Socio-Economic Factors Affecting Fish Farmers in Abia State, Nigeria
Abstract
Study of socio-economic factors affecting fish farmers in Aba state, Nigeria was carried out between January, 2017 to January, 2018 with the aim of identifying socio-economic factors affecting fish farming in the area and proffer solutions for potential government support towards aquaculture development in Abia State as well as to recommend ways fish farming can be improved and promoted. Abia State was visited through the assistant of the staffs of their various ministries of agriculture and natural resources as well as those from agricultural development programmes. Identified farmers were subsequently counted according to their fish farm circles, blocks, and agricultural zones in their respective states. The population sample comprised of sixty four (64) fish farmers that were randomly selected within the farm circles, blocks and agricultural zones of the states through Taro Yamani formula. Questionnaires, interviews, field observations, visits to some fish farms were photographs were taken where all used during data collection. Questionnaires used were divided into five sections that covered the objectives of the study. Data collected were then analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, etc.), inferential statistics and SPSS version 2020 were all used. The study revealed that majority of the fish farmers were males(76.9%),who were married (64.1%) with an average age that ranged between 41—50 years (37.9%), with alow level of education mainly primary education (39.1%) and a household size of 4—6 persons (50.9%). They used mainly family labour (60.0%) with a relative low level of production 4—5 ponds (46.6%) and an average annual income that ranges between N100, 000---- N500, 000 (60.0%) among them. Marketing constraints was noticed to be among the most ranked major constraints faced by these fish farmers, it was also noticed that there were no government support towards fish farming activities in the state. Consequently, the study recommended that fish farmers in the States be fortified to form cooperative societies in order to gain access to credit facilities.
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Introduction
Aquaculture which is also known as fish farming is the husbandry of aquatic food organisms. The need arose from the decrease in supply from freshwater and marine fisheries as a result of over-fishing, habitat destruction and pollution. One of the ways to bridge the gap between the reduced fish supply and increased world food fish demand is through aquaculture. Unlike Asia, Africa has little aquaculture tradition and has been affected by a number of external problems that have prevented proper management and development of the sector despite investment (Edward, 2000; Palmguist and Danelsam, 1991).
Aquaculture has been demonstrated as a cheap source of animal protein (FAO, 2016). FAO (2016) reported that an estimated 690 million people lack adequate access to food; and about 15% of these are in sub-Saharan Africa. Tunde et al. (2015) asserted that as the population grows and puts more pressure on natural resources, more people will probably become food insecure, lacking access to sufficient amount of safe and nutritious food for normal growth, development, and an active and healthy life. A number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa are characterized by low agricultural production, widespread economic stagnation, persistent political instability, increasing environmental damage, and severe poverty. Given this situation, it is therefore pertinent to provide the poor and hungry with alow cost and readily available strategy to increase food production using less land per output, and less water without further damage to the environment (Tunde et al., 2015). In Nigeria, aquaculture development has been driven by social and economic objectives, such as nutrition improvement in rural areas, generation of supplementary income, diversification of income activities, and the creation of employment. This is especially true in rural communities, where opportunities for economic activities are limited. Only in recent years has aquaculture been viewed as an activity likely to meet national shortfalls in fish supplies, thereby reducing fish imports. According to Ekunwe and Emokaro (2016), statistics indicate that Nigeria is the largest African aquaculture producer, with production output of over 2.7 million metric tonnes (mmt) per annum; this is closely followed by Egypt with output of about 2.1 million tonnes. Five other countries produce: Zambia (over 70 000 tons offish annually), Madagascar (over 12,700 tonnes per annum), Togo (28,000 tons per annum), Kenya (24,000 metric tonnes offish annually) and Sudan (2,000 tons per annum). Ekunwe and Emokaro (2016) further showed that Nigeria imports about 560,000 tonnes offish estimated at about $400 million annually while annual domestic fish supply in Nigeria stands at about 400,000 tonnes. The fisheries sector accounts for about 2% of national G.D.P, 40% of the animal protein intake and a substantial proportion of employment, especially in the rural areas; the sector is a principal source of livelihood for over three million people in Nigeria. The government research institutions and the universities have made effort in developing improved strategies and technologies so as to increase production to meet the demand of the country and even export. These technologies are new improved ideas, methods, practices, innovations and inputs which supersede the ones previously in use. It also provides the means of achieving a sustainable increase in fish farm productivity and consequently leading to an improved living standard of the people as stated by Ifejika and Ayanda (2014). But according to Bolorundu (2016) the level of adoption of these technologies by the fish farmers is very low. This is due to the combination of various constraints among which are faulty aquaculture policies, institutional framework and unfavourable socio-economic environment. Hence, this study aimed at identifying socio-economic factors affecting fish farming in the area and proffer solutions for potential government support
Conclusion
This study noticed that majority offish farmers in Abia state were males, who were married with alow level of education. They maintained a large family size whom they use as source of cheap labourer. Output from this fish farmers are relatively small as majority of them practice subsistence fish farming. The use of new technologies like intensive system of culture, use of modified drum ovum and other new technologies assisted most of the fish farmers in their farming activities. This study also noticed that there are lots of ways aquaculture can be improved and promoted in the zone through increased government support. Major constraints were also identified during the cause of this study. Marketing constraints were noticed to be among the major constraints. Finally, Government of the entire southeast were not putting serious effort towards aquaculture developments in the region as majority of the fish farmers complained of lack of government support or assistance.
