lungfish produced in captivity.
Significance:
African lungfish is an endangered fish species in Uganda. Its natural stocks are rapidly
declining mainly due to overexploitation, environmental degradation and the largescale conversion of wetlands to agricultural land. Uganda has nine million people
facing an acute food shortage, while 38 % of its children are chronically malnourished.
Aquaculture is one part of the response to these challenges.
Climate change continues to influence regional rainfall patterns and temperature
regimes. Many small and medium-scale producer struggle with poor water quality (e.g.
low dissolved oxygen) and seasonal water deficits that constrain the management of
aquaculture systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The African lungfish (an air breather) may
offer some distinct advantages for income generation for small-scale fish farmers as a
high value product grown under controlled conditions.
Lungfish is valued and demanded in Uganda. It has a distinct flavor, and is associated
with various positive and negative beliefs among different ethnic groups in different
locales (Kees 2002). Nonetheless, consumer acceptance of the fish seems high and
widespread, but it lacks appropriate culture technologies that would enhance its ability
to increasing income generation for small-scale fish farmers. A small number of farmers
currently obtain seed from the wild, grow lungfish in earthen ponds, and usually
receive disappointing results. We do not yet know how to reproduce the species, to best
feed the fish, nor how to manage its growth and harvest.
The absence of breeding technologies for this fish limits the possibilities for lungfish
culture until seed stock can be made more widely available. This study seeks to develop
13
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 14
sustainable breeding and culture techniques for African Lungfish using commercially
available fish feeds. The aquaculture of African lungfish will improve nutrition, food
security, and increase income for human populations. It also will also reduce pressure
on wild fish stocks in Uganda.
Quantified Anticipated Benefits
The following expected benefit are to be achieved by the project.
- Basic guidance on management of lungfish expressed in a farmer-oriented
leaflet.
- Basic nutrition profile of lungfish grow out expressed in a technical report for
extension
- Basic fingerling supply and grow out information expressed in a journal article.
Research Design
(1) Location of work. Aquaculture Research and Development Center-Kajjansi.
(2) Methods
Study 1: Determining the genetic diversity of the endemic African lungfish
Experiment 1.1: Genetic diversity of African lungfish in Uganda: relatedness based
on SNPs and microsatellite markers.
African lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) fingerlings will be obtained from four Agroecological Zones (East, North, South western and Central) of Uganda, and their
reproductive biology performance in captivity assessed. Recent approaches to
measuring genetic diversity within wild and farmed fish populations have underscored
the use of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) and microsatellite (MS) markers.
SNPs are considered to be more powerful markers because of their flexibility to
automation and their high resolution. SNPs can more readily reveal hidden
polymorphisms compared to other markers (Zhang, et al., 2012). SNPS also can
facilitate for sex determination in fish (Chen et al., 2013; Bradley et al., 2011; Kikuchi &
Hamaguchi, 2013). Nevertheless, both methods can help assess genetic variation among
African lungfish.
Profiling genetic variation is a fundamental step in toward the development of captive
breeding programs (Liu & Cordes 2004). Hence, we can develop strategies to
domesticate African lungfish in Uganda and the sub-Saharan African region using
advanced molecular approaches. The protocol used here will build on procedures
described by Ball et al. (2010), DeFaveri et al. (2013), Garner, et al. (2006) and
Muwanika, et al. (2012).
a) Sample collection, morphometrics and sex identification. African Lungfish measuring 60100 cm, total length, will be collected from four sources; Lakes George-Edward, KyogaNawampasa, Wamala and Bisina-Opeta system. It is assumed that fish at this size range
14
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 15
will be mature. Approximately 40-60 fish per site will be collected using locally
available harvesting gears. Site sources will be mapped using GIS technologies to
specify location. We will seek the cooperation of local fishing communities and district
officials who will guide the identification of lungfish water bodies and aggregation
points.
Fish will be anesthetized with tricaine methanesulfonate (ms-222) buffered with 0.2 ml
NaHCO3, pH = 7. Morphometric parameters will be measured following the “Truss
Network System” (Strauss and Bookstein, 1982; Dwivedi & Dubey, 2012) focusing on
the geometric morphology of the African lungfish. Each fish will have n homologous
anatomical landmarks. These selected n inter-landmark distances (modification of
Cavalcanti et al., 1999) will be characterized using digital images to determine the
differences among wild populations of different agro-ecological zones (AEZs). Data will
be subjected to statistical analysis as described by Mir et al. (2013) to evaluate
significance differences among populations investigated.
The fish samples will be dissected to identify individual sex which will be correlated to
phenotypic observations based on existing scientific and indigenous knowledge.
Molecular markers will be identified to ascertain and explain sex differentiation and
determination of African lungfish since this information is apparently unknown.
Environmental parameters will be measured taken to understand their effects on fish
sex determination and differentiation following the Baroiller et al. (2009) method. This
information may facilitate sexing the African lungfish, a basic procedure in captive
breeding programs.
b) DNA extraction, SNPs and Microsatellite genotyping. Genomic DNA will be extracted
from fin clips and/ or skeletal muscle tissue samples using standard procedures and a
DNA isolation kit available on market. SNP and MS genotyping will follow methods
described by Ball et al. (2010), with modifications, to show relatedness or diversity
among African lungfish from different locations. Phylogenetic analysis will be applied
to clarify the genetic variability of this fish in Ugandan waters. Information generated
will enhance strategies to improve future brood-stocks of African lungfish.
Experiment 1.2: Reproductive biology of African lungfish in captivity.
The maturity of African lungfish under captivity must be determined as part of the
reproductive biology of African lungfish. Wild collected fingerlings (± 20g) will be
tagged and stocked in enclosed cages (2x 2x4 m2) staged in three replicates, in earthen
ponds. The environment is designed to model natural conditions (e.g. adding aquatic
weeds) representing populations (males and females) pooled from each AEZ.
Fish will be fed commercially available fish feed supplemented with natural food (e.g.
molluscs) to ensure quick acclimatization. Monthly samples (N=10) will be taken and
gonadal development (e.g. gonadal-somatic index) and survival rates will be evaluated
15
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 16
and characterized to understand the maturity of this fish under captivity. Water quality
parameters will be monitored weekly to determine effect of environment on maturity.
Best performing fish will be selected for future artificial breeding trials of the African
lungfish. This study will be done in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and
Allied Aquaculture (FAA), Auburn University (USA) and College of Natural Science
(CNS), Makerere University (Uganda).
Study 2: Domesticating the African lungfish using simple captive breeding
techniques that integrate indigenous knowledge.
To ensure an environmentally sustainable supply of African lungfish seed to fish
farmers, artificial breeding and hatching technologies will have to be developed.
Simple and low-cost breeding technologies will be needed in rural communities that are
dependent on this fish. Mature brood-stock from study 1 and selected wild populations
will be subjected to simple artificial reproduction techniques to determine fecundity,
egg production, larval quality, hatchability and larval survival.
Experiment 2.1: Artificial breeding of African lungfish in captivity.
Modifying protocols used by Vijaykumar et al. (1998), mature broods stocked in
concrete tanks at NaFIRRI will be treated with two selected hormones (natural and
synthetic) to induce spawning. The analysis will examine fecundity, hatchability and
survival of post-hatchlings. Water quality parameters will be monitored weekly to
understand environmental factors affecting artificial breeding. Best approaches will be
selected based on statistical analysis of factors that produce better quantity, viability,
and quality of lungfish spawn.
Experimental 2.2: Natural breeding of African lungfish in captivity.
Selected mature brood-fish (males and females) from study 1 and those fresh from wild
waters will be stocked in concrete tanks or hapas suspended in earthen ponds, then
covered with macrophytes (e.g. water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes)) that are usually
present in natural breeding habitats. Water levels will be manipulated to stimulate
natural ovulation, spawning, and fertilization. Fecundity, hatchability and survival of
post-hatchlings will be evaluated. Water quality parameters will be monitored, weekly,
to understand environmental factors affecting artificial breeding. Best approaches will
be selected based on statistical analysis of factors that produce better quantity, viability,
and quality of lungfish spawn.
Study 3. Evaluating the performance of African lungfish produced in captivity in
order to increase income for small-scale fish farmers.
To assess the relevance and contribution of African lungfish aquaculture to
communities dependent on this fish, on-farm trials will be conducted. Lungfish
fingerlings will be raised in concrete tanks or cages in ponds at selected fish farms:
preferably, two fish farmers per each AEZ.
16
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 17
Three stocking densities (50, 100 and 150 fish per m3) will be tested for survival, growth,
and yield under different management practices. Monthly samples will be obtained to
measure growth performance, feed effeciency and survival rates.
g. Schedule
Task
Collect fingerlings
from 4 zones
8/2013
11/2013
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Develop captive
breeding
2/2014
Assess
reproductive
performance
Assess captive
growth
5/2014
8/2014
11/2014
2/2015
x
x
x
x
5/2015
x
h. Deliverables
Item
Captive breeding results
Captive reproductive results
Captive growth results
Mechanism (e.g. podcast reports factsheets etc.).
Basic nutrition profile of lungfish grow out expressed
in a technical report for extension
Journal article
Basic guidance on management of lungfish expressed
in a farmer-oriented leaflet
17
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 18
2/6 Title: New Approaches to Inform, Motivate, and Advance Small and Medium-scale
Fish Farmers: Building Industry Capacity through Cell Phone Networks,
Training, and Market Participation
Topic Area: Production System Design and Best Management Alternatives--Study
US-PI: Joseph J. Molnar, Auburn University; Claude Boyd, Auburn University; E.
William Tollner, University of Georgia
HC-PI: Monica Beharo, Makerere University; Gertrude Atukunda, NaFIRRI, Theodora
Hyuha, Makerere University;
Objectives:
1. Assess fish farmer needs and expectations for cell phones as a source of
information, technical guidance, and applications.
2. Develop a program of technical collaboration among researchers, government
technical staff, and cellular providers to advance aquacultural development.
3. Build on existing farmer-based institutions to use national trade shows, train-thetrainer, symposia and other events to stimulate value chain development and
attention to proven production practices.
Significance
Improving agricultural productivity is one of the most pressing issues for developing regions.
Although mobile phones are no silver bullet, their widespread availability and flexibility
position the technology as a necessary component of sustainable improvements in aquaculture.
Coupled with corresponding innovation in existing social and institutional arrangements,
mobile phones have the potential to make significant contributions to increase income for smallscale fish farmers. As mobile phones converge with other mobile devices such as netbooks and
tablets, the opportunities will proliferate. Affordability will remain an issue, but cell phone
capability and market penetration will grow.
Mobile phones seem to influence the commercialization of farm products. Subsistence farming
is notoriously tenuous, but smallholder farmers, lacking a social safety net, are often highly risk
averse and therefore not very market oriented. A study from Uganda found that market
participation rose with mobile phone access (Muto and Yamano 2009). Although better market
access can be a powerful means of alleviating poverty, the study found that market
participation still depended on what producers had to sell. Perishable bananas were more likely
to be sold commercially than less-perishable maize.
Old style extension approaches must be supplanted (or at least supplemented) by mechanisms
that provide for widespread dissemination of technical information to stimulate and support
the adoption of productivity increasing practices. Cell phones are already recognized as
powerful tools in food production. Technical guidance, product assembly, and price discovery
are but three of the many fundamental applications of communication advances in aquaculture.
Fishers and farmers use cell phones to get market prices to know where to sell products. Fish
farmers use them for extension support and to arrange for feed and seed.
