Worldfish: Nutrition Sensitive Fish Agri-Food Systems Workshop, presented by Lulu Middleton and Muleya Syapwaya

1. PHOTO
Putting Research into Use for Nutrition, Sustainable
Agriculture and Resilience Programme
Pond Polyculture Pilot Programme: Luwingu
Lulu Middleton & Muleya Syapwaya

2. Putting Research into Use for Nutrition, Sustainable
Agriculture and Resilience Programme (PRUNSAR)
1. Overview
2. Project Goals & Objectives
3. Field Experience
4. Impacts
5. Challenges
6. Future Activities

3. Overview
• The PRUNSAR project works in Isansa and Mushitu-Wamboo
wards, Luwingu District, Northern Province
• Isansa – Mwingilila
• Total population 5328 (2010)
• Mushitu-Wamboo – Luena
• Total population 6377 (2010)
• Both wards have a gender breakdown of 50.1% male and 49.8%
female
• 75% of the population live below the poverty line
• Average household size: 5
• Highest rate of stunted children nationally at 49% (2013)
• Therefore, this project works to target women and children during
the first 1000 most critical days to increase micronutrient rich fish
consumption to improve food and nutrition security

4. Project Goals & Objectives
Goal
• To increase availability, access and consumption of micronutrient
rich small fish to improve household nutrition in targeted population
groups
Specific Objectives
• Expand pond polyculture to 20 aquaculture households in Luwingu
district
• Collect fish consumption data on three different household groups
• Pond polyculture
• Aquaculture (monoculture)
• Non-aquaculture (agriculture)
• Improve gender equity regarding intra household food intake and
aquaculture work load

5. Field Experience
Trainings (n=33) – July 2019
• Pond polyculture, fish consumption, nutrition, gender in aquaculture and first
1000 days
Stocking – August 2019
• 20 ponds were stocked with 4/5 species each
• Oreochromis macrochir, Tilapia rendalli, Tilapia sparrmanii, Barbus,
Pseudocrenilabrus philander
Sampling – September 2019
• 20 ponds sampled (10% of each species)
Baseline Survey (n=57) – September 2019
M&E data collection
• Monthly fish consumption
• Pond polyculture management and harvesting
• September 2019 – March 2020

6. Trainings

7. Stocking

8. Sampling

9. Impacts – Female Empowerment
Increase in active female fish farmers
• Initially 2 active female fish farmers in Luena and Mwingilila
• After starting the project there are now 14 active farmers in the project
• After inviting all women interested in fish farming from both
communities, there are now a total of 29 female fish farmers practicing
in Luena and Mwingilila
Gender equity and equality
• After interviewing all 54 participants monthly, women reported feeling a
sense of pride in owning and managing their ponds
• Married women reported feeling an elevated status in their household
after becoming fish farmers
• Increased income and food source
• Widowed and single women reported feeling more secure in their
independence
• Less pressure to marry for financial security

10. Impacts – Benefits of Partial Harvesting
• All 18 households that partially harvested their fish have found benefits
• Increased fish consumption during the fish ban
• 4 sets of school fees fully paid
• 4 farmers used income from ponds to pay for farm labour
• Mainly widows and single women
• 53.86kg of the 58.50kg consumed by women was during the fish ban
(December 1st 2019 – March 1st 2020)
• 66.5% of fish harvested for consumption was during the fish ban
Consumed (kg) Sold (kg) Sold (zmw)
Men 22 15 285
Women 58.50 23.48 1025
Total 80.50 38.48 1310
Table 1: Consumption and income generated by partial harvesting (sex disaggregated)

11. Challenges
• Gender dynamics
• Cultural norms
• Implementing a new intervention created challenges as the current
mindset favors monoculture and aquaculture as an enterprise not a
food source
• Out of the 20 participants, the five that are male do not consume any
fish from their ponds. All 15 women have partially harvested fish for
consumption
• Project saturation has also created challenges within the district
• High dependency on aid and hand outs
• Challenges with sustainability of previous projects
• More synergy and collaboration between organizations along with
sustainability trainings that would help reduce the dependency on
aid
• Stocking
• Limited sources of fingerlings

12. Future Activities
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Fish consumption
• Pond polyculture management and harvesting
• September 2019 – March 2020
• End-line survey (n=54)
• March 2020
• Sampling 20 ponds (10% of species)

13. Next Steps
Small indigenous fish (SIS) production for scaling up (Mwingilila)
• Expand pond polyculture to female fish farmers
• Increase income and SIS consumption in the first 1000 most
critical days
Control group: women-run pond polyculture cooperative in Luena
• Agriculture control group to purchase fish (4 species) from the scaling
up pond (March 17th)
• Cooperative will consist of 19 women and will be used for home
consumption and distribution to interested women in Luena
Sustainability
• Trainings and monthly discussions on sustainability and longevity of pond
polyculture have taken place
• Farmers have been informed and engaged on how to continue once
the project closes at the end of March 2020
• Each farmer will create a year-long plan that will begin March 2020

14. Thank You
In partnership with
Supported by