Application of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques in the verification of fisheries data and trend on Lake Kainji

After several years of surveys on the Kainji Lake fisheries activities by the Nigerian German Kainji Lake Fish promotion Project (KLFPP) trends regarding catches, yield and other parameter begin to emerge. However, it became obvious that some of the data were not quite as accurate as they were believed to be. Looking at the different editions of the statistical bulletin of Kainji Lake, concerning one given fisheries parameter, sometimes it is possible to reveal inconsistencies and unexplained trends. As compared to the survey method, PRA is primarily for analysis of differences in local phenomenon and processes. Therefore, PRA was used as a complementary tool to enhance the knowledge on issues like fisher women, entrepreneurs, gear ownership structure, mode of operation by owners of large gear number, preference in the use of twine and nylon gill nets, and reasons for misinformation on the number of fishing equipment owned by entrepreneurs, which cannot be done with frame survey. PRA techniques like timeline, mapping, seasonal calendar, transect walk and key informant interviews were utilized in the study process

Report of the PRA carried out at Ihale Beach, Tanzania, April 11-14, 2000

Ihale is a large landing site lying approximately 65 km. from Mwanza along the main Mwanza-Musoma highway. Ihale Beach was selected as a potential candidate for the 3-beaches study because of its proximity to Mwanza, and hence suitability for frequent monitoring; and because it is served by a road accessible during the rainy seasons. As with the first training Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) on Kiumba Beach on Kenya's Rusinga Island, the objectives with this PRA were as follows: (a) To identify and understand Ihale's community-based organizations and institutions which have a role in the lake's fishery. (b) To consider the key issues which arise from this study for the involvement of communities and community-based organizations and/or institutions such as those at Ihale Beach, in the co-management of Lake Victoria's fishery.

Report of the PRA carried out at Lwalalo Beach, Uganda, June 5-14, 2000

This document contains the findings of the second Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) carried out under the LVFRP. Its principal objectives were to develop base-line information on a Ugandan beach for the 3-beaches survey of the LVFRP.

Report of the PRA carried out at Obenge Beach, Kenya, June 23-26, 2000

This document contains the findings of the third Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) carried out on Obenge Beach in Kenya, from the 23rd to the 26th of June 2000, under the LVFRP. Its principal objectives were to develop base-line information on a Kenyan beach for the 3-beaches survey of the LVFRP.

Report of the PRA carried out at Nkombe Beach, Uganda, September 2-10, 2000

This document contains the findings of the fourth Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) carried out under the LVFRP. Its principal objectives were to develop base-line information on a Ugandan beach for the 3-beaches survey of the LVFRP.

Report of the PRA carried out at Mwasonge Beach, Tanzania, October 23rd - November 3rd, 2000

This paper comprises part of the so-called "3-beaches Survey" of the LVFRP. In Tanzania, this study has developed to examine two landing sites (Mwasonge and Ihale), and to chart the progress of the newly established Beach Management Units (BMU) at each beach, comparing one BMU against the other. The over-arching objective of this survey was to develop an understanding of the context in which Mwasonge's fishery exists. The study does so by examining the community's history, culture and beliefs, various other socio-cultural factors, their resources, society and economy, wealth and the community's perceptions of wealth. Importantly, the survey examines the community's institutions and its perceptions of fishing rules and changes within the fishery. All of these facets of community life are examined with the use of participatory Rural Appraisal tools, and the images that the study generated are reproduced herein.

STREAM Journal, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp 1-16. October-December 2002

CONTENTS: Hon Mun MPA Pilot Project on community-based natural resources management, by Nguyen Thi Hai Yen and Bernard Adrien. An experience with participatory research in Tam Giang Lagoon, Thua Thien-Hue, by Ton That Chat. Experiences and benefits of livelihoods analysis, by Michael Reynaldo, Orlando Arciaga, Fernando Gervacio and Catherine Demesa. Lessons learnt in implementing PRA in livelihoods analysis, by Nguyen Thi Thuy. Lessons learnt from livelihoods analysis and PRA in the Trao Reef Marine Reserve, by Nguyen Viet Vinh. Using the findings from a participatory poverty assessment in Tra Vinh Province, by Le Quang Binh.

STREAM Journal, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp 1-18. January-March 2003

CONTENTS: Learning insights from the Fisheries Resource Management Project, by Tee-Jay A San Diego. An orientation on the SIAD approach and participatory local development planning, by Elizabeth M. Gonzales. Group-building, production success and the struggle to prevent capture of the resource, by B.K. Sahay, K.P. Singh and S.N. Pandeya. Urban agriculture, water reuse and local economies: case study of coastal riverine Settlements of Ondo State, Nigeria, by Yemi Akegbejo-Samsons. Livelihoods analysis: actual experience from using PRA, by Pham Minh Tam and Trinh Quang Tu. A sustainable livelihoods approach to fisheries development for poverty alleviation in southeastern Vietnam, by Nguyen Van Tu and Nguyen Minh Duc

STREAM Journal, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp 1-18. October-December 2003

CONTENTS: An experience with group formation in Jabarrah, West Bengal, by Amar Prasad, Virendra Singh, Binay Sahay and Gautum Dutta. Aquaculture self-help groups in rural West Bengal, by Satyendra Tripathi, Graham Haylor and William Savage in consultation with Jagdish Gangwar, Virendra Singh, Gautam Dutta and Prabhat Pathak. Lessons learned for Fulwar Toli from an exposure visit to Jabarrah Bhim Nayak and Rubu Mukherjee. Livelihood intervention by Fish Farmers Development Agency: a success story from Mayurbhanj, Orissa, by G.B. Parida. Understanding of assets-based livelihoods through participatory rural appraisal to eliminate hunger, by Binay Sahay. Poverty ranking tools in PRA: experiences of EIRFP in addressing vulnerability, by Binay Sahay.