18
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 19
Cell phones are quickly transforming markets in low-income countries. One study assessed the
impact of mobile phones on grain market performance. Aker (2008) finds that the introduction
of mobile phones is associated with a 20-percent reduction in grain price differences across
markets, with a larger impact for markets that are farther apart and those that are linked by
poor-quality roads. Cell phones also have a larger impact over time: as more markets have cell
phone coverage, the greater the reduction in price differences. This is primarily due to changes
in grain traders' marketing behavior: cell phones lead to reduced search costs, more market
information and increased efficiency in moving goods across the country.
In one system for coffee producers, SMS messages are sent to users' mobile phones every
morning with the offers and grades available for purchase on that day. At the end of the day,
users receive a text message with details of what actually took place. The Kenya Marine
Fisheries Service is developing a SMS system for sharing marketing data from fish landings and
other marketing points. Other applications in aquaculture may include sourcing the availability
of fingerlings, placing orders for seed stock, and otherwise coordinating stocking and
harvesting of fish.
In Malawi, Katengeza et al. (2013) found cell phone use positively affected by literacy, distance
to local market, land size, current value of assets, crop income, and region. Intensity of use is
conditioned by gender, participation in agricultural projects, and ownership of a mobile phone,
current asset value, and distance to nearest public phone services. Asset endowment plays a
critical role in enhancing adoption of mobile phone technology. Gender disparities significantly
affect adoption as most women have limited access to assets. In Kenya, M-Farm is a mobile
service that connects farmers with one another, because peer-to-peer collaboration can improve
market information and enhance learning opportunities (World Bank 2013). These services are
intended to improve agricultural marketing, particularly for women.
The Village Phone program provides microloans to rural entrepreneurs who purchase a mobile
phone, long-range antenna, solar charger, and airtime (World Bank 2013). The recipient earns a
livelihood by operating a phone kiosk in areas underserved by mobile networks. As is typical in
microfinance, the loan recipients tend to be women.
Martin and Abbott (2013) examined the diffusion and perceived impact of agricultural based
mobile phone use among small to medium size limited resource farm holders in Kamuli
District, Uganda, where 42% of farm households now have a mobile phone, more than half of
the farmers were using their mobile phones for farm purposes. The sought agricultural inputs,
obtained market information, monitored financial transactions and used it for agriculture
emergency situations. Slightly less than half were consulting with experts via mobile phones.
Men tended to adopt mobile phones earlier than women and those with more education were
more likely to use SMS (short message service) text features. Women were less likely to use the
calculator function, perhaps due to a lack of numerical literacy training. Those who were
members of agricultural groups were more likely to use their mobile phones for a variety of
purposes. The study identified a number of unique uses being made of mobile phones,
including taking photos of agricultural demonstrations, using the loudspeaker function to
permit a group of farmers to consult with an expert, recording group members pledging when
19
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 20
they will repay loans, and storing data such as the date hens should start laying eggs (Martin
and Abbott 2013).
Although mobile phones continue to evolve quite rapidly, the evidence suggests that they can
promote improved livelihoods through networking and informing previously unconnected
portions of the population. The evidence comes from users’ own rapid grasp of the technology’s
potential (Kerala’s fishers using phones to seek optimal markets for their catch) and from
planned efforts originating from commercial information providers and development
practitioners (as in market information and insurance programs).1 Price information is more
complicated than it might seem. Bid, Asked versus actual strike prices where money and fish
change hands are quite different things. The question is: can cell phone networks help provide
some order, transparency, and certainty to aquaculture markets in Africa?
The present study develops base information about the needs and interests of fish farmers in
order to induce public agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and cellular service provides
to facilitate the use of cell phone as a means to guide, coordinate, and instruct fish farmers.
Quantified Anticipated Benefits:
- Availability of text-based fish market and fingerling supply information
-
New extension mechanism for reaching fish farmers on broad-scale
-
Augmented value chain for tilapia and other species resulting in added farm-level
income
Research Design and Activity Plan -- One study and two activities are planned.
Study 1: Cell-based Information Needs Assessment: We use qualitative approaches to map
the aquaculture knowledge and information system.
(1) Location of work. Objective 1 will be addressed through a series of six focused group
interviews conducted in focal fish farming regions across Uganda.
(2) Method. We will work with area fisheries officers to assemble 8-12 active fish farmers to
participate in focused group interviews cell phone use in aquaculture. The most
common purpose of a focus group interview is to provide an in depth exploration of a
topic about which little is known. For such exploratory research, a simple descriptive
narrative is quite appropriate and often all that is necessary. It is common for focus
group interviews to be used for purposes of developing hypotheses that are then tested
or validated with other types of research. For example, a focus group may yield
hypotheses that are tested through a survey of the population of interest. The main
deliverable for this study is a report summarizing the main themes and perceptions of
the participants (Stewart 2013).2
Trained Ugandan graduate students will lead the interviews in local languages. Teams of
interviewers will lead the discussion following a flexible format based on an interview guide of
topics develop from the literature and previous experience in Uganda. The notes, observations,
1
2
http://www.ictinagriculture.org/sourcebook/module-3-mobile-devices-and-their-impact
http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/11007_Chapter_7.pdf
20
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 21
and verbatim quotations will be compiled in English with translation as appropriate. We
envision at least one Makerere M.S. thesis will emanate from this work.
Study 2. Cell-based Information Supply Development: Objective 2, the project will hold a
series of three small conferences in selected locations where agricultural cell-based
information systems are in operation or advanced stages of development. One of the
conferences will be exclusively focused on cell phone access, use, and potential among
women.
(1) Location of work. Three day-long conferences will be held in Gulu, Jinja and Kampala and
will bring together NGO technicians, public agency personnel, and project participants in a
series of presentations, dialogues, and convergent prediction exercises that will inform and
guide subsequent efforts to design and deliver cell-based information.
One of the conferences will be exclusively focused on cell phone access, use, and potential
among women. We will seek to involve women professionals from the cell phone industry,
women in aquacultural businesses and farming, and women professionals from the civil
service serving agriculture. The workshop objectives are to elucidate the ways that women
lead and participate in aquaculture, to identify emerging uses and applications that are
particularly helpful to women, and to suggest paths for technology development and
government service that will be particularly beneficial to women in aquaculture.
(2) Methods—We will use focused group interview techniques to address an established list of
topics, albeit in the order of the group’s interests, experiences and capabilities. The material
will be transcribed by graduate students and the content organized as a database to be
sorted and analyzed with Atlas.ti or similar program. The report will summarize the
perspective of knowledge information industry participants about the way forward for cell
phone technology in Uganda.
Study 3. Advancing Aquaculture Industry Development
(1) Location of work. Training events will be held at various locales to advance the
development of the aquaculture industry in Uganda. —The primary venue will be the
Annual Fish Farmer Conference and Trade Show that is usually held in Kampala.
(2) Methods. A central feature of underpinning the growth of aquaculture production and
expertise in Uganda is the Annual Fish Farmer Conference and Trade Show. The project will
continue to support the event through participation of project personnel and outside
speakers. To complement this event, we will hold a training session for selected, invited
trainers from other projects and organizations that will focus on water quality and
environmental management issues in aquaculture. Auburn University Professor Dr. Claude
Boyd will lead this annual 1.5 day training event.
We also will hold a technical symposium on new approaches to technical assistance in
aquaculture to link representatives of cellular providers, projects, nongovernmental
organizations, and public agencies in Kampala. This meeting will be held as an event
immediately preceding the Annual Fish Farming Conference and Trade Show. The meeting will
provide a venue to sharing experience and expertise in the broader context of agriculture with
21
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 22
the intent of using the models and experiences as guidance for services for fish farmers.
University of Georgia Engineering Professor Dr. E.W. Tollner will provide leading
presentations and participate in the discussion. He also will provide lectures at Makerere
University to faculty and students on pond construction, water management, and other
engineering aspects of aquaculture.
g. Schedule
Task
8/2013
11/2013
2/2014
5/2014
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Focus
groups
Technical
conference
Training
8/2014
11/2014
2/2015
5/2015
x
x
x
x
h. Deliverables
Item
Results of focus groups
Mechanism (e.g. podcast reports factsheets etc.).
Journal article
Farmer leaflet
Training program on fish
production
Review of MU’s aquaculture
curriculum;
MU aquaculture degree strategy
(undergraduate and/or graduate);
Needs assessment for MU farm
training facility with aquaculture
ponds.
Tip sheet for farmers
Joint exercise with Chinese donor group at Kajjansi
Report chapter from joint exercise with Makerere faculty
and administrators resulting
Report chapter from joint exercise with Makerere faculty
and administrators resulting
Report chapter from joint exercise with Makerere faculty
and administrators resulting
22
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 23
3/6 Title: Assessment of Market Opportunities for Small-Scale Fishers and Farmers in
Central Uganda
Topic Area: Marketing, Economic Risk Assessment, and Trade (MER) - Study
US-PI: James O. Bukenya, Alabama A&M University
HC-PI: Theodora Hyuha, Makerere University, Uganda.
Objectives:
1. Develop a marketing strategy and plan that identifies appropriate market segments and
pricing mechanisms.
2. Describe actors, commodity flows and price formation in the marketing chain for Catfish
and Tilapia for the reseller market.
3. Evaluate performance of the marketing system by calculating gross and net margins for
the species studied.
4. Assess the critical factors affecting market performance and to propose policy
recommendations for enhancing market performance
Significance:
Review of past Sub-Saharan Africa research related to aquaculture reveals a strong production
focus (Ogundari & Akinbogun, 2010; Onumah et al., 2009; Onumah & Acquah, 2010; Asamoaha
et al., 2012), leaving many marketing questions unanswered. The need to place special emphasis
on marketing research derives from the strategic challenges that the aquaculture industry faces.
Like producers in many commodity industries, aquaculture producers are faced with dramatic
increases in global supply (most especially in China), mature demand in the developed world,
and falling prices overall. Industry profitability has suffered as a result.
Two broad strategies exist for responding to these forces. First, Ugandan aquaculture producers
could focus their entire attention on becoming the low cost producers of their products and
compete on the basis of price. Given some built-in cost disadvantages (high land, labor and feed
costs) versus some other producing areas in the world, this strategy is not likely to be effective.
Second, Ugandan producers could become much more consumer responsive in their marketing
strategies and compete on the high level of consumer benefits that they deliver. For this strategy
to succeed, much additional research is needed into all aspects of product marketing to
differentiate their aquaculture products. Given inherent problems with the first strategic
options, the second strategy of being consumer responsive appears to be a critical one for
helping aquaculture producers reach business and profit goals. Marketing research to support
this strategic option is thus crucial to increase income generation for small-scale fish farmers.
Quantified Anticipated Benefits:
Analysis of processed (food) markets for aquaculture (primarily African Catfish and Tilapia)
products will identify alternative production and marketing strategies for producers and
processors and lead to increased economic returns.



