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Projects and Activities
Malawi
- Regional Aquaculture Development Project, Malawi and the SADC Region
- Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security, Malawi and Sub Saharan Africa
1. Regional Aquaculture Development Project - Malawi and the SADC Region
Countries:
Funding Agency:
Participating Colleges:
Approximate Value of Services (in Canadian Dollars):
Southern African Development Community
Project Timeline:
- Description of Project and Results Achieved:
- The project will strengthen the capacity of Bunda College in its role as the SADC regional centre for aquaculture training and research, particularly its capacity to design and deliver user-focused aquaculture courses to the public and private sector.
The project is intended to bridge a gap that currently exists between aquaculture knowledge in the academic realm and the practice of aquaculture in the field. The project sets out to acquire a clear picture of the training and research requirements to support the development and growth of aquaculture in the region. A project component such as professional development training for Bunda faculty and technical assistance for short course development can be viewed as building blocks that will develop skills in aquaculture techniques and appropriate methods for transferring them into the private sector. The design and delivery of short courses for aquaculture outreach workers form the region will develop and refine the skills necessary to transfer academic learning's into the field, the final step in this bridge building process.
The project has been designed from the outset with the goal of sustainability in mind. The focus will therefore be on the strengthening of institutional capacity for the long term. Short-term activities will be valuable only if they contribute towards this goal.
- Nature of Services (planning, management, technical assistance, training, procurement, etc.):
- The project is designed to support the development of the aquaculture sector in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region in order to supplement the nutritional requirements of the population of one of the poorest regions of the world and to contribute to employment and income needs for smallholders in the region. It will assist Bunda to acquire the knowledge and skills required to act as a regional centre for aquaculture training and research, and to design and deliver relevant programming to students, fisheries outreach workers, fish farmers and other stakeholder groups.
Regional needs assessment, short course development and delivery, and field research project will contribute to an enhanced regional vision for Bunda College. Project outcomes will help to build enduring linkages in the aquaculture sector by fostering regional dialogue, preparing and disseminating aquaculture information with a regional focus and enhancing the attractiveness of Bunda College as a regional centre for the study and application of aquaculture.
Gender is a key issue in any agriculture or small-scale aquaculture project in the region. Focus on specific gender issues will help to remove barriers to the participation of women as managers, trainers, trainees and outreach workers.
2. Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security
Countries:
Funding Agency:
Participating Colleges:
Approximate Value of Services (in Canadian Dollars):
and Environment and the Department of Fisheries
Project Timeline:
- Project Goal:
- Ensure environmental sustainability and its consequent positive impact on the populace of Malawi coastal communities through reduced post harvest losses and sustainable fishing practices.
- Project Purpose:
- Improve the capacity of the Malawi College of Fisheries, and thus the Department of Fisheries, Government of Malawi, to deliver demand driven training, extension and community awareness activities.
The proposed project will expand the mandate and capacity of the Malawi College of Fisheries (MCF) to deliver training in post harvest processing, and awareness raising in sustainable management of aquatic resources, to mid-level fisheries officers and community representatives. Women are key stakeholders and active participants in the marketing and processing realms of community-based fisheries, and will benefit directly from this project and impart their knowledge to the fishing community and so influence the implementation of sustainable fishing practices. Improved product quality will provide higher quality protein for family diets and will improve income. Thus, women are central to this project. They will be the primary beneficiaries of training in post-harvest processing/handling. Awareness raising initiatives at the community level will also benefit all members of the community, with an emphasis on teachers and children.
The project is comprised of three major elements. These elements group the project into policy level, institutional level and community level initiatives. Policy level initiatives will include activities with important implications at the national and regional levels. Institutional level initiatives will focus on the Malawi (MCF) and Canadian (MI) partners and the supporting Malawi organizations. The community level initiatives will benefit local fishing communities with explicit focus on fish processors (primarily women) and fishers (primarily men) through extension courses. Fishing community members (children, women, men) will additionally benefit from community awareness initiatives focused on environmental stewardship and community health. Community level initiatives will also involve important benefits within the Canadian context as a result of public engagement activities.
- Nature of Services (planning, management, technical assistance, training, procurement, etc.):
- Strategic planning, project management, community based training, food safety, post harvest processing, gender, and extension training methodologies.
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