Browsing by Author "Msuya, Flower E."
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Item Co-culture of sea cucumber Holothuria scabra and red seaweed Kappaphycus striatum(John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2014) Beltran-Gutierrez, Marisol; Ferse, Sebastian C.A.; Kunzmann, Andreas; Stead, Selina M.; Msuya, Flower E.; Hoffmeister, Thomas S.; Slater, Matthew J.Commercially valuable sea cucumbers are potential co-culture species in tropical lagoon environments, where they may be integrated into established aquaculture areas used for seaweed farming. In the current study, wild-caught juvenile sea cucumbers, Holothuria scabra, and red seaweed Kappaphycus striatum were co-cultured on Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania. Sea cucumbers (97 g 31 SD, n = 52) were cultured in mesh enclosures at initial cage stocking densities of 124 21 SD and 218 16 SD g m 2 under seaweed culture lines. Over 83 days, individual growth rate (1.6 g d 1 0.2 SD) of sea cucumbers at low stocking density was significantly higher (v2 = 8.292, d.f. = 1, P = 0.004) than at high-stocking density (0.9 g d 1 0.1 SD). Seaweed individual growth rates [6.27 ( 0.3 SE) g d 1] were highest in co-culture with sea cucumber at low density but did not differ significantly from high sea cucumber density or seaweed monoculture treatments (v2 = 3.0885, d.f. = 2, P = 0.2135). Seaweed growth varied significantly (v2 = 35.6, d.f. = 2, P < 0.0001) with sampling period, with the final sampling period resulting in the highest growth rate. Growth performance for seaweed and sea cucumbers (v2 = 3.089, d.f. = 2, P = 0.21 and v2 = 0.08, d.f. = 1, P = 0.777 respectively), did not differ significantly between monoculture and co-culture treatments, yet growth in co-culture was comparable with that reported for existing commercial monoculture. Results indicate H. scabra is a highly viable candidate species for lagoon co-culture with seaweed. Co-culture offers a more efficient use of limited coastal space over monoculture and is recommended as a potential coastal livelihood option for lagoon farmers in tropical regions.Item Commercial Seaweed Farming in Zanzibar Coastal Villages: Potential for Innovative and Competitive Economic Growth(Huria Journal of the Open University of Tanzania, 2016-08) Songwe, Bakari.A.; Khamis, Salum M.; Khalfan, Mohammed H.; Msuya, Flower E.The study was on “Commercial Seaweed Farming in Zanzibar Coastal Villages: Potential for Innovative and Competitive Economic Growth”. It aimed at assessing the competitive potential of Zanzibar seaweed farming for the purpose of improving the crop commercial aspect. The study assessed business management capacity; economic return; business model and level of value addition initiatives on seaweed farming. It applied both descriptive statistics and regression analysis in order to achieve results. This study was conducted in Unguja and Pemba Islands, Zanzibar, Tanzania. The study applied survey design using structured questionnaire. Questions and variables were tested by interviewing a small sample of farmers prior to commencement of enumerators’ training. A minimum sample of 400 respondents were picked out of 23,000 farmers through the application of Slovan’s formulas (n = N / (1 + Ne2). However, the study managed to interview 592 farmers from 48 seaweed producing villages. Systematic random sampling was used to pick villages and interviewed farmers were randomly selected. The study found that farmers were significantly not realizing economic returns due to most of production being below breakeven point (1,439 kgs of dry seaweed per cycle). This is contributed by various constraints such as small farm size, lack of technology, and low innovation up scaling and low entrepreneurship skills. The industry is not linked to multi stakeholders (e.g. Financial Institutions, Research, Science and Commercial Seaweed Farming in Zanzibar Coastal Villages: Bakari A. Songwe1, Said M. Khamis2, Mohammmed H. Khalfan3, and F. E. Msuya4 1 54 Technology) and as a result it lacks support from other sectors due to farmers consistently dependence on exporters for seaweed market (Farmer-Exporter Model). Value addition activities in seaweed farming lack scaling up mechanisms compared to other seaweed producing countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Solomon Islands. Despite the challenges, there is still potential for commercializing Zanzibar Seaweed farming and that the sector is key for competitive economic growth if: development of seaweed policy and strategic plan are developed; entrepreneurship, research, technology and innovative up scaling system are promoted; mult-stakeholder business model is enhanced; youth and men are engaged