Increase sales and incomes for fish farmers
Fish production become more market oriented and reduces post-harvest losses.
Reduced marketing and other transaction costs for farmers.
23
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 24

Improved market linkages and farm sales for farmed fish.
Study Design
The goal of the marketing and economic impact segment of the proposed aquaculture program
is to identify and assess market opportunities for aquaculture products produced in the defined
region. Specifically, the market segment to be assessed is processed fish food products.
Although African Catfish and Tilapia will be the primary focus, other species compatible to the
region will also be included in the analysis. The study is designed to collect data from potential
buyers of processed fish products and identify market opportunities for these products. The
study will address specific issues including the identification of potential processed fish buyers,
the location and needs of these buyers, determination of market size and potential demand, the
potential for value-added products as well as the identification of potential barriers and
possible solutions for overcoming these barriers. Discussions with aquaculture experts indicate
that the best opportunity for small- and medium-sized operations in the region may be in niche
markets. Thus, the value-added aspect is critical in identifying and developing strategic niche
marketing opportunities. The following tasks will be undertaken to meet the objectives of the
study.
TASK 1: Survey fish buyers—wholesalers, restaurants and retail outlets. A constraint to the
growth of the Ugandan aquaculture industry is a lack of an organized effort to assist small- and
medium-scale producers in developing marketing strategies and plans which lead to marketing
programs designed to serve previously identified customer markets. Although a number of
aquaculture studies have addressed some portions of this area, none have been found to be
directly applicable to the market situation faced by Ugandan aquaculture producers (Chopak
1992: Pomeroy & Sheehan 1991; Frobish l991). More specifically, few have had as their objective
the same scope of study as addressed here. The study will, therefore, provide information for
the development of marketing strategies and a marketing plan for Ugandan aquaculturalists
producing product for the reseller market. With this in mind, reseller organizations
(wholesalers, retail buyers and restaurants), which buy and sell aquaculture products will
comprise the sample selection for this task. Extensive use of the channels of distribution for the
purchase of these products will be used to identify and select research participants. In this
manner, the research will address value-added product potential from current users as well as
possible opportunities for aquaculture products from those who do not currently purchase
these products.
It should be noted that the market research focuses on organizational buyers rather than the
ultimate end consumer. The reason for this is twofold: 1) our experience with other products in
similar marketing situations has shown that it is extremely important to document the needs
and behavior of the reseller market distributing to the region being targeted if producer success
is to be realized; and 2) interviews of experienced aquaculturalists have indicated that
successful niche marketing for Ugandan aquaculture products should begin with a thorough
understanding of the reseller market if one is to thoroughly understand the barriers to the
successful marketing of Ugandan aquaculture products. By analyzing resell buyers, barriers
affecting the effective distribution of Ugandan aquaculture products can be identified and
addressed. The specific activities to be undertaken, or already initiated, are:
24
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 25
The investigators have worked with appropriate organizations involved in aquaculture
production and sales (e.g., WAFICO, NaFFIRRI, etc.) and have also met with aquaculture
experts in the region, gaining valuable anecdotal insight into the needs and perspectives of
these aquaculturalists.
The target population is Ugandan firms that purchase fish; wholesalers, retail buyers, and
restaurants. The sample frame is developed from multiple sources including the WAFICO
database. Wholesalers will be identified and selected from existing farm records, where
possible. Restaurants and retail samples will also be selected from lists provided by farmers and
several fish outlets in the region.
Although various forms of data collection are available (i.e., personal interviews and mad
surveys), data will be collected in a two-step manner. Step one will include a limited number of
personal interviews with current and potential aquaculture, organizational buyers.
Step two will be a telephone survey of a representative sample of the aquaculture
organizational buying population. Although other methods are available, the most costeffective research method for acquiring the necessary information and realizing the objectives of
this study in the time frame allotted is a telephone interview method. The telephone survey
method frequently provides the fastest turn around and does so with a minimum of interviewer
bias.
Three questionnaires will be designed after receiving input from personal interviews with
organizational buyers operating in the market for processed fish products. These questionnaires
will be designed to ascertain the respondents' interest in purchasing aquaculture products as
well as potential for value-added opportunities.
The data will be analyzed to determine the potential demand for aquaculture products, buyer
requirements, and organizational buyer preferences for products and service. This will be done
for all three reseller markets (wholesalers, retail buyers and restaurants) with comparisons
made where appropriate.
TASK 2: Analyze survey results to clarify market segmentation, product placement, and
pricing strategy. The purpose of Task 2 is to use the analysis of the survey results to (a) identify
potential aquaculture product buyers, (b) the location of these buyers, (c) assess the potential
demand for aquaculture products, (d) determine customer requirements for aquaculture
products, (e) customer preferences for products and service, and (f) the identification of and
alternative solutions for overcoming barriers to Ugandan aquaculture production. Customer is
defined to mean organizational buyers or users and not the end consumer. Under this task, we will
identify marketing opportunities for Ugandan products in the food fish markets and to develop
a marketing strategy and subsequent marketing plan to promote these opportunities. Market
segmentation, product and strategy formulation for products with existing demand will be
contrasted with those for new products and species. Commodity and niche markets will be
contrasted. Pricing systems will be discussed, and policy implications inferred from these
findings will be reported.
25
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 26
TASK 3: Clarify costs, returns, value chains, and policy constraints. The focus of Task 3 is
reducing marketing constraints which include both high costs and risk. High marketing costs
often stem from poor transportation networks, lack of market information, and sometimes from
lack of competitiveness in the market. These factors in turn can lead to highly variable prices. If
these constraints can be addressed, farmers will earn more by specializing in species for which
they have a comparative advantage. Given the increased importance of fish in nutritionally
balanced diets, it will be important to have efficient marketing systems that reduce risk and
allow higher prices for farmers and lower prices for consumers. By collecting and disseminating
essential up to date data on costs and returns within the marketing systems, we can identify the
most cost-effective options for improving marketing system performance and propose
improved policies and better institutional support throughout the marketing chain. More
specifically, the following activities will be accomplished:

Existing marketing chains: we will describe existing marketing chains, including the types
and numbers of actors and the flow of commodities and how farms of different sizes (small,
medium and large) are involved.

Costs, margins and profitability: we will quantify costs, margins and profitability of
different stakeholders in the chain through collection of primary survey data. The
estimation of costs will be comprehensive, including, but not limited to, depreciation on
investment capital (e.g. trucks), interest on working capital, fuel costs, land and office costs
and losses due to spoilage. Account will also be taken of multiple uses of some inputs, e.g.
traders using their trucks to transport items other than the specified fish products. Special
attention will be given to wholesale to retail margins, including any restrictions on
movement of products that affect costs from wholesale to retail and to identify any barriers
to entry for potential traders.

Enhancing marketing system performance: we will identify implications and
recommendation on policies to enhance marketing system performance in the region and
countrywide.
Schedule
2013
4th
Project set-up/Stakeholder Meeting
Recruit Students/Develop linkages with partners
Task 1
Participant selection (organizational buyers)
Develop three distinct survey questionnaires
Pre-test questionnaires in respective markets
Collect primary data (both metric & non-metric)
Data entry and analysis using SPSS software
Develop market-driven marketing strategy
Task 2
Identify potential aquaculture product buyers
26
1ST
2014
2ND 3rd
4th
1ST
2015
2ND 3rd
4th
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 27
Identify opportunities in the food fish markets
Develop marketing strategy & marketing plan
Determine requirements for VA products
Examine pricing systems/draw policy implications
Task 3
Describe existing marketing chains
Estimate costs, margins and profitability
Recommendation to enhancing marketing system
Deliverables
Item
Marketing strategy
Pricing system barriers
Market chain description
Mechanism (e.g. podcast reports factsheets etc.).
Manuscript
Journal article
Factsheet
27
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 28
4/6 Title: Assessment of growth performance of monosex Nile tilapia (Oreochromis
niloticus) using low cost supplemental feeds in cages and training fish farmers
on best management practices in Kenya
Topic Area: Sustainable Feed Technology and Nutrient Input Systems (SFT) Experiment
US-PI: Kevin Fitzsimmons US Co-Principal Investigator, University of Arizona,
Arizona, US
HC-PI: Charles C. Ngugi, Kenya Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries,
Kenya; Julius Nyoro, Kenya Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries,
Kenya; Mwangi Mbugua, Kenya Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and
Fisheries; Judy Amadiva, Kenya Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries
Objectives:
1. Develop low-cost, improved quality feeds utilizing rice bran and freshwater shrimps
(Caridina niloticus) as fish meal replacement.
2. Assess the costs and benefits of three different feeding regimes in cages
3. Transfer technologies on management of monosex tilapia in cages through
training farmers and extension officers.
4. Compare work conducted in this investigation on the use of low-cost
supplemental feeds with the accomplishments of 20 years of CRSP-related work
in the area.
5. HYPOTHESIS: The growth performance of monosex Nile tilapia using low-cost,
improved feed is not different from growth performance under standard
commercial feed.
Significance:
We develop and test low-cost, improved quality feeds utilizing locally available
ingredients and pelleting technology using monosex tilapia in cages. One of the main
obstacles to income generation for small-scale fish farmers growing Nile tilapia in
ponds is the prolific breeding achieved through precocious maturity. Ponds stocked
with both sexes leading to the production of small fish of little market value. The
technology needed to breed monosex, all male, fry has not been available, or too
complicated for the average fish farmer. Making lower cost supplemental feeds would
lead to increased economic viability of cage culture in lagoons, ponds, lakes, rivers and
irrigation systems in any aquaculture venture and contribute further increases in
farmed fish yield. Cage culture system is known to require a larger capital investment
but returns are much higher than static pond culture system and may present a more
productive way to increase income generation among small-scale fish farmers.
28
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 29
This project will contribute to increased production of fish in small systems and
introduce most farmers to use of pelleted low cost feeds. Improvements to the feed
manufacturing ability of cluster farmers will facilitate development of cage culture
systems in the country. Complete formulation diets are available but are quite
expensive. Introduction of low-cost supplemental feeds would remove the constraint of
access to these feeds and develop markets for freshwater shrimps and agriculture byproducts such as rice bran.
Low cost, but good quality feeds are needed in ponds and cages when farmers wish to
produce more fish than can be supported from fertilized systems and in instances
where cages are stocked with fish which do not have access to the entire water body for
feeding. Many small farmers will be encouraged to build and utilize cages to increase
their household income and nutrition. After construction of the cage, cost of feed
becomes the major input cost for production of fish. Introducing pelleting technology
will greatly improve feed stability and quality. Finding lower cost ingredients capable
of supplying adequate protein Nutrition is a major goal of fish nutrition research. In
many developing countries, fish meal, the most common protein source in prepared
feeds, is more expensive.
Additionally, certain organic materials which have been composted have also been
shown to be a potential source of protein for aquaculture feeds. Sumagaysay (1991)
demonstrated that composted rice straw could be used in milk-fish diets and Ray (1992)
reports that composted Salvinia cuculata, an aquatic weed, could be used in Indian carp
diets.
Experimental Design
Diet formulations utilizing freshwater shrimps and rice bran will be prepared using a
motor driven pelleting equipment. Feed will be prepared on commercial pelleting
equipment fabricated and distributed to cluster farmers. The experimental feeds will be
tested for stability in water and proximate analysis at the University of Nairobi. Feeding
trials will be conducted with Monosexed Oreochromis niloticus reared in cages at the
farm. Initial stocking rates for the cage trials will be 50 fingerlings per m³, with an
expected harvest size of 500g each over a period of six to eight months depending on
temperature regimes.
During the trials, twenty fish per replicate will be sampled on a monthly basis. Growth,
survival, and cost of production will be determined for fish on experimental diets and
the control ponds. Water quality parameters including dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrogen
(ammonia, nitrates and nitrates) and Secchi disk will be examined on a weekly basis.
The cage trials will receive the pelleted diet under three formulated regimes. Four
replicate (Twelve cages) of 2m³ will be used for each treatment and the control. They
will be suspended in a pond whose water runs through so as to maintain high oxygen
29
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 30
levels. The hypothesis that the fish will all have equal growth will be tested with
ANOVA at 5% confidence limit. The tests will be performed with the assistance of
Minitab Version 14 or a comparable software package.
Quantified Anticipated Benefits
The research described below addresses several constraints mentioned in the AFIL
Initiative Lab project. One major research priority is in the area of environmental
impacts and effluent control. Other experiments attempt to further improve biological
and technological knowledge of pond systems, specifically Best management practices
and the use of technologies and practice in production systems.
Supplementary activities concentrate on human capacity development, especially
extension of aquaculture information to local farmers in the country. Increased tilapia
and other warm water fish production from pond and cage systems would be
applicable to most tropical and sub-tropical and sub-tropical regions. Using low cost
ingredients will allow small producers to rear more fish in a limited area without
investing money in expensive nutritionally complete diets. Pelleting technology will
provide a pellet which will have greater stability in the water and allow the fish to get
the full benefit of the feed ingredients. Pelleting also reduces the production of fines
that are not available to the fish and can degrade water quality.
Identification of Beneficiaries
Tilapia producers in the Kenya would be the most immediate beneficiaries of the
development of low cost feeds. Consumers of fish should be beneficiaries of larger
volumes and lower cost farmed fish. Suppliers of freshwater shrimps and rice bran
would benefit as new markets develop for their products.
Impact Indicators and Targets
 The number of small-scale farmers producing adopting use of monosex production
practices

