REPORT OF THE FAO-WORLDFISH CENTER WORKSHOP ON SMALL-SCALE AQUACULTURE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: REVISITING THE AQUACULTURE TARGET GROUP PARADIGM

In response to an increasing interest in sustainable aquaculture among governments and international donors, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the WorldFish Centre undertook a review of how aquaculture is targeted in sub-Saharan Africa as a first step in the identification of appropriate extension approaches and production strategies that would suit the various technology user-groups. Representatives of senior fisheries management agencies from nine countries in the region met to discuss progress, opportunities and key constraints to aquaculture development.

Through a series of presentations, working group sessions and plenary discussions, broad consensus was achieved on the way forward for African aquaculture. In an effort to realize the goals of aquaculture, an attempt was made to develop a set of practical guidelines that can be used by national governments to insure that the major constraints are being addressed and that the major opportunities for aquaculture are capitalized upon to increase the contribution of aquaculture to food security and economic growth.