in seaweed farming; and access to seaweed market information and financing are increased.Item Community based aquaculture in the western Indian Ocean: challenges and opportunities for developing sustainable coastal livelihoods(Resilience Alliance, 2018) Ateweberhan, Mebrahtu; Hudson, Joanna; Rougier, Antoine; Jiddawi, Narriman S.; Msuya, Flower E.; Stead, Selina M.; Harris, AlasdairThe small-fisheries social-ecological system in the western Indian Ocean (WIO) represents a typical social-ecological trap setting where very poor natural resources dependent coastal communities face local and global threats and engage in unsustainable practices of exploiting limited resources. Community-based aquaculture (CBA) has been implemented as an important alternative or supplementary income generating activity for minimizing the overdependence on marine natural resources and promoting biodiversity conservation. Despite its proliferation throughout the WIO region in recent decades, little is known about the degree to which CBA activities have contributed to achieving the objectives of breaking the cycle of poverty and environmental degradation and promoting community development and biodiversity conservation. In order to improve understanding of common challenges and to generate recommendations for best practice, we assessed the most common CBA activities practiced in the region through literature review and workshop discussion involving practitioners and key stakeholders. Findings indicated that despite favorable environmental conditions for various CBA practices, the sector remains underdeveloped, with few activities delivering the intended benefits for coastal livelihoods or conservation. Constraints included a shortage of seed and feed supplies, low investment, limited technical capacity and skills, insufficient political support, and lack of a clear strategy for aquaculture development. These are compounded by a lack of engagement of local stakeholders, with decision making often dominated by donors, development agencies, and private sector partners. Many of the region’s CBA projects are designed along unrealistically short time frames, driven by donors rather than entrepreneurs, and so are unable to achieve financial sustainability, which limits the opportunity for capacity building and longer-term development. There is little or no monitoring on ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Except for a few isolated cases, links between CBA and marine conservation outcomes have rarely been demonstrated. Realizing the potential of CBA in contributing toward food security in the WIO will necessitate concerted investment and capacity strengthening to overcome these systemic challenges in the sector. Lessons herein offer managers, scientists, and policy advisors guidance on addressing the challenges faced in building strategic development initiatives around aquaculture in developing countries.Item A Comparative Economic Analysis of Two Seaweed Farming Methods in Tanzania(Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association, 2007-01) Msuya, Flower E.; Shalli, Mwanahija S.; Sullivan, Karen A.; Crawford, Brian; Tobey, James; Mmochi, Aviti J.Seaweed farming has become an established aquaculture industry in Tanzania over the last decade. It is a significant export earner as well as an income and employment generator in coastal communities where it is practiced. It is a sustainable form of aquaculture that has particularly benefited women and contributes to the governments’ poverty alleviation program (Bryceson 2002). In Zanzibar, it has become a major source of income for women farmers (Wallevik and Jiddawi 2001). While increasing workload, it also has increased their economic purchasing power as well as created more social empowerment of women (Ako 1997). The Tanzanian government has called for the aggressive expansion of seaweed farming in the recently adopted Seaweed Development Strategic Plan (SDSP 2005). The plan calls for the expansion of Kappaphycus alvarezii commercially known as “cottonii” (Figure 1) which commands a higher farm gate price than Eucheuma denticulatum, commercially known as “spinosum” (Figure 2). However, spinosum is more widely grown within the country since cottonii is more environmentally sensitive, leading to disease problems known as “ice-ice” and die-offs (Doty and Alvarez 1975, Uyenco et al. 1981, Collén et al. 1995, Largo 1998). Farmers have traditionally farmed cottonii using the peg and line method but the mortality rate can be high and following a die-off farmers can spend up to 6 months trying to produce seed rather than farming seaweed (Mmochi et al. 2005, Msuya 2006a). To combat the problem of cottonii die-off that is experienced