The number of fish farmers adopting cage culture system technology

Number of farmers trained in use of low cost feeds and monosex culture

Number of extension officers trained in use of technologies and practices develop
Collaborative Arrangements
Earthen ponds, round tanks and wet lab are available for this study. Cages are made by
graduate students from materials source locally. Trained technicians and extension
specialists will be available to support and extend the research. Mwea Aquafish Farm
will provide pelleting equipment, lab facilities for water and feed analyses, stocks of
monosex tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus that will be used for production trials in cages.
30
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 31
Schedule
November 2013:
December 2013:
February–March 2014:
April- 2014:
May- October 2014
October 2014:
November 2014:
December 2014:
February 2015:
March 2015:
June 2015:
Select graduate students, purchase pelleting machine and
make cages
Select spawners for production of fry (HCPI will leverage
cost)
Collect tilapia fry/fingerlings and begin hormone treatment
Annual meeting to be determined
Feeding and sampling
Training cluster fish farmers and extension officers on BMPs
Harvest ponds and cages, collect data
Second farmers training
Annual meeting to be determined
Analyze data and prepare reports
Submit Final Reports and journal articles
Deliverables
Item
Low-cost feeds
Training on BMPs
Results of trials
Mechanism (e.g. podcast reports factsheets etc.).
Manuscript describing uses and applications
Training report
Journal article
31
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 32
5/6 Title: Formulation and manufacture of practical feeds for Western Kenya
Topic Area: Sustainable Feed Technology and Nutrient Input Systems (SFT) Experiment
US-PI: Kevin Fitzsimmons, University of Arizona
HC-PI: Julius Manyala, Eldoret University: Charles C. Ngugi, Kenya Ministry of
Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries
Objectives:
1. Develop a practical tilapia feed formulation from locally available ingredients
2. Obtain low cost grinding mill, mixer and pelletizer to form pelleted diets
3. Develop manufacturing practice using the mill and pelletizer to make pellets
with reasonable stability in water
4. HYPOTHESIS: Tilapia growth rates are not different under locally formulated
feed versus standard commercial feed
Significance
Feeds represent more than 50% of the production cost for tilapia farming in Western
Kenya. As such they present a significant determinant of the ability of small-scale fish
farms to generate income for households. With the diverse agricultural base in Kenya,
most typical ingredients for fish feeds are available. However, the costs can be high and
the quality uneven (Liti et al. 2005, Maina et al. 2002). The particulate sizes for several
of the typical ingredients are variable and unacceptably large for inclusion in a pellet.
The uneven ingredient size will reduce both pellet stability in the water and
digestibility by the fish.
Quantified Anticipated Benefits
Our partners in Kenya tell us that the lack of quality pelleted feeds is a primary
constraint to the industry. We anticipate that better feeds will benefit farmers who will
be able to increase fish production by at least 10% and improve Feed Conversion Ratio
by 50%. We will contact our farmer cooperators to determine the exact figures on
productivity and FCR. The benefits of greater productivity and FCR are key to
profitability. Ease of handling and accuracy in feeding are more difficult to quantify,
but we will also ask farmers to estimate time savings and reductions in wasted feed.
Experimental Design
Task 1. Develop a practical tilapia feed formulation.
We will gather cost and availability data on soybean oil meal, soybean cake, wheat,
wheat mids, wheat bran, broken rice, rice bran, sorghum, sunflower meal, safflower
meal, sesame meal, corn, corn meal, vegetable oils, fishmeal and fish oils, binders, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other ingredients that might be utilized in a tilapia
diet. We will use feed formulation software to develop a practical diet from a
nutritional aspect. Then we will use a grinder / hammer mill to reduce particle sizes to
32
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 33
a powder consistency if they are not delivered as such. There are several diet
formulations that are currently used when mixing ingredients that are sold as a mix that
is broadcast on the surface of ponds. These diets at best provide a 4 to 1 FCR. We
expect that simple pelleting of these same ingredients should improve the FCR to 3:1.
With better formulation and pelleting, we hope to improve FCR to 2:1.
Task 2. Obtain low cost grinding mill, mixer and pelletizer to form pelleted diets.
We will consider purchase of used machines from the US or Kenya, or new machines
from India or China. These items should be available in the range of a few hundred
dollars each. Eldoret University will provide a location for the machines and space for
safe storage of ingredients. The grinding mill will be used to reduce particle sizes to
less than 0.5 millimeter. A bakery or paddle style mixer will be used to develop a
uniform mixture of the various ingredients. The mixer will also ensure that liquids
(oils, water, anti-oxidants) are evenly distributed and coating all the particles. The
pellet machine will be hand fed and auger driven with a variety of dies to determine
pellet diameter.
Task 3. Develop manufacturing practice using the mill and pelletizer to make pellets
with reasonable stability in water.
We will experiment with different flow rates through the mill to determine optimal
throughput for the various ingredients. We will also experiment with levels of water to
determine the moisture content that will facilitate material flow through the pellet mill.
This will obviously also impact the moisture content of the pellet and require
adjustment of the drying process. For the current time, we will focus on solar drying to
prepare the pellets. If funds are available or equipment can be borrowed, we will
develop a forced air drying system.
Task 4. Test the pellets in pond at Eldoret.
The various pellets that are prepared on the pellet mill stored until we have developed
5 diets to be tested concurrently. The diets will first be tested for water stability using
the standard method (Fagbenro and Jauncey, 1995) to determine if the pellet will
maintain its form for at least 5 minutes. Assuming that the dietary pellets are not
significantly different in stability, we will conduct a feeding trial. If a diet is
significantly less stable, we will reformulate and prepare an additional diet that will
meet the stability threshold.
Fifteen hapas will used with three replicates for each diet to be tested. The diets will be
randomly assigned to the hapas to reduce position effect of the hapas within the pond.
Equal numbers of fish with equivalent biomass (approximately 40g each) will be fed the
test diets for a period of 42 days. Growth rates and percent survival will be compared
by ANOVA and Duncan’s multiple range tests to determine if there are any statistical
differences at a 0.05 p level.
33
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 34
Impact Assessment
We expect that simple improvements in formulation, better grinding of ingredients and
simple compression pelleting of feed will significantly improve FCRs. We believe this
can be achieved at minimal additional cost. If these techniques are proven successful in
the lab, our expectation is that the private sector, especially Jewlet Farms will purchase
similar equipment and commercial the procedures almost immediately.
Schedule:
July 2013
August 2013
September 2013
October 2012
November 2013
January 2014
February 2014
Purchase formulation software and grinder
Purchase mixer and pellet mill.
Formulate and manufacture first diets
Complete 5 diets and test stability
Stock hapas and begin trial
Complete harvest data collection
Conduct second trial
April 2014
May 2014
June 2014
Complete harvest data collection
Compile results and analyses
Prepare and submit final reports
Deliverables
Item
Results of diet stability tests
Results of feeding trials
Results of feeding trials
Mechanism (e.g. podcast reports factsheets etc.).
Manuscript
Leaflet for farmers
Journal article
34
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 35
6/6 Title: Development of Aquaponics for Kenya
Topic Area: Income Generation for Small-Scale Fishers and Farmers - Activity
US-PI: Kevin Fitzsimmons, University of Arizona
HC-PI: Julius Manyala, Eldoret University; Charles Ngugi, Kenya Ministry of
Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries
Objectives:
1. Design a small-scale aquaponic system for educational purposes and hobby
production of fish and vegetables.
2. Design a moderate-scale aquaponic system for potential commercial application.
3. Construct a small-scale system and a moderate-scale system to develop proof of
concept and training.
4. Assess the government funded Economic Stimulus Programme impacts on fish
farming in terms of supply enhancement, rural poverty alleviation, and food
security.
Significance
Aquaponic systems have become a primary tool for teaching agriculture and natural
resources around the world (Graber and Junge, 2009; Rakocy, 2000). The systems have
also become popular with small-scale hydroponic producers in many locations,
enabling some small-scale fish farmers to generate substantial incomes for their
households. In Kenya, the large number of small pond systems, often less than 200
meter square, are not proving capable of producing enough fish to be of financial
interest to farmers. One option to increase fish productivity and at the same provide an
additional revenue stream is to integrate the fish culture more directly with vegetable
production. The rapid cash flow with vegetables, especially lettuce, basil, parsley, and
bok choy, provide a more direct return for the farmer.
The Kenyan Government promote farming of fish for food, profit and employment, and
to supplement the capture fisheries funded the Ministry of Fisheries Development
under the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) that subsidized the distribution of
fingerlings. Funding began in the financial year 2009/2010 and continued through to
2011/2012. This program focuses on increasing fish production throughout the country.
Although focused more broadly than aquaponics, the ESP provides a unique
opportunity and context for implementation of aquaponics and other novel production
strategies.
Quantified Anticipated Benefits
We anticipate that the demonstration unit will be in a high visibility location and
receive attention from faculty, staff, students, and local area farmers. We expect that at
least 200 individuals will observe the workings of the unit. The fish and vegetables
produced will be consumed by students or sold to generate funds for student activities.
35
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 36
The unit will be instructive for farmers who have ponds and wish to use the nutrient
enriched water to irrigate field and vegetable crops. We will document the increased
levels of nitrogen that can contribute to fertilizing plants and reducing the costs for
chemical fertilizers for farmers.
Experimental Design
Task 1. Design a small-scale aquaponic system for educational purposes and hobby
production of fish and vegetables
A small-scale aquaponic system will be designed using ready available materials from
the local area. The goal will be to design a physical system that is low cost, easy to
replicate and will have the ability to maintain up to 50 kg of tilapia and irrigate and
fertilize 250 heads of lettuce (approximately 100kg) or other plants. We will focus on
minimal electrical demand and the potential to operate with a single solar panel. The
design will be shared with a couple of outside experts (Rakocy, Ebling, and Timmons)
for evaluations and comments.
Task 2. Design a moderate-scale aquaponic system for potential commercial
application
We will utilize some basic design parameters from the University of the Virgin Islands
(Rakocy et al. 2000; 2004) and the University of Arizona (Licamele 2009) to design an
appropriate scale aquaponics system for farmers in Kenya. The goal will be a design a
system that would utilize water from a pond to irrigate and fertilize up to 1000 square
meters of vegetables. We will consider two models, one a hydroponic system with
water returned to the fish, and the other a one way model with water going only to the
vegetables with none being returned. The designs will be shared with a couple of
outside experts (Rakocy, Ebling, and Timmons) for evaluations and comments.
Task 3. Construct the small-scale system to develop proof of concept and training
purposes.
On campus we will construct a model small-scale system based on the design that we
have after input from outside colleagues. The operational system will be used to test
the methods, the equipment, and subsequently train students and local farmers. Data
on water quality, growth rate and yield of fish and plants, and energy demand will be
collected. A simple enterprise budget will be prepared based on the capital costs,
operational costs and revenue sales that would be generated from such a system.
Task 4. Construct a moderate-scale system.
We will construct a system at the demonstration fish farm across the road from the
main Eldoret Campus. Data on water quality, growth rate and yield of fish and plants,
and energy demand will be collected for the moderate scale system. An enterprise
budget will be prepared based on the capital costs, operational costs and revenue sales
36
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 37
that would be generated from the moderate-scale system. The operation will be utilized
for training staff and students as the interest level in these systems continues to expand.
Task 5. Assess the broader impacts of the fingerling distribution program.
This activity will measure outcomes of Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) in terms
of its impacts on aquaculture development, rural economic growth, poverty alleviation
and food security. The assessment will use administrative records and field
observations to estimate the nature and kind of benefits the effort has had on supply,
household incomes, and rural development in Kenya. Results from the impact analysis
of rural aquaculture development will also be useful to private investors for making
sound investment decisions especially in areas of seed and feed production.
Impact Assessment
Several current fish farmers have expressed interest in aquaponics as a method to
increase farm productivity. There is growing demand for food from organic farms
across Kenya, especially from the tourist trade vendors and from the general public
concerned with the misuse of chemical fertilizers. An aquaponic growing system could
help meet this demand and present a business opportunity for capable growers.
Commercial flower growers have also expressed interest in aquaponics to make better
use of their greenhouse facilities and to diversify their product stream. Teachers are
also likely to take the idea of integrated farming as a valuable teaching tool. At the end
of the project, we will conduct a survey following up with the farmers who have