A livelihoods study of farmers and fishers in Dang Kom Village - Kandal Province

The main objective of this study was to build the capacity of the CFDO and provincial staff to conduct livelihoods studies using a more participatory approach. The livelihoods study team comprised one person from the CFDO, four people from the Kandal Provincial Fisheries Office and two from the Kandal Department of Women's Affairs. Before conducting the field study, the team members participated in a three-day training workshop on how to use various PRA tools and techniques. The study team then spent five days in the village finding out about people’s livelihoods and the resources available to them. [PDF contains 37 pages]

An evaluation of artisanal fisheries resources in Cross River State

Artisanal fisheries resources and its exploitation trends in Cross River State were evaluated using questionnaire and participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) methods for a period of 5 years (1991-1995). They were open-access or unrestricted access fishing in Cross River State within the period under view. It was also discovered that, they were no proper records from the Department of fisheries. There was a decline in the relative abundance of the stock that constituted the important marine and freshwater fisheries in Cross River State Artisanal fisheries (small-scale fisheries) yielded 146,076 metric tons within the period. It was suggested therefore, that government should enforce the policies that restrict open-access in marine artisanal fisheries in Cross River State

Food security and poverty alleviation under the National Special Programme for Food Security: a preliminary socio-economic assessment of Yamama Lake, Kebbi state, Nigeria

The World Food Summit in its meeting in Rome in 1999 estimated that 790 million people in the developing world do not have enough food to eat. This is more than the total populations of North America and Europe combined. Nigeria is one of the developing countries affected by hunger, deprivation and abject poverty by its citizenry inspite of its enormous natural and human resources. To reduce poverty and increase food supplies to the masses the Federal Government of Nigeria embarked on a programmed-tagged National Special Programme for Food Security (NSPFS) in the year 2002. The programme's broad objectives are to attain food security in the broadest sense and alleviate rural poverty in Nigeria. One of the areas of the programme's intervention is in the aquaculture and inland fisheries development because Nigeria imported 681mt of fish in 2003 with a total cost of about N50 million. The paper assesses the socio-economic conditions of one of the selected water bodies (Yamama Lake) with a view to introducing community-based fisheries management plan for the rational exploitation and management of the fishery and other aquatic resources of the water body thereby increasing fish supply and improving the living standard of the fisherfolk in the area. Data were collected using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools and questionnaire administration

An introduction to the 4-beaches survey and the Stakeholder Workshops

1) The 4-beaches survey was the first of its kind on Lake Victoria. Drawing on Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques, four landing sites around the lake were selected for long-term monitoring from March 2000 through to October 2001. 2)Held in all the 3 riparian countries of Lake Victoria the stakeholders' workshops aimed to assess the necessity of fisheries management for Lake Victoria and to identify who the stakeholders in fisheries management would be.

Introduction to LVFRP Technical Document 9

As stated in the title, this is an introduction to all the reports contained in this technical document and related to the various workshops on Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) held in all the riparian countries around Lake Victoria within the LVFRP.

Beel fishery and livelihood of the local community in Rajdhala, Netrakona, Bangladesh

Baseline survey and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) during January 2003 to December 2004 on the fishing community revealed that unregulated fishing, use of destructive fishing gears, poaching of fishes, difficulties encountered in enforcing fisheries regulation and the helplessness of fishers to find alternative sources of income during banned fishing period (June to October) were the major management problems. CBFM (Community Based Fisheries Management) system as an alternative management strategy has been introduced to ensure active participation of the target group-the poor fishers living around the beet who were previously deprived to get access to the beet. Establishing a leasing system for controlled access, ensuring greater user-group participation through equitable distribution of all resource benefits among members, attempting to enforce penalties for illegal fishing linked with surprise checks to enforce management regulations are some of the recent steps taken by the BMC (Beel Management Committee). Chapila fish intake by the community was 31.25 g/head/day before stocking the beel by carp fingerlings. After stocking, they consumed chapila as fish protein from 8.33 g to 20.8 g/head/day during the fishing season (November to May) indicating that due to introduction of carp fingerlings, chapila production has been decreased in 2003-2004. About 77.5% families around the beel were found to be dependent directly and/or indirectly on chapila and other indigenous fishes of the beel for their livelihood, through fishing, marketing and other activities like net and boat preparation and nets mending etc. Particularly fishers' families were found to face serious problem during non-fishing period like June to October for their livelihood. Analyzing the present research result it was also observed that other than declination in biodiversity, the fishing pressure on promising chapila of the beel was found high and that is why the production of chapila has also been decreased. To get sustainable chapila production from the heel, it is suggested to ensure successful spawning and recruitment as juveniles, and hence the chapila should be undisturbed during its breeding period from March to July, and fishing pressure on the same species needs to be reduced for obtaining sustainable fish production.