when the peg and line method is used in Tanzania, the Sustainable Coastal Communities and Ecosystems (SUCCESS) Program has introduced the deep-water floating line method to the Msichoke group in Mlingotini village, Bagamoyo District, Tanzania (Mmochi et al. 2005, Msuya 2006a, 2006b). This method has been recommended as a way to increase seaweed production in Tanzania (Rice et al. 2006).Item Cultivation and Utilisation Of Red Seaweeds in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Region(Springer, 2014) Msuya, Flower E.; Buriyo, Amelia S.; Omari, Isabel; Pascal, Benjamin; Narrain, Koushul; Ravina, Joseph J. M.; Mrabu, Elisha; Wakibia, Joseph G.Seaweed farming in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Region is carried out in a number of countries, most of them farming Eucheuma denticulatum, Kappaphycus alvarezii and Kappaphycus striatum. These species are farmed mostly in Tanzania with limited production in Madagascar, Mozambique and Kenya; current production (2012) stands at 15,966 t (dry weight) year−1 of Eucheuma and Kappaphycus, valued at US$ 4.2 million with 95 % of this tonnage coming from Tanzania. Other countries in the region have limited or no seaweed production owing to problems of epiphytes, ice ice and markets. The problem of epiphytes coupled with ice ice that WIO countries are facing causes die-off of Kappaphycus which is the preferred species in foreign markets for its thicker gel, kappa carrageenan (vs. the weaker iota carrageenan from Eucheuma). New efforts are put to curb these problems including moving seaweed farms to deeper waters and cultivation trials of other carrageenophytes as well as agar-producing species, agarophytes. Research work has been initiated to evaluate Gracilaria and Hypnea farming and processing in Tanzania, the Republic of Mauritius and Mayotte. Gracilaria farming is at experimental stages as a biofilter of fishpond effluents and as potential species for the production of agar with growth rates of 1.5–1.9 % day−1. Hypnea farming is only being initiated in Mauritius and Mayotte at present. Other innovations including value addition by making various seaweed products and encouraging the consumption of seaweed as food at least in Tanzania and Mauritius are increasing further the importance of the seaweed farming and processing industry in the WIO Region.Item The Cultivation of Kappaphycus and Eucheuma in Tropical and Sub-Tropical Waters(Springer International Publishing AG, 2017) Hayashi, Leila; Reis, Renata P.; dos Santos, Alex Alves; Castelar, Beatriz; Robledo, Daniel; de Vega, Gloria Batista; Msuya, Flower E.; Eswaran, K.; Yasir, Suhaimi Md.; Ali, Majid Khan Majahar; Hurtado, Anicia Q.Kappaphycus and Eucheuma species have been successfully cultivated in Southeast Asia since the early 1970s. The increasing global demand for carrageenan in processed foods and thereby the need for industrial-scales of biomass to be provided to feed an extraction industry, exceeded wild stock availability and productivity and commercial demands could only be achieved through extensive cultivation of selected carrageenophytes. This unprecedented situation led to the introduction of carrageenophyte species and cultivars around the world; combined production of Eucheuma and Kappaphycus is one of the largest for seaweed biomass in the world. The activity of, and economic benefits accrued from, seaweed farming are indeed responsible for significant changes in rural, coastal communities in a number of important countries. Such activities generating new activity and income are often the only source of cash to some of the farmers. However, in spite of the enormous size and value of the industry the techniques applied to cultivation of carrageenophytes has remained almost unchanged in the commercial farms. Seedlings (or vegetatively propagated fragments of older, larger, mature thalli) are still most commonly planted along ropes held in various configurations, in most of the major production centers, e.g. mostly classified as simple stakes in the ground (off-bottom planting to floating rafts of various design). Some technological developments have been made in Brazil and India with the implementation of tubular nets for planting, which allows a degree of mechanization on the farms; both countries are developing mechanical harvesters. Further to co-production of biomass and harvesting, the drying process is still a limiting problem for production, and drying costs are high, in countries with high rainfall, this segment of the process is discussed in detail by Ali et al. Chap. 8). Diseases such as “ice-ice” and blooms of epiphytes and endophytes (see Chap. 6 by Loureiro et al.), as well as present and impending climate change effects (see Chap. 7 by Largo et al.) are also very big challenges. In general, the production of carrageenophytes in tropical and sub-tropical regions is very dependent on the weather: as in prevailing conditions during the dry and wet seasons or surface seawater temperatures (SSTs) during “cold” winters and/or “hot” summers. For the future, efforts need to be made to increase the productivity and resistance of the selected strains of carrageenophyte seedlings against environmental instabilities.Item Design and preliminary results of an integrated mariculture pond system (IMPS) at Makoba, Zanzibar,Tanzania(National Centre for Mariculture, 2001) Mmochi, Aviti J.; Mozes, N; Kite-Powell, H.L.; Dubi, Alfonse M.; Gordin, H; Jiddawi, Narriman; Kissil, G; Msuya, Flower E.; Mwangamilo, JMariculture development in Zanzibar Island, Tanzania, is limited by the lack of appropriate technology for local conditions and cost-effective solutions for preventing nutrient enrichment of the marine environment. An integrated mariculture pond system (IMPS) concept originally developed in Israel is considered as a possible model for mariculture development in Zanzibar. An experimental IMPS has been established near the estuary of Kiwani Creek at Makoba on the west coast of the island. Water supply is provided by a reservoir fed by tidal fluctuations in the creek. The experimental system consists of six ponds of 170m3 each, for the culture of fish, shellfish and seaweed. The ponds were stocked during June and July 1998 with 4000 fingerlings of rabbitfish (Siganus sp.) and with different species of shellfish and seaweed. Water quality parameters in the ponds, such as temperature, oxygen and salinity, were kept within acceptable limits by a periodic water supply. Fish were fed daily with a diet developed for this project. Preliminary results indicate reasonable growth of the fish but also mortality of fish, shellfish and seaweed.Item Development of seaweed cultivation in Tanzania: the role of the University of Dar es Salaam and other institutions(SARNISSA, 2010) Msuya, Flower E.Seaweed farming in Tanzania was initiated through research by a University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) professor in the 1970s and early 1980’s. This was followed by commercial cultivation, which was started by private entrepreneurs in 1989. By 1996 seaweed was being farmed all along the coast of Tanzania. Production in 2008 was 6000–7000 tonnes annually, with Eucheuma denticulatum and Kappaphycus alvarezii as the main cultivated species. Tanzanian seaweed is exported mainly to the USA, France, Denmark, and Spain. While UDSM continues to play a big role in this industry through research and development working with coastal communities, the government and other institutions also play a big role in not only research and development but also uniting farmers and exporters, and providing extension service. This case study looks at the start and running of the seaweed farming industry and the role of the UDSM and other institutions on the development of seaweed farming in Tanzania.Item The Effect of Stocking Density on the Performance of the Seaweed Ulva reticulata as a Biofilter in Earthen Pond Channels, Zanzibar, Tanzania(WIOMSA, 2007) Msuya, Flower E.The seaweed biofilter Ulva reticulata was grown at two stocking densities (1 and 3 kg m-2) in a low cost integrated system in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The seaweed was stocked in 2 m2 cages made of 1 inch netting material placed at the outflow of fish ponds. Control seaweed was grown at the fish pond inflow channel. At a stocking density of 3 kg m-2, the weight of the seaweed increased by 700 g (fw) during the first week and then an increase of less than 200 g in the fifth week. Total weight increased from 4,500g at stocking to 6,630g during the fifth week. Growth rate was 1.3 % d-1. The seaweed also removed 0.4 g N m-2 d-1 of nitrogen from nutrient-rich fishpond effluent water. At the lower stocking density, of 1 kg m-2, biomass increased by 500 g during the first week increasing to 700 g during the fifth week. Total weight increased from 6,000 g at stocking to 30,000 g during the fifth week. Growth rate averaged 3.9% per day. The seaweed also removed TAN of 6 g N m-2 d-1. The growth rate, biomass yield and nutrient uptake were significantly (ANOVA, P<0.01) higher than those of the controls. The seaweed significantly raised pH and oxygen levels of the fish pond effluent water at both stocking densities. Therefore, both stocking densities lead to efficient performance of the seaweed biofilter Ulva reticulata, but 1 kg m-2 is better than 3 kg m-2 in this system. Higher densities are, however, known to be good in other integrated