expressed interest in the farming system to determine how many have adopted some of
these practices or otherwise altered their production methods using aquaponics.
Schedule:
July 2013
August 2013
September 2013
October 2012
November 2013
December 2013
January 2014
February 2014
April 2014
May 2014
June 2014
- Begin design of small-scale system
- Begin design of moderate-scale system
- Send designs for outside reviews and comments
- Begin construction of small-scale system
- Begin collection of trial data
- Begin construction of small-scale system
- Collect data from each system.
- Continue data collection from each trial
- Harvest systems and determine growth and yield
- Compile results and analyses of both systems.
- Prepare and submit final reports
Deliverables
Item
Description of systems
Mechanism (e.g. podcast reports factsheets etc.).
Leaflet for farmers
37
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 38
Results of trials
Growth and yield results
Comparative perspective on
production strategies, feed,
and seed supply
Applied report
Journal article
Joint seminar with ILRI collaborators on African
aquaculture production systems
Literature cited
Abdel-Halim, A.M.M. 1992. Microbial protein in fish feeding. Effect of replacement of
fish meal with active and inactive yeast (Saccharomyces cereviseae) on growth
performance, carcass composition and feed utilization by tilapia and carps. 2nd
Alex. Conf. On Feed Technology. Feb. 1992. Alexandria, Egypt.
Asamoah, E.K., F.K.K. Nunoo, Y.B. Osei-Asare, S. Addo, & U.R. Sumaila (2012) A
production function analysis of pond aquaculture in southern Ghana.
Aquaculture Economics & Management, 16(3), 183–201.
Ball, A. D., Stapley, J., Dawson, D. A., Birkhead, T. R., Burke, T., & Slate, J. (2010). A
comparison of SNPs and microsatellites as linkage mapping markers: lessons
from the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). BMC genomics, 11(1), 218.
Baroiller, J. F., D’Cotta, H., & Saillant, E. (2009). Environmental effects on fish sex
determination and differentiation. Sexual Development, 3(2-3), 118-135.
Boit, C. Victoria, Ngugi, C. Charles, Bowman James, Oyoo, E. Okoth, Rasowo, J., James,
M. Bundi and L., Cherop. 2011. Growth performance, survival feed utilization
and nutrient utilization of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) larvae co-fed
Artemia and micro-diet containing freshwater atyid shrimp (Caridina nilotica)
during weaning. Journal of Aquaculture Nutrition: 17 2: 82-89 April 2011
Bradley, K. M., Breyer, J. P., Melville, D. B., Broman, K. W., Knapik, E. W., & Smith, J. R.
(2011). An SNP-based linkage map for zebrafish reveals sex determination loci.
G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 1(1), 3-9.
Buys, Piet, Susmita Dasgupta, and Timothy S. Thomas. 2009. Determinants of a Digital
Divide in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Spatial Econometric Analysis of Cell Phone
Coverage. World Bank, Washington, DC, United States. World Development
Volume 37, Issue 9, September, Pages 1494–1505
Cavalcanti, M. J., Monteiro, L. R., & Lopes, P. R. (1999). Landmark-based morphometric
analysis in selected species of serranid fishes (Perciformes: Teleostei). Zoological
Studies-Taipei-, 38(3), 287-294.
Chen, J., Hu, W., & Zhu, Z. (2013). Progress in studies of fish reproductive development
regulation. Chinese Science Bulletin, 58(1), 7-16.
38
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 39
Chopak, Charles J. (1992). What Brokers, Wholesalers, Retailers, and Restaurants Want:
Advice for Food Fish Growers, Michigan Agriculture Experiment Station and the
Michigan Department of Agriculture.
DeFaveri, J., Viitaniemi, H., Leder, E. and Merilä, J. (2013), Characterizing genic and
nongenic molecular markers: comparison of microsatellites and SNPs. Molecular
Ecology Resources.
Dwivedi, A. K., & Dubey, V. K. (2012). Advancements in morphometric differentiation:
a review on stock identification among fish populations. Reviews in Fish Biology
and Fisheries, 1-17.
Fagbenro, O. and Jauncey, K. 1995. Water stability, nutrient leaching and nutritional
properties of moist fermented fish silage diets, Aquacultural Engineering, 14 (2),
143-153.
Frobish, Lowell T. (1991). A Retail Grocery Markets for Catfish, Bulletin 611, Alabama
Agriculture Experiment Station.
Garner, S., Birt, T. P., Mlewa, C. M., Green, J. M., Seifert, A., & Friesen, V. L. (2006).
Genetic variation in the marbled lungfish Protopterus aethiopicus in Lake
Victoria and introduction to Lake Baringo, Kenya. Journal of fish biology, 69(sb),
189-199.
Graber, A. and R. Junge, 2009. Aquaponic Systems: Nutrient recycling from fish
wastewater by vegetable production, Desalination, 246 (1–3), 147-156.
Hossain, M. B., Rahman, M. M., Sarwer, M. G., Ali, M. Y., Ahamed, F., Rahman, S.
Hossain, M. Y. (2013). Comparative Study of Carp Pituitary Gland (PG) Extract
and Synthetic Hormone Ovaprim Used in the Induced Breeding of Stinging
Catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Siluriformes: Heteropneustidae). Our Nature,
10(1), 89-95
Ishak, M.M. 1986. Development of fish farming in Egypt (cage and pen culture). Rep.4
(phase 2) Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries and the International
Development Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt. 101pp.
Katengeza, Samson P., Juma Okello and Noel Jambo. 2013 Use of Mobile Phone
Technology in Agricultural Marketing: The Case of Smallholder Farmers in
Malawi. International Journal of ICT Research and Development in Africa
(IJICTRDA) 2 (2). Available at: http://www.igi-global.com/journal/internationaljournal-ict-research-development/1172 DOI: 10.4018/jictrda.2011070102
Kees P. C., Goudswaard, Frans Witte, and Lauren J. Chapman (2002), Decline of the
African lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) in Lake Victoria (East Africa) East
African Wild Life Society, African Journal of Ecology, 40, 42-52,
39
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 40
Kikuchi, K. and Hamaguchi, S. (2013), Novel sex-determining genes in fish and sex
chromosome evolution. Dev. Dyn., 242: 339–353.
Licamele, J. D. 2009. Biomass Production and Nutrient Dynamics in an Aquaponics
System. Dissertation, University of Arizona.
Liti, D., Cherop, L., Munguti, J., Chhorn, L. 2005. Growth and economic performance of
Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) fed on two formulated diets and two
locally available feeds in fertilized ponds. Aquaculture Research, 36 (8) 746–752.
Liu, Z. J., & Cordes, J. F. (2004). DNA marker technologies and their applications in
aquaculture genetics. Aquaculture, 238(1), 1-37.
Maina, J G, Beames, R M, Higgs, D. Mbugua, P N, Iwama, G., and Kisia, S M. 2002
Digestibility and feeding value of some feed ingredients fed to tilapia
Oreochromis niloticus (L.). Aquaculture Research 33 (11) 853-862.
Marshall, M. (2010). Almost a fifth of vertebrate species endangered. New Scientist,
208(2784), 6-7.
Martin, Brandie and Eric Abbott. 2013. Development Calling: The Use of Mobile Phones
in Agriculture Development in Uganda. Greenlee School of Journalism and
Communication, Iowa State University:
Mir, J. I., Sarkar, U. K., Dwivedi, A. K., Gusain, O. P. and Jena, J. K. (2013), Stock
structure analysis of Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822) across the Ganga basin
(India) using a truss network system. Journal of Applied Ichthyology.
Mokoro, Anne, Elijah Oyoo-Okoth, Charles C. Ngugi, James Njiru, Joseph Rasowo,
Victoria Chepkirui-Boit and David Manguya –Lusega 2013. Effects of stocking
density and feeding duration in cage-cum-pond-integrated system on growth
performance, water quality and economic benefits of Labeo victorianus
(Boulenger 1901) culture. Aquaculture Research 2013, 1-13 Dol: 10.1111/are.12112
Muwanika, V. B., Nakamya, M. F., Rutaisire, J., Sivan, B., & Masembe, C. (2012). Low
genetic differentiation among morphologically distinct Labeobarbus species
(Teleostei: Cyprinidae) in the Lake Victoria and Albertine basins, Uganda:
insights from mitochondrial DNA. African Journal of Aquatic Science, 37(2), 143153.
Ngugi, C. C., G. Kuria, K. Quagrainie, and S. Macharia. 2011. Effects of Stocking Density
on the growth, survival and yield performance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis
niloticus, Linn.1858) in an integrated cage-cum-pond system. The 9th Asian
Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum April 21-25, Shanghai Ocean University,
China. Oral Presentation
40
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 41
Ogundari, K. & O.O. Akinbogun (2010) Modeling technical efficiency with production
risk: A study of fish farms in Nigeria. Marine Resource Economics, 25(3), 295–
308.
Onumah, E.E. & H.D. Acquah (2010) Frontier analysis of aquaculture farms in southern
sector of Ghana. World Applied Sciences Journal, 9(7), 826–835.
Onumah, E.E., G. Hoerstgen-Schwark, & B. Brummer (2009) Productivity of hired and
family labor and determinants of technical inefficiency in Ghana’s fish farms.
Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/29693 (accessed 16 September 2011).
Pomeroy, Robert S. & Betsy P. Sheehan. (1991). The Market Potential in Selected
Markets of the United States and Western Europe for Aquaculture Products from
the Southeastern United States, South Carolina Agriculture Experiment Station.
Rakocy, J., Shultz, R.C., Bailey, D.S. and Thoman, E.S. 2004. Aquaponic Production Of
Tilapia And Basil: Comparing A Batch And Staggered Cropping System. Acta
Hort. (ISHS) 648:63-69.
Rakocy, J.E., D.S. Bailey, J.M. Martin and R. C. Shultz. 2000. Tilapia production systems
for the Lesser Antilles and other resource-limited, tropical areas. Pages 651-662 in
K. Fitzsimmons and J. Carvalho F., Eds. Tilapia Aquaculture in the 21st Century:
Proceedings from the Fifth International Symposium on Tilapia in Aquaculture,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Ray, A. 1992. Utilization of diets containing composted aquatic weed (Salvinia
cuculata) by the Indian major carp, rohu (Labeo rohita) fingerlings. Bioresource
Technology 40(1):67-72.
Strauss RE and Bookstein FL (1982) The truss: body form reconstruction in
morphometrics. Syst Zool 31(113–135):1982
Vijaykumar, S., Sridhar, S., & Haniffa, M. A. (1998). Low cost breeding and hatching
techniques for the catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis) for small-scale farmers. Naga,
the ICLARM Quarterly, 21(4), 15-17.
Wheeler, David. 2009 Does Digital Divide or Provide? The Impact of Cell Phones on
Grain Markets in Niger. Center for Global Development, Washington, DC,
United States. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev..01.011
World Bank. 2013. Module 3: Mobile Devices and Their Impact. World Bank: ICT in
Agriculture Sourcebook. Available at:
http://www.ictinagriculture.org/sourcebook/module-3-mobile-devices-and-theirimpacteferences
41
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 42
Zhang, J., Jiang, Y., Sun, F., Zhang, Y., Wang, R., Li, C., & Liu, Z. J. (2012). Genomic
Resources for Functional Genomics in Aquaculture Species. Functional Genomics
in Aquaculture, 41-77.Aker, Jenny C., Does Digital Divide or Provide? The
Impact of Cell Phones on Grain Markets in Niger (October 1, 2008). Center for
Global Development Working Paper No. 154. Available at SSRN:
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1093374 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1093374
42
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 43
c-1. Outreach and Dissemination Plan: General Principles
Dissemination strategies that are effective have the following characteristics:
• Oriented toward the needs of the user—types, levels, content, form, and language of user.
• Use varied methods--written information, electronic media, and person-to-person contact.
• Include both proactive and reactive dissemination channels—felt and unfelt needs.
• Established clear channels for users to make their needs and priorities known.
• Recognize and provide for the "natural flow" of the four levels of dissemination that have
been identified as leading to utilization: spread, exchange, choice, and implementation.
• Draw upon existing resources, relationships, and networks to the maximum extent possible
• Include effective quality control mechanisms to assure accurate, relevant, and inclusive.
• Include sufficient information so that the user can determine the basic principles underlying
specific practices and the settings in which these practices may be used most productively.
• Provide technical assistance as needed to foster and promote implementation.
Dissemination approaches that implement a mechanical, one-way flow of written information
have not proven to be effective in encouraging widespread adoption and implementation of
new programs, ideas, and strategies. The target audience must be engaged in a sustained way.
Target audiences: Fish farmers, would-be fish farmers, government officials, NGO technicians,
and others who will use the findings and perspectives of the project to promote sound fish
culture practices, water quality management, and productive strategies for realizing the value
of fish produced in the market place.
The underlying reason to gain and then disseminate new research-based information, is to
assure it is appropriately considered for use in reaching decisions, making changes, or taking
other specific actions designed to improve fish farming outcomes. That is, the goal of
dissemination is utilization. Facilitating the utilization of research-based information is a
complex process. Many barriers exist, both in dealing with the steps necessary for
implementation and in ensuring that recipients have the skills, attitudes, and awareness levels
needed to benefit from the research outcomes. Several factors are related to achieving utilization
in the dissemination process:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Details of content, context, and resources needed before implementation can be planned
in sufficient detail
Levels of use and stages of personal concern demonstrated
Information users will more effectively implement change if they understand the
process and activities that will be involved.
Programs and practices must meet particular needs of each individual organization
All parties involved must be able to contribute to planning
Users will accept assistance, information, and ideas from sources they believe to be
credible and trustworthy
The utilization process requires time and support from beginning to end
It also requires personal involvement; outside organizations must provide some level of
in-person support including follow-up and ongoing feedback and exchange
43
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 44
c-2. Outreach and Dissemination Plan: Specific Actions for Reaching Diverse Audiences with Quality Information
Study Objective
Focal Topics
Evaluate the performance,
productivity and
profitability of African
lungfish (ALF) produced in
captivity
 ALF performance in captivity
 Fecundity, egg production, larval
quality, hatchability and larval survival
Evaluate the use of cell
phone as a means to guide,
coordinate, and instruct fish
farmers.
 Fish farmer needs and expectations
3.
Assess market opportunities
for small-scale fishers and
farmers
4.
Assess growth performance
of monosex Nile tilapia
using low cost
supplemental feeds
Develop a practical tilapia
feed formulation from
locally available ingredients






