Captive Fisheries for Income and Strengthened Households (C-FISH)

Published on 27 September 2010

Research Areas

Aquaculture, Market Access

Countries

Malawi

Timeline

Start Date: 1 November 2007 | End Date: 1 August 2010

Overview

The C-Fish project will focus on providing small scale, low income producers and other large stakeholders with technical assistance, improved feeds, fish fingerlings and access to credit necessary to significantly increase their production, income and food security. The C-Fish project will develop an implement an innovative, sustainable, for-profit business development services model that will link smallholder fish producers with new an existing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the sector. This BDS Model – entitled Fish Pros- will select local men and women extensionists and train them in business development and scientific aspects of aquaculture. They will be empowered to provide needed technical assistance to small holder producers in the communities where they live and work, as well as to high-quality, project-developed fish feed and other inputs at a profit. C-Fish will strengthen and effectively local soy and other crop producers and producer groups into the aquaculture value chain in Southern Malawi. The project will provide technical assistance and for-profit business planning to project stakeholders, while also increasing opportunities for capital investments in the aquaculture sector. Project partners will help establish new microfinance loan products and create equity investments opportunities in aquaculture SMEs and other business.

Project objectives include: 1. Create sustainable Fish PROS training program; 2. Develop affordable, soy-based feed that is produced using appropriate technology and local manufacturing; 3. Improve tilapia fingerling production and distribution; 4. Develop credit systems for C-Fish program participants; 5. Improve tilapia production, market access and transportation to urban and peri-urban markets; and 6. Increase percentage of women fish producers PCI is the lead agency and fiscal agent in the C-FISH project, and will coordinate all project activities and the work of our partners, including WorldFish Center (WFC). PCI will participate in all technical interventions of the C-FISH project, including the training of Fish PROS extentionists, mobilization and coordination of partners, community members, beneficiaries and other stakeholders. PCI will also coordinate the development of related aquaculture value chains, in cooperation with the other project partners, stakeholders and funders. WFC will work with PCI to oversee and coordinate many of the technical aspects of the C-FISH Project, including: assisting private sector partners in the production of fish fingerlings, assisting in the development of the soy-based fish feed; and in the training of for-profit aquaculture extentionsits (Fish PROS).

Research Partners

• Other
• PCI

Tags

access to markets, Aquaculture, Feed, food security, Income, Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)