systems, calling for more work on this integrated system.Item Effect of the Presence of Seagrass and Nutrients on Growth Rates of Farmed Kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma denticulatum (Rhodophyta)(Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association, 2012) Msuya, Flower E.; Salum, DottoThe effects of seagrass cover and nutrients on seaweed cultivation were examined in tidal pools in Tanzania. The seaweeds Eucheuma denticulatum and Kappaphycus alvarezii were cultivated from August 2006 - August 2007 in pools with and without seagrasses, and with and without added nutrients. Growth rates of fertilised E. denticulatum were significantly lower in the presence of seagrasses (P <0.05) but there were no significant differences (P >0.05) in the rest of the treatments. Monthly growth was lowest during the hotter months (December-February) and heavy rains (March-May), and highest during the cooler months (June-August).Item Effect of water aeration and nutrient load level on biomass yield, N uptake and protein content of the seaweed Ulva lactuca cultured in seawater tanks(Springer, 2008) Msuya, Flower E.; Neori, AmirThe effects of 16 different combinations of nutrient load and agitation on yield, nutrient uptake and proximate chemical composition of the seaweed Ulva lactuca cultured in tanks were evaluated. Intensive fishpond outflow passed through seaweed tanks at four nutrient loading levels and four water agitation combinations of water exchange, bottom aeration and frequently changing water levels (an accelerated tide regime). Specific results from these outdoor experiments were examined further under controlled conditions in laboratory experiments. Agitation treatments affected the performance of U. lactuca only under TAN (NH3 þ NHþ 4 ) load levels below 4 g N m−2 day−1; biofiltration of TAN was the parameter most affected. Biomass yields at each of the four nutrient loading levels were not significantly different between the agitation treatments. Protein content increased significantly with increasing nutrient loading. The agitation treatments had a slight effect on seaweed protein content only at the lowest nutrient loading levels. There were no significant differences in dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, and temperature among the agitation treatments at all nutrient loading levels. Under laboratory conditions, growth rates, protein content, and photosynthetic and biomass yield of the seaweed were affected by water velocity under low nutrient concentrations. It is concluded that the effect of air agitation under the conditions of these experiments was not directly related to photosynthesis, excess dissolved oxygen, or carbon limitation, but to the diffusion of macro nutrients from the water to the seaweed. Therefore, once nutrient concentrations are high enough (above about 4 μM of TAN with the other nutrients in their corresponding proportions), aeration per se is not essential for effective growth and biofiltration by seaweeds.Item Effects of stocking density and additional nutrients on growth of the commercially farmed seaweeds Eucheuma denticulatum and Kappaphycus alvarezii in Zanzibar Tanzania(St. John’s University of Tanzania, 2013) Msuya, Flower E.Since commercial seaweed cultivation in Tanzania started in 1989, only limited research has been done on impact of stocking density and nutrients, which are factors that may limit seaweed growth. In this study, Eucheuma denticulatum and Kappaphycus alvarezii were cultivated at low (50 g cuttings of seaweed (half of what farmers use) in 4m long nylon ropes) and high (100 g cuttings of seaweed (the stocking density of farmers) in 4m long nylon ropes) stocking densities under in situ growth conditions and the seaweeds were fertilised by nitrogen and phosphorous enrichments. Specific growth rates (SGRs) of both species were significantly higher at the lower stocking density (P<0.05), whether the seaweeds had been fertilised or not. The addition of nutrients had no significant effect (P>0.05) on the seaweeds as the SGRs were similar for both species and densities except for K. alvarezii at high density (P=0.04). Thus, lower stocking density enhances the growth rates of these two seaweeds while additional higher nutrients have little effect.Item Environmental changes and their impact on seaweed farming in Tanzania(World Aquaclture Society, 2011) Msuya, Flower E.Item Growth performance of the sea cucumber Holothuria scabra and the seaweed Eucheuma denticulatum: integrated mariculture and effects on sediment organic characteristics(Inter Research, 2016) Namukose, Mary; Msuya, Flower E.; Ferse, Sebastian C.A.; Slater, Matthew J.; Kunzmann, AndreasDeposit-feeding sea cucumbers play a