1.
2.
5.
6.
7.
Evaluate small-scale
aquaponic system for
educational purposes and
hobby production of fish
and vegetables
Outreach and Dissemination
to promote sound fish
culture practices, water
quality management, and
marketing
Target Audiences
(end-users, HC, USAID, Other
Stakeholders)

End-users-researchers

HC-vendors, government,
NGO



Market strategies, value chains
Costs, margins and profitability
Seasonal factors
Barriers and solutions
Growth performance
Costs and benefits of three different
feeding regimes in cages


Farm women
HC-vendors, government,
NGOs
USAID
Activities,
Methods
 Experiments
 Farmers
 Secondary data
 Group
interviews
 Conference &
trade show
 Technical
symposium
 Surveys




End-users-farmers
HC-vendors, government,
NGOs
Other stakeholders in
End-users-farmers
HC-vendors, government
Other stakeholders in
 If simple improvements in formulation,
better grinding of ingredients and
simple compression pelleting of feed
will significantly improve FCR
 Proof of concept and training purposes
 Design to 50 kg of tilapia and irrigate
and fertilize 250 heads of lettuce or other
plants



End-users-farmers
HC-vendors, government
Other stakeholders in
 Experiment



End-users-farmers
HC-vendors, government
Other stakeholders in
 Experiment
 Develop user can determine the basic
principles underlying specific practices
and settings where most productive
 Encourage widespread adoption of
ideas, and strategies
 Building new resources as needed by
users




