Introduction

The Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) in collaboration with Landell Mills, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), and WorldFish is implementing the European Union - East African Community TRUEFISH Farming Story in the Lake Victoria Basin. The project is financed under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF 11), for the benefit of the East African Community (EAC). The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the development of a competitive, gender-equitable and sustainable commercial aquaculture sector in order to support economic development and sustainable management of natural resources in the Lake Victoria Basin. The project’s focus is particularly on the Lake Victoria Basin in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. However, the project components on aquatic animal health and biosecurity will be extended to the other EAC Member States.

The project aims to:

  • Remove impediments to growth faced by investors to ensure a more rapid transition to a more efficient and sustainable sector.
  • Address challenges and threats that could undermine the sustainability of aquaculture development or could impact negatively on the environment, food security, or livelihoods.
  • Promote harmonized aquaculture development in the region; e.g., through mechanisms for shared experiences, examples, and lesson learning.

Project Specific Objectives and implementation modalities

The project is anchored on three specific objectives (SO) or components:

  1. SO1 BUSINESS: to improve access to commercial networks for aquaculture-related businesses.

Result Area 1.1: Strengthened commercial networks for competitive aquaculture-related businesses [Implemented by Landell Mills]

  1. SO2 SKILLS: to increase availability and quality of local skilled workers for the development of aquaculture-related businesses.

Result Area 2.1: Upgraded practical training delivery by formal training institutions

Result Area 2.2: Strengthened linkages between training institutions, and with aquaculture business operators [Implemented by FAO].

  1. SO3 SUSTAINABILITY: to improve sustainability and bio-security of regional aquaculture production systems.

Result Area 3.1: Strengthened aquatic animal health conditions [Implemented by FAO]

Result Area 3.2: Lake Victoria zoning: an orderly and sustainable cage culture development supported [Implemented by FAO]

Result Area 3.3: Improved protection of biodiversity [Implemented by WorldFish]

Key activities are:

  1. Supporting the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO) and regional aquaculture associations to establish and host a biannual East African Aquaculture Exhibition and Conference (EAAEC), bringing all key industry players together.
  2. Facilitating an increased flow of investment into the sector through connecting regional aquaculture companies to individual and institutional investors and funding sources.
  3. Supporting regional aquaculture associations to develop and execute effective Business to Business (B2B) linkage and study tour programmes.
  4. Upgraded practical training delivery by the formal national training institutions.
  5. Strengthened linkages between the training institutions, and with the aquaculture business operators.
  6. Strengthening aquatic animal health management,
  7. Zoning of Lake Victoria to support orderly and sustainable cage culture development, and
  8. Improved protection of biodiversity.

Project expected outputs: -

  • At least 3 national exhibitions and conferences and one regional exhibition and conference with an envisaged attendance of 800 aquaculture farmers and scientists;

• A 50% increase in the involvement of women in commercial aquaculture value chains;

  • Support to the regional aquaculture association so that they can better serve their members

• Several B2B aquaculture-networking events, part of which will be B2B mentoring;

• At least 3 upgraded practical aquaculture training facilities and 3 revised syllabi;

• Aquaculture-related businesses taking part in newly developed short courses offered by the three TVET institutions: Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology - RIAT - in Kisumu-Kenya, the Fisheries Education Training Agency - FETA, including the training center at Nyegezi near Mwanza-Tanzania and the Fisheries Training Institute in Entebbe Uganda taking in consideration 50% of women participation;

• 3 LVFO Regional Working Groups established to deliver advice on Lake Victoria Zoning, genetics, and biodiversity in aquaculture;

• Aquaculture & wild locations mapped showing the distribution of native and exotic genotypes;

• Suitable areas for cage fish farming mapped and the carrying capacity determined;

• Science-based policy recommendations and model national policies, regulations, strategy, plan, and guidelines for aquatic animal health and biodiversity presented for adoption at the regional level;

• At least 600 fisheries, aquaculture and environmental officers, and private hatchery owners receive awareness-raising and training on methods and technologies for hatchery and biodiversity management.

  • At least 12 and 3 EAC junior and experienced scientists respectively acquire knowledge in fisheries molecular genetics and bioinformatics for sustainable application in future research for informed policy formulations.

At least one report indicating how gender dimensions may be impacted by activities and outcomes of the TRUEFISH project