key role in marine ecosystems through bioturbation, burrowing and feeding on organic matter in marine sediments. Many deposit-feeding holothurians have therefore been recommended for integrated multitrophic aquaculture systems (IMTA). We set up an integrated mariculture system of sea cucumber Holothuria scabra and seaweed Eucheuma denticulatum in Bweleo, Unguja Island of Zanzibar, Tanzania, to investigate the effect of stocking density on the growth and survival of culture species, total organic matter (TOM) and total organic carbon (TOC) content in the sediment. Treatments that included a fixed stocking density (500 g, ca. 200 g m−2) of E. denticulatum and 4 sea cucumber stocking densities (monoculture, low, medium and high density; 0, 150 ± 5, 236 ± 24, 345 ± 48 g m−2, mean ± SD) of medium-sized H. scabra (114 ± 37 g) were established. Stocking density of H. scabra did not influence survival of either species. Seaweed cultured under high stocking density of H. scabra had a higher specific growth rate of 2.33% d−1 than that cultured at the medium or low densities or without sea cucumbers. Sea cucumbers cultured at low stocking density had a higher mean growth rate of 0.80 g d−1 compared to those cultured at medium or high densities. TOM and TOC in sediments decreased over the experimental period at medium sea cucumber stocking density, while at low and high stocking densities, organic matter accumulated. The study demonstrates that the integration of E. denticulatum and H. scabra at 200 g m−2 enhances seaweed growth and can reduce organic matter content in the sediments.Item Health problems related to algal bloom among seaweed farmers in coastal areas of Tanzania(Academic Journals, 2018-08) Said, Aziza H.; Msuya, Flower E.; Kyewalyanga, Margareth S.; Mmochi, Aviti J.; Mwihia, Evalyn W.; Skjerve, Eystein; Ngowi, Helena A.; Lyche, Jan L.There is a scarcity of research-based data on the factors associated with skin irritation due to algal blooms in seaweed farming. Changes in temperature with an increase in nutrients levels lead to the growth of harmful algal blooms, which produce many active metabolites, some of which induce toxic responses in human including skin irritation. The objective of this study was to identify health problems experienced by seaweed farmers and the seasons when they occur, and how these are treated. A crosssectional study design was used to gather data using structured questionnaire, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The study was conducted between June and August 2015, in six villages, two from Mainland, and four from Zanzibar Islands, Tanzania. Study revealed that seaweed more than 50% of farmers experienced skin irritation problem, followed by 30.4% who had eye related problems, and only 19.6% had respiratory disorders as the most serious. Hot season, which is associated with algal blooms, was the period with the highest occurrence of skin irritation. No specific medication was used to treat the health problems reported. In some severely affected areas, farmers could not tend to their farms for months, a situation which affected their income. It is suggested that the findings from this study would reduce this knowledge gap and motivate stakeholders especially the policy makers to implement measures, which reduce the health problems observed due to algal blooms in the seaweed farmers.Item Identification and selection of algae for food, feed, and fuel applications.(Elsevier, 2015) Rajauria, Gaurav; Cornish, Lynn; Ometto, Francesco; Msuya, Flower E.; Villa, RaffaellaItem Impact of environmental changes on farmed seaweed and farmers: the case of Songo Songo Island, Tanzania(Springer, 2014) Msuya, Flower E.; Porter, MarilynTanzania, like many other countries where eucheumatoid seaweeds are farmed, is experiencing die-off of Kappaphycus alvarezii. Farming is failing in many cultivation sites in shallow intertidal areas where it used to grow well. Production has fallen dramatically, and in some areas, hardly any seaweed is produced any longer. This study was carried out in Songo Songo Island, southern Tanzania, one of the most affected areas, during February–May 2009.Water temperature averaged 35.7±2.4 °C, higher than what had been observed in seaweed farms in other areas in Tanzania. Salinity was normal seawater at 34.7±0.5 ppt. In the abandoned farming sites, signs of ice-ice, epiphytic Neosiphonia and “dark spots” were observed on the seaweed. Fouling was also observed. Seaweed production decreased from 423.9 t worth US$82,000 in 2003 to 26 t in 2008 worth only US$4,500, and 28 t in 2012 worth US$4,300. Number of farmers was highest (809) during the production peak in 2003 then decreased to 320 in 2008. The number of fishing