End-users-farmers
HC-vendors, government
USAID
Other stakeholders in
44
 Experiment
Timeline
Y3Q4
Y3Q4
Y3Q4
Y3Q4
Y3Q4
Y3Q4
Y3Q4
Deliverables reaching
Target Audience
 Morphometrics and sex
identification
 DNA extraction, SNPs
and Microsatellite
genotyping
 Report
 Cell-based assessment
 Cell-based information
Supply development
 Workshops
 Report
 Identification of buyers,
the location and needs of
these buyers
 Report
 Diet formulations
 Feeding trials
 Report
 Pelletizer to make pellets
with stability
 Practical diet
 Report
 Hydroponic system
 Data on water quality,
growth rate and yield
 Enterprise budget
 Report
 Existing resources,
 Relationships and
networks
 Meetings
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 45
d. Gender Inclusiveness Strategy (1-page limit)
The RFLP (2013) program recently summarized some key points for including gender in fisheries and aquaculture. Poor farmers,
especially women who perform most of the agriculture (aquaculture is farming of fish) can grow fish to diversify livelihood options
and increase income. Previous AFIL research, training and education has demonstrated the necessary pond dynamics, management
practices and pond fish production with varying degree of success in Africa. The recommend: (1) identify if policies in the fisheries
and aquaculture sector are gender blind, gender neutral or gender discriminatory.
(2)Think gender during the planning/formulation phase of projects, proposals and activities. Don’t let it become an afterthought.
Learn to look at policies, project proposals, activities etc., through a gender lens. Assess whether gender issues have been considered
and if not, try to ensure that they are. We will address this in a project paper.
(3) Avoid using terms such as ‘fisherman’ or ‘middleman’. At times it may seem unnecessary or even silly to do so, but use of these
terms reinforces the image of fisheries being a male only domain when usually this is incorrect. We will
(4) Make sure activity proposals (such as for training) clearly specify the involvement of women in terms of numbers and if possible,
suitability. Think about who will be using what, when buying equipment, and do not assume tools and technology are gender
neutral. All are trainings by definition are structured to be gender-balanced.
In particular, women have a notable role in the value chain for lungfish, as gatherers of wild fry and as vendors of wild stock. We
will target the role of women as managers of cage-based grow out systems. We also will seek to empower women’s groups as
sources of fry as the nascent industry for culture of lungfish may develop. For cell phones and other technologies to benefit women
in aquaculture production and to challenge existing gender imbalances in rural livelihoods, it is necessary to understand women’s
status and the gender roles and responsibilities in the society. It is also important to have an understanding of the multiple gender
dimensions which impact on accessing and using cell-phones. Rural women are less likely to prioritize mobiles in their daily lives as
they have less time and less comfort in using cell-phone services (e-Agriculture 2013). We have one activity exclusively focused on
women and mobile-based services for input reconnaissance, diagnostics, and marketing.
The larger development community recognizes the importance of emphasizing equitable opportunities and benefits for both genders
a principle endorsed for the use of ICT in agriculture as well. Access to and use of ICTs are often unequal, with women suffering the
consequences. In a number of cases, however, ICT has been used to benefit agriculture while empowering women. If gender is
missed in rural ICT initiatives then an opportunity to improve the socio-economic conditions of women, who are the largest and
most active component of the rural population, is missed (World Bank 2013). Government support and promotion of rural
infrastructure and equal access to and use of ICTs among women and men is critical. Policy makers need to include a gender lens on
every policy that affects access to and use of ICTs in rural communities
45
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 46
e. Project Level M&E plan:
Evaluation
Broad Evaluation
Questions
8.
9.
Monitoring
What do we want to know?
(Monitoring Question)
Evaluate the
performance,
productivity and
profitability of
African lungfish
(ALF) produced in
captivity
 ALF performance in
captivity
 Fecundity, egg production,
larval quality, hatchability
and larval survival
 Profitability
 Returns
Evaluate the use of
cell phone as a
means to guide,
coordinate, and
instruct fish
farmers.
 Fish farmer needs and
expectations
10. Assess market
opportunities for
small-scale fishers
and farmers
11. Assess growth
performance of
monosex Nile
tilapia using low
cost supplemental
feeds
12. Develop a practical
How we know it?
(Indicator)
Evaluation
Where data
come from?
( Source)
Experiments
Farmers
Secondary
data
Surveys
 Morphometrics
and sex
identification
 DNA extraction,
SNPs and
Microsatellite
genotyping
 Whole farm
budget analysis
 Cell-based
assessment
 Cell-based
information
Supply
development
 Workshops



 Aquaculture producer
characteristics
 Market strategies
 Existing marketing chains
 Costs, margins and
profitability
 Seasonal factors
 barriers and solutions
 market size and demand
 policies to enhance
performance
 Growth performance of
Monosex Nile tilapia
 Costs and benefits of three
different feeding regimes in
cages
 Identification of
buyers, the
location and needs
of these buyers
 Surveys

 Diet formulations
 Feeding trials
 Experiment
 If simple improvements in
 pelletizer to make
 Experiment

 FGIs
 Annual fish
farmer
conference &
trade show
 Technical
symposium
46
Who will
capture data?
(Responsible)
When
captured?
(Time)
J. Molnar,
C. Boyd,
J. Walakira
On going
Who will be
involved?





Farmers,
Technicians,
Students
NaFFIRRI,
Auburn
 Progress
reports
 News briefs
 Publications
When
evaluation?
(Time)
Quarterly
On going

 Progress
reports
 News briefs
 Publications
Quarterly
On going
 Retailers,
 Wholesalers
 Restaurant
owners
 Progress
reports
 News briefs
 Publications
Quarterly







 Progress
reports
 News briefs
 Publications
Quarterly
 Progress
Quarterly
J. Molnar,
C. Boyd,
W. Tollner,
M. Beharo,
G. Atukunda,
T. Hyuha
J. Bukenya
T. Hyuha
Fitzsimmons,
C. Ngugi,
J. Nyoro,
M. Mbugua,
J. Amadiva
How will it
be reported?
On going
On going
Farmers,
Technicians,
Students
Eldoret
Sagana.
Arizona
Farmers,
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 47
tilapia feed
formulation from
locally available
ingredients
formulation, better grinding
of ingredients and simple
compression pelleting of
feed will significantly
improve FCR’s




13. Evaluate smallscale aquaponic
system for
educational
purposes and
hobby production
of fish and
vegetables
14. Outreach and
Dissemination to
promote sound fish
culture practices,
water quality
management, and
productive
strategies for
realizing the value
of fish produced in
the market place.
 Proof of concept and training
purposes
 Design to 50 kg of tilapia and
irrigate and fertilize 250
heads of lettuce or other
plants
 Focus on minimal electrical
demand to operate with a
single solar panel
 Design a system irrigate and
fertilize up to 1000 square
meters of vegetables
 Develop user can determine
the basic principles
underlying specific practices
and the settings in which
these practices may be used
most productively
 Encourage widespread
adoption and
implementation of new
programs, ideas, and
strategies
 Facilitating the utilization of
research-based information
 Building new resources as
needed by users







pellets with
stability
practical diet
Test the pellets in
pond
moisture content
growth and
survival rates
hydroponic
system
Data on water
quality, growth
rate and yield of
fish and plants,
and energy
demand will be
collected for the
moderate scale
system
Enterprise budget
Existing resources,
Relationships and
networks
Effective quality
control
Ensuring that
recipients have
the skills,
attitudes, and
awareness levels
needed to benefit
from the research
outcomes
Fitzsimmons,
C. Ngugi,
J. Manyala
 Experiment
47
K.
Fitzsimmons,
C. Ngugi,
J. Manyala,
On going
J. Molnar,
C. Boyd,
W. Tollner,
M. Beharo,
G. Atukunda,
T. Hyuha
K.
Fitzsimmons,
C. Ngugi,
J. Manyala
J. Bukenya
On going
 Technicians,
 Students
 Eldoret
University,
 Sagana
Research
Station
 of Arizona
 Farmers,
 Technicians,
 Students
 Eldoret
University,
 Sagana
Research
Station
 Arizona
reports
 News briefs
 Publications
 Progress
reports
 News briefs
 Publications
Quarterly










