Tropentag, September 14 - 16, 2010 in Zurich "World Food System – A Contribution from Europe"

Fish Production in and around Refugee Camps/Settlements in Zambia

Worldfish, Natural Resource Management, Malawi

Abstract

While per definition, refugees are to stay in a country only temporarily, the harsh reality is that half of all refugees stay in camps or settlements for over 5 years. In Zambia there are 4 camps at present: Two long term settlements which have been running for 38 and 43 years respectively, and two short term camps that have been running for 8 years.

Livelihood options, including aquaculture (mostly official) and fishing (mostly unofficial) have been integrated into all 4 refugee camps and settlements in the hope that these activities can be used by the refugees to achieve sustainable food and income resources. However to date, there is no literature capturing detailed experiences and strategic integration of fish production into refugee camp environments.

The FishRef project which started this February, will help gain an understanding of fish production techniques most suitable for providing food and income to people living in and around refugee camps or settlements. A total of 180 refugees will be interviewed in order to systematically document experiences in integrating fish production into refugee camp regions in Zambia, highlighting past challenges and opportunities. Government officials and extension workers will also be interviewed or provided with questionnaires in order to assess which problems each of these stakeholders face. Additionally, locals and fish sellers living around the camps will be questioned about their interactions with the refugees.

The field work will be finished by the end of April and preliminary findings of the data analyses can be presented at this year's Tropentag.

Keywords: Aquaculture, fish farming, fishing, refugees, Zambia

Contact Address: Silvia Renn, Worldfish, Natural Resource Management, Po Box 1243, Zomba, Malawi, e-mail: s.renncgiar.org