vessels decreased with an increase in number of farmers and seaweed production and increased when the number of farmers and seaweed production fell. Thus, high-surface water temperatures coupled with fouling, epiphytism, and ice-ice disease signs have caused dramatic decrease in seaweed production in Songo Songo. The onetime lucrative seaweed farming activity in Songo Songo Island of Tanzania has been reduced to almost standstill.Item The Impact of Seaweed Farming on the Social and Economic Structure of Seaweed Farming Communities in Zanzibar, Tanzania(ETI Bioinformatics, 2006) Msuya, Flower E.The economic significance of seaweed farming was recognised in Tanzania in as early as the 1950s when wild seaweed was exported from Zanzibar. Following the collapse of export trade in the late 1970s, seaweed farming started on the Zanzibar Islands in 1989. In this regard, the development of seaweed farming as a marine resource was seen as an alternative source of income that could play an important role in improving the living standards of the people in the areas. Before the commencement of seaweed farming people relied more on subsistence farming, small scale business (petty business trading) and fishing as their major sources of income. After the commencement of seaweed farming, peoples´ economic activities were replaced by seaweed farming as the major source of income, followed by subsistence farming and small-scale business. Furthermore, studies have shown that more women abandoned subsistence farming in favour of seaweed farming as compared to men. Ownership of items such as radio cassettes, kitchenware, furniture, and clothes increased significantly after the introduction of seaweed farming. Other results include an increase in the number of bank accounts for the respective villages, improved homes for the seaweed farmers, and a reduction on the number of children suffering from malnutrition.Item The impact of seaweed farming on the socioeconomic status of coastal communities in Zanzibar, Tanzania(World Aquaclture Society, 2011) Msuya, Flower E.Item Innovation of the Seaweed Farming Industry for Community Development: the Case of the Zanzibar Islands, Tanzania(Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Environment, Zanzibar, IFAD, ZADEP, 2010) Msuya, Flower E.Since its start in 1989, the seaweed farming industry in Tanzania has been based on selling dry seaweed to middle men who export in bulk. A recent world market preference of Kappaphycus alvarezii for its stronger kappa gel than iota from Eucheuma denticulatum has raised the farm gate price of the former above that of the latter. Coupled with this is the lower resistance of K. alvarezii to environmental variations which results in die-offs in many locations. Due to the two factors, farmers have been forced to farm and sell the lower priced seaweed. A recent initiative in the Zanzibar Islands has enabled the farmers to add value to the low priced E. denticulatum by producing value added products. Such value added products that are already in circulation are seaweed soap (bar soap), dry seaweed powder and body creams. Three types of cakes, jellies and puddings have been tried. Whereas the soaps are sold for bathing purposes, the seaweed powder is sold to other producers of seaweed soap. The main markets for these products are on Zanzibar (mainly tourists and tourist hotels) and mainland Tanzania where local people (direct users and traders) are the main buyers. New markets coming up are from USA and South Africa. Other products that are to be produced are liquid soaps, shampoos, crackers, candies and so on. At this initial stage of the initiative, seaweed is added to soaps in powder form whereas food products are made by using mainly wet seaweed. Coupled with value addition is the modification of the farming method where a new technique, the deep-water floating lines system, which uses nylon ropes (no wooden stakes), is being used to enable the farmers produce the environmental stricken species. The technique combines the placing of basket “dema” traps under the floating systems to catch fish that seek shelter under the systems. Results so far show higher growth rates and more seaweed production per unit area than the off-bottom method. The innovation initiative is coordinated under the Zanzibar Seaweed Cluster Initiative, comprising of farmers, scientists, private sector, and government departments. It is expected that after five to ten years, seaweed farmers in Zanzibar will produce and sell a number of seaweed value added products as well as produce the higher priced seaweed for their individual benefit, their families, communities, and the country at large.
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