Impact Of Small-Scale Aquaculture On Poverty Reduction And Food Security In Nyamagana District

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to assess the impact of small-scale aquaculture on food security and poverty reduction in Nyamagana District. Four streets namely Lwanima, Mkuyuni, Sweya and Luchelele were involved. Purposive sampling was used to select 6 key informants. Small-scale fish farmers were randomly picked in each street leading to a sample size of 100 respondents. Field physical visit, questionnaire survey, interview, and documentary review were used in data collection. Collected data were analyzed by using SSPS software and Microsoft Excel. Major findings of the study indicated that annual average income to fish farmers increased from year to year. Likewise, the contributions of aquaculture to food security indicated that, 79% of the respondents acknowledged that, fish farming contributed to food security. However, the study has established that, majority of fish farmers faced challenges which include unavailability of quality seeds and feeds, inadequate capital, unskilled workers, inadequate Government support and lack of awareness. The study similarly reported the main suggestions to fish farmers were financial support, provision of seed and feed, extension services and market for fish. Lastly the study concludes that to achieve effective aquaculture development, good cooperation between research institutions, government authorities and smallscale fish farmers, it is very important to identify critical factors such as the existing low quality seeds and poor quality feeds.