EXTENSION OF SMALL-SCALE TILAPIA FARMING IN MADAGASCAR

In Madagascar, aquaculture of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) has not yet been well developed despite its early introduction from the African Continent to the country in 1956. Nowadays, in Boeny Region, situated in the Northwestern side of the island, the species is very common for rural folks to capture in the natural water bodies and to consume both at home and restaurants. It would be a potential commodity to generate additional income to small producers and to provide animal protein to those rural families who suffer nutrient deficiency. The Ministry of Fisheries Resources and Fisheries (MRHP), Madagascar implemented a tilapia culture-based rural development project in cooperation with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from April 2011 to February 2016. As a result of the project interventions, a total of 1,500 farmers were trained, of which an estimated number of 500 farmers (33%) actually practice tilapia farming. The Project has contributed to an increase in the number of tilapia farmers from 34 in April 2011 to 500 (14.7 times more) in February 2016 in three target districts.

The Project adopted so-called farmer-to-farmer (FTF) extension approach. In the absence of adequate extension system, it was expected for farmers to play a pivotal role of the extension. The Project selected a group of progressive farmers and trained them as seed producers. Then, they were encouraged to become core-fish farmers (CFFs) to perform as extension agents or service providers. They produce and supply healthy tilapia seed and at the same time transfer grow-out technology to other fellow farmers. As long as those CFFs benefit economically and socially from the extension works, the FTF extension system will be sustained even on an individual basis.

Furthermore, networking of the CFFs was instrumental for securing sustainability of the farmer-based extension system. The CFFs themselves recognized needs and advantages of the networking since they actually enjoyed benefits from the cooperation each other. For example, technical exchange and transfer among CFFs made it easy to improve techniques on broodstock management, breeding, fry nursing and rearing. They also practiced lending, buying, selling or accommodating breeders, equipment/materials and other inputs to minimize production costs. Proper coordination and cooperation in the marketing was made possible through the network to maximize profit making opportunities. Joint procurement of production inputs often resulted in cost reduction. The network is a sort of farmers' loose organization which has better access to government offices than individuals. It is a group of CFFs and each CFF has a group of grow-out farmers as customers for tilapia seed. Therefore, as a whole, the network can represent all the farmers concerned with tilapia culture, and it obviously demonstrates rural empowerment. It is considered the tilapia farming can be sustained as long as the network is maintained functional.