 Written
information
,
 Electronic
media
 Training
modules
 Person-toperson
contact.
Quarterly
farmers,
Government
NGOs,
NaFFIRRI,
Makerere
Eldoret ,
Sagana .
AA&M
Auburn.
Arizona
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 48
4. HC Research Location Considerations (2-page limit)
Kajjansi Aquaculture Research and Development Centre is the national station
responsible for aquaculture research and development. A key unit of the National
Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI), Kajjansi is under the National
Agriculture Research Organization (NARO) and is responsible for Fisheries Research.
The mandate of the Kajjansi station is to develop technologies and generate information
through aquaculture research for improved aquaculture fish production, and to guide
stakeholders in the planning, investment and development of aquaculture. The Centre
is charged with the responsibility of carrying out demand driven aquaculture research
for the country and beyond. The Centre has basic but key infrastructure to build on to
elevate it to providing research services to other countries in the great lakes region. The
entire region has great potential for aquaculture development (production and
marketing) that has not been fully tapped. Kajjansi Aquaculture Research and
Development center has a well thought out research agenda and is also well positioned
as a hub for aquaculture research at National and regional level. The Centre identified
and designed the following research topics to be carried out between 2007 and 2014.
Makerere University is a major center of research and graduate education in Uganda.
The site description can be found on the AFIL web site (2011). Makerere University is
located on Makerere Hill, which is one of the many hills on which Kampala, the Capital
City of Uganda, is built. The main Campus is about 5 km to the North of the City Centre
covering an area of 300 acres. Makerere University is Uganda's largest and second
oldest institution of higher learning. It was first established as a technical school in 1922.
Today, Makerere University is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in
Africa with 22 faculties, institutes and schools offering programs for about 30,000
undergraduates and 3,000 postgraduates.
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. Uganda is mostly plateau with rim of
mountains. At Latitude: 0° 19' 60 N, Longitude: 32° 34' 60 E, the elevation is 1,190 m
(3,904 ft.) in Kampala. Kampala features a tropical wet and dry climate, however due to
city’s higher altitudes; average temperatures are noticeably cooler than what is typically
seen in other cities with this type of climate. Kampala seldom gets very hot during the
course of the year, its warmest month being January.
Kampala features two distinct wet seasons. There is a lengthy rainy season from August
through December and another shorter rainy season that begins in February and lasts
through June. However, the shorter rainy season sees substantially heavier rainfall per
month, with the month of April typically seeing the heaviest amount of precipitation at
an average of around 175 mm of rain.
The Sagana Fish Farm is a research station under the KMFD. It is situated immediately
outside the small town of Sagana, covers an area of approximately 50 ha, of which 20 ha
48
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 49
is in ponds. There were originally 60 ponds of various sizes, ranging from 5 m 2 to 2 ha
in size. During 1997, three of the original 4,000-m2 ponds were converted to twelve 800m2 ponds suitable for research. Additional ponds are being converted to this more
practical size as time and funding allow. Site facilities include office buildings and a
conference room, a storage building for supplies and equipment, a small wetlab/hatchery building, a water quality laboratory renovated with CRSP assistance, a
library/computer room, staff housing, and two guest houses. Electricity, telephone
service, and clean water are provided. A complete description is provided by the AFIL
(2013).
University of Eldoret is a major center for aquaculture research and education in
Kenya. The site description can be found on the AFIL web site (2011). The University of
Eldoret (formerly Moi University-Chepkoilel Campus) Fish Farm is located 12 km
outside of Eldoret Town, 2180 meters above the sea level along the Eldoret-Ziwa-Kitale
road between longitudes 34° 50’ east and 0°03’ and 0°55’ north. The Fish Farm has an
area of approximately 10 ha, of which 5 ha is in ponds. There are 47 fishponds of
various sizes, ranging from 100m2 to 0.2 ha in size. Site facilities comprises of a
hatchery, quarantine unit and fish ponds alongside supporting laboratories, workshop
and offices. Electricity, telephone service, and clean water are provided. One Land
Rover and a Toyota double cabin are available to support farm activities.
Ponds are dug in black cotton soils formed from volcanic rocks on a gently sloping
plateau approximately 10 km North of Eldoret Town. The black cotton soils indicate
that the soils have formed under restricted drainage conditions, which are the result of
low rainfall and the presence of level to moderate slopes. Considerable attention was
given to both design and future operation of the fish farm. The Farm is situated on a
plateau at the edge of the eastern wing of the Rift Valley and overlooking Mount Elgon
and, resulting in cool high altitude climate. The ponds are located on a gently rolling
topography tapering into a wetland well vegetated by papyrus reeds.
FAO. 2013 Kajjansi Aquaculture Research and Development Centre (KARDC). ANAF
Focal Point. Available at: http://www.anafaquaculture.org/index.php?id=929
AFIL. 2013. Sagana Site Description. Corvallis: Oregon State University Aquaculture
and Fisheries CRSP. Available at:
http://pdAFIL.oregonstate.edu/pubs/kenya.pdf
AFIL. 2011. Site Descriptions: A Reference for Research Locations in the AquaFish
CRSP. (AquaFish Collaborative Research Support Program). November.
AquaFish CRSP, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 153 pp.
http://aquafishcrsp.oregonstate.edu/Documents/Uploads/FileManager/Site%20de
scriptions%20Nov11.pdf
49
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 50
B The AquaFish Innovation Lab (AFIL) Contribution to USAID's Program for
Research on Nutritious and Safe Foods: Kenya and Uganda
ALIGNMENT. Describe how the project addresses the problem of “undernutrition,
especially in women and children, by increasing the availability and access to nutrient
dense foods through research on horticulture crops, livestock, fish and dairy, food
safety threats such as mycotoxins and other contaminants and on household nutrition
and food utilization."
How does your project address human nutrition?
The AFIL project follows the simple premise that fish are high in omega-3 and other
fatty acids that are vital for human development, particularly for cognitive abilities in
children. We focus on increasing the supply of fish, particularly in areas away from
normally abundant supplies from Lake Victoria and other large water bodies. Our focus
on peri-urban and rural production aims to increase the supply of fish protein in the
environs of the poorest Ugandans and Kenyans. Further, our focus on small and
medium scale operations is intended to improve the intra-household supply of quality
protein in poor families. We see district nutrition officers in both countries as key
constituents for project outputs, and a source of guidance for the promotion of safe
handling practices and processed product development.
How does your project align with other FtF projects, including other Innovation
Labs?
The Nutrition Innovation Lab is working in Uganda, among other locales. Their
baselines survey will examine the relationship between key agricultural, livelihood,
food security, nutritional, health, and gender outcomes in vulnerable households and
populations. The results of this study may elucidate how fresh fish, dried fish, and fish
meal augment diets in these populations, particularly identifying seasonal deficits that
might suggest production and value chain strategies that would improve nutritional
security.
How does your project align with and address your AquaFish Themes?
Each of the studies resonates with THEME B Income Generation for Small-Scale Fish
Farmers. The study that addresses the development of low-cost captive breeding and
hatching technologies for the African Lungfish (Protopterus spp) is intended to improve
livelihoods, nutrition and income for vulnerable communities in Uganda. The new
species could provide an expanded availability of now-rare food item for local markets
by allowing small producers to culture a vigorous fish tolerant of a wide range of water
quality conditions. The activity that explores new approaches to inform, motivate, and
50
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 51
advance small and medium-scale fish farmers addresses the often unrecognized fact
that new technologies are not what constrain aquaculture in Africa. Rather is the lack of
compliance with known protocols for reproducing and growing fish. One way to build
industry networks that will reinforce production messages is through cell phone
networks, training, and market participation through mobile devices, particularly for
remotely located farm operators. The study that provides an assessment of market
opportunities for small-scale fishers and farmers in Central Uganda will complement
and extend the aforementioned study. It will clarify those strategies that work for
successful producers and outline the structural barriers to improved market
performance. Assessment of growth performance of monosex Nile tilapia (Oreochromis
niloticus) using low cost supplemental feeds in cages and training fish farmers on best
management practices in Kenya will provide practical guidance to the large number of
new fish farmers in that country. Formulation and manufacture of practical feeds for
Western Kenya will identify practical means for increasing the availability of wellformulated floating feeds that are important aspects of productive fish farming. Finally,
the development of low–cost aquaponics systems for Kenya will provide opportunities
for small operators with aquatic resources on their small land holdings. Requiring a
higher skill level, aquaponic systems can be important local sources of food, nutrition,
and incomes, as well as seed stock for surrounding farms.
How does your project align with USAID Mission objectives for project countries?
USAID supports a number of current and forthcoming activities in Uganda.
Community Connector (2016) endeavors to improve nutrition, achieve sustainable food
security, and increase income by integrating vulnerable households into the market
economy and connecting beneficiaries to other service providers. Clearly fish and fish
products have a role to play in generating income and food security and the outputs
from the AquaFish Innovation Lab will dovetail with the goals of this effort.
Livelihoods and Enterprises for Agricultural Development (LEAD) project is just
ending as our work begins. This project provided training and demonstration in fish
culture in Northern areas of Uganda. The interest and information disseminated by this
project provides a foundation for new efforts to intensify and augment the practice of
aquaculture. The new Agricultural Inputs Activity is intended to increase the use of
improved seed, pest controls, and soil amendments by building the capacity of largescale input suppliers and increasing marketing and education to farmers. Our project
clearly would like to partner with this group to increase the supply and quality of
aquaculture feeds available in the country. Public Sector Capacity Building Activity
will strengthen the capacity of the Ugandan Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry,
and Fisheries (MAAIF) to implement the national Development Strategy and
Investment Plan (DSIP) and to develop a cadre of future agriculture leaders. Training in
aquaculture and other disciplines associated with our project by participating
51
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 52
institutions could clearly help to advance this effort. The Therapeutic and
Supplementary Products for Improved Nutrition (TASPIN) project will facilitate the
sustainable local production and distribution of nutritious and therapeutic foods. We
assert that fish, dried fish, and fish meal are some of the most nutritious products that
rural Uganda can provide growing urban and peri-urban families and children.
In Kenya, AFIL project’s studies and activities complement the USAID value chain
programs that contribute export of fish to neighboring countries in the East Africa
region. Although fish traders capture much of the value, export income went to small
holder farmers who grow the animals. The project also complements farming and
pastoral programs that focus on the entire value-chain: from seeds, soil and production
methods to connections to markets. Improving these pathways and broadening the base
of participation will keep more income in the village and improve the well-being of
children and families. Where it is possible, AFIL works with the Kenyan government to
enact and implement policies that ease the way for small-scale farmers and increase
incomes for rural households that produce fish. Our training and demonstration
activities endeavor to boosts the production skills, business acumen and income of
small-scale farmers. Complementing USAID efforts, the project trains farmers in
business as well as sustainable methods to produce higher yields of fish by adhering to
know strategies for production, protection, and harvest. We seek to economically
empower women by ensuring their participation in project activities, demonstrations,
and training programs.
52
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 53
LINKAGES Please describe your projects' ties to other organizations and institutions.
How do you plan to leverage resources from others? Do not include match or cost
share.
Our projects induce the attention and support of the host country institutions in
manifold ways. The colleagues who work with us direct their teaching and outreach
activities to augment the project objectives. Our collaborations with NGOs induce them
to include aquaculture in their portfolio of activities. When our colleagues speak in a
training event or support our efforts to reach farmers, the organization’s resources
broad sets of contacts and established mechanisms are leveraged to serve the
objectives. In Kenya, the close collaboration with a senior minister in the Department
of Fisheries is an especially valuable contact to leverage resources.
How do you plan to LINK with AquaFish Projects working in your region? Be
specific.
We plan to extend the successful Aquaculture Symposium and Trade Show model to
other AFIL countries, particularly Ghana and Tanzania. It is important to develop
private institutions led and managed by producers who can voice the concerns of their
industry to elected officials and the private sector. We also expect to have several of
our partners present project goals and results at international forums including World
Aquaculture Meetings and the International Symposium on Tilapia in Aquaculture.
Discuss other possible and planned linkages. Be specific.
We seek to work with other public, private, and nonprofit organizations whenever we
share interest in obtainable joint outcomes. We are currently coordinating with a
Farmer to Farmer program in Kenya and hope to continue that relationship in the
future.
53
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 54
Budget
(3) single-year budgets for Lead. Include budgets for subcontractors and HC
institutions
(1) combined-year budget for Lead. Include the combined-year budget for
subcontractors and HC institutions
Attached in a PDF file
6. Budget Justification for Lead, Subcontractors, and HC for each year
Attached
7. Leveraging Statement and Pending Funds Form
Attached
8. Letters of Commitment from all HC PIs and US and HC partners
Attached
9. Lead Institution supporting information (required at time of award):
To be supplied
Animal Use Approval (or written waivers)
Pending
Human Subjects Approval (or written waivers)
Pending
NICRA for Lead Institution (Negotiated indirect cost rate agreement)
Separate document file
Institutional & Agency Certifications and Assurances.
Separate document file
10. CVs of all US and HC PIs and Co-PIs (2-page limit per CV)
Attached
11. Conflict of Interest Statement (RFP website: Conflict of Interest)
Attached
54
J. Molnar Auburn University Aquaculture Development in Kenya and Uganda 55
12. List of Five Reviewers (name, contact info, and area of expertise)
Ghulam Kibria
Special Aquaculture Advisor to the Hon Minister
Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR),
The Government of Republic of Namibia
Private Bag 13355, Uhland Street, 4th Floor, Room 403
WINDHOEK-NAMIBIA
Email: [email protected], [email protected],
Dr. Brian Nerrie,
Assistant Professor, Aquaculture Extension Specialist
Virginia State University
School of Agriculture and Human Ecology
P.O. Box 9081
Petersburg, VA 23806
Phone: 804-524-5903
Fax: 804-524-5245
Email: [email protected]
Jason Licamele, Ph.D.
Heliae Corp.
Gilbert, Arizona,
Cell 203-814-0174
[email protected]
Aquaponics and algae production
Dennis McIntosh, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist
Delaware State University
[email protected]
Cell – 302-233-3117 Off - 302-857-6456 Aquaponics and aquaculture extension
Fred Conte, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist
UC Davis
[email protected] Office 530-752-7689 Aquaculture extension
55