Research Repository :: Browsing by Author "Onyango, Paul O."

Browsing by Author "Onyango, Paul O."

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Assessing Poverty in Small Scale Fisheries in Lake Victoria, Kenya
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2010) Onyango, Paul O.; Jentoft, Svein
Poverty is a pervasive issue in small-scale fisheries. Not only does it affect a substantial population, it is also a complex problem that is difficult to define, explain and solve. Thus, poverty in small-scale fisheries constitutes what in the planning literature is sometimes identified as a ‘wicked problem’. This paper applies the interactive governance framework to identify the limits of, and conditions for, governability and how they affect poverty, using the Lake Victoria small-scale fisheries in Tanzania as an illustrative case. More specifically, the paper first uses the three systems model of the interactive governance framework, i.e., the system-tobe-governed, the governing system, and the governing interaction, to explore poverty as a ‘wicked problem’ involving challenges pertaining to governability. Secondly, the paper suggests ‘governance elements’ that are fundamental for addressing poverty through the first, second, and third orders of governance. The paper emphasizes the importance of social values as crucial entry points in addressing poverty in smallscale fisheries.
Climbing the Hill: Poverty Alleviation, Gender Relationships, and Women's Socia Entrepreneurship in Lake Victoria, Tanzania
(2011) Onyango, Paul O.; Jentoft, Svein
This paper tells the story of how a group of women in a Lake Victoria fishing community in Tanzania addressed the poverty status of their community through their agency and social entrepreneurship and, by doing so, also their subordination relative to men. Their efforts to improve their situation in the community landed them in men’s traditional space. In order to occupy that space without stirring antagonism, it was crucial that the women apply their practical, cultural, and relational skills in a way that did not jeopardize men’s cultural roles and sense of worth. The paper argues that women’s entrepreneurship is circumscribed by social relationships that do not work in their favour. Thus, to become change agents in an economic sense, they also need to be change agents in a social relational sense. The paper also illustrates how Aristotle’s concept of phronesis – practical wisdom or prudence – is useful for understanding what poverty alleviation and social entrepreneurship requires
Distribution of Economic Benefits from the Fisheries of Lake Victoria
(2006) Odongkara, Konstantine O.; Abila, Richard; Onyango, Paul O.
The Lake Victoria fishery contributes immensely to the socio-economic development of the riparian states. The East African Community has designated the lake basin as an ‘economic growth zone’, with the potential to develop into a major economic region. The fisheries are vital in creating employment opportunities, mostly rural-based, thereby helping to reduce rural-urban migration. Fish is also a rich source of animal protein for human consumption and provides raw material (fishmeal) for processing animal feeds. The fish industry contributes to GDP and has continued to be an important source of foreign exchange earned from fish exports. Besides, the fish industry contributes to the national and local government revenues through levying of various taxes, levies and license fees. The sector has also contributed directly and indirectly to the improvement of physical infrastructure and social facilities, such as roads, schools and hospitals, particularly in remote fishing communities. Based on current stock estimates, the lake has the potential to yield fish valued at over US$ 800 million annually on a sustainable basis. Further processing and marketing the fish in the local and export markets could provide opportunity to 2 generate additional earnings. Currently, however, only about 500,000 tonnes of fish is landed annually, with an average landing value of approximately US$ 600 million. However, the distribution of these benefits at the regional, national and individual levels is often not equitable. High disparities in distribution of benefits is considered undesirable as it creates a sense of social injustice among the beneficiaries; can be an obstacle for self-sustaining growth; is a limitation in uplifting the resource users out of poverty; leads to low compliance to fisheries regulations and hinders attaining sustainable fisheries exploitation. The paper assesses the distribution of economic benefits from the fisheries, using selected indicators. It reveals disparities in the benefits at the regional as well as at the local levels, with more benefits accruing to the upper levels of the fish marketing chain. The disparities are attributed to unequal distribution in production assets such as capital, skills and credit facilities; free-market price determination mechanisms; inadequate access to market and other useful information; limited investment horizon and opportunities among fishers; inadequate policies to deal with disparities in distribution and insufficient data for distribution analysis to feed into the policy process. In order to streamline distribution, the paper proposes, among other things; establishing suitable savings and credit schemes, empowering BMUs to organise fishers for marketing, improving market information flow through electronic and print, operationalising the Fish Levy Trust Fund for infrastructural and social facility development, improving policies and improving data availability.
Economic Benefits of Lake Victoria Fisheries
(2014-03) Abila, Richard; Onyango, Paul O.; Odongkara, Konstantine O.
Abstract The Lake Victoria fishery contributes immensely to the socio-economic development of the riparian states. The East African Community has designated the lake basin as an ‘economic growth zone’, with the potential to develop into a major economic region. The fisheries are vital in creating employment opportunities, mostly rural-based, thereby helping to reduce rural-urban migration. Fish is also a rich source of animal protein for human consumption and provides raw material (fishmeal) for processing animal feeds. The fish industry contributes to GDP and has continued to be an important source of foreign exchange earned from fish exports. Besides, the fish industry contributes to the national and local government revenues through levying of various taxes, levies and license fees. The sector has also contributed directly and indirectly to the improvement of physical infrastructure and social facilities, such as roads, schools and hospitals, particularly in remote fishing communities. Based on current stock estimates, the lake has the potential to yield fish valued at over US$ 800 million annually on a sustainable basis. Further processing and marketing the fish in the local and export markets could provide opportunity to generate additional earnings. Currently, however, only about 500,000 tonnes of fish is landed annually, with an average landing value of approximately US$ 600 million. However, the distribution of these benefits at the regional, national and individual levels is often not equitable. High disparities in distribution of benefits is considered undesirable as it creates a sense of social injustice among the beneficiaries; can be an obstacle for self-sustaining growth; is a limitation in uplifting the resource users out of poverty; leads to low compliance to fisheries regulations and hinders attaining sustainable fisheries exploitation. The paper assesses the distribution of economic benefits from the fisheries, using selected indicators. It reveals disparities in the benefits at the regional as well as at the local levels, with more benefits accruing to the upper levels of the fish marketing chain. The disparities are attributed to unequal distribution in production assets such as capital, skills and credit facilities; free-market price determination mechanisms; inadequate access to market and other useful information; limited investment horizon and opportunities among fishers; inadequate policies to deal with disparities in distribution and insufficient data for distribution analysis to feed into the policy process. In order to streamline distribution, the paper proposes, among other things; establishing suitable savings and credit schemes, empowering BMUs to organise fishers for marketing, improving market information flow through electronic and print, operationalising the Fish Levy Trust Fund for infrastructural and social facility development, improving policies and improving data availability. INTRODUCTION The Lake Victoria fishery contributes immensely to the socio-economic development of the riparian states. The East African Community has designated the lake basin as an ‘economic growth zone’, with the potential to develop into a major economic region. The fishery is vital in creating employment opportunities, mostly rural-based, thereby helping to reduce rural-urban migration. Fish is also a rich source of animal protein for human consumption and provides raw material (fishmeal) for processing animal feeds. The fish industry contributes to GDP of the riparian states and has continued to be an important source of foreign exchange earnings through fish exports to the regional and international markets. Besides, the fish industry contributes to the national and local government revenues through the various taxes, levies and license fees. The sector has also contributed directly and indirectly to the improvement of physical infrastructure and social facilities, such as roads, schools and hospitals, particularly in remote fishing communities. Lake Victoria is estimated to produce 500,000 tonnes annually, valued at US$ 600 million, with export value of US$217 in 2001 (LVFO, 2005). Based on current stock estimates, the lake has the potential to yield fish valued at over US$ 800 million annually on a sustainable basis. Further processing and marketing of this fish in the local and export markets can generate an additional value of about US$ 57 million. Various goals have been considered to guide the utilization of Lake Victoria’s fisheries resources. These goals derive from the definition of the concept of sustainable development in relation to fisheries, as provided for in the Agenda 21 of the Rio Conference. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of the United Nations provide for reduction in the number of people in extreme poverty and suffering hunger by half by the year 2015, eliminating gender disparity, ensuring environmental stability and developing global partnership for development, among others. Relevant elements of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) are also incorporated into national fisheries development and management plans (FAO 1995). At the regional level, the development strategies of the East African Community (EAC) identify Lake Victoria and its basin as an “economic growth zone” to be exploited in a co-ordinated manner to maximize economic and social benefits and at the same time provide environmental management and protection. LVFO’s mission statement spells out its goal for Lake Victoria as “restoring and maintaining the health of its ecosystem, and assuring sustainable development to the benefit of the present and future generations” (LVFO 1999). The draft Lake Victoria Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) seeks to contribute to development of sustainable fisheries by establishing a viable system for the management of the lake fisheries (LVFRP 2001). These goals are re-echoed in the national development programs and fisheries policies of the individual riparian states as spelt out in the Policy Mandates and Organizational Review Report for Kenya, the National Fisheries Policy for Uganda and the National Fisheries Sector Policy and Strategy Statement for Tanzania (MAAIF 2004, MARD 2000, MNRT 1997). However, available information highlights the concern that the distributions of the benefits from the lake are not equitable within the riparian states, between communities, households and individuals.
Embedding Co-Management: Community-Based Fisheries Resource Management Regime in Lake Victoria, Tanzania
(2007) Onyango, Paul O.; Jentoft, Svein
This paper discusses fisheries management reforms through involving local level institutions (LLFI). It is based on studies which were undertaken on Tanzania’s Lake Victoria fishery where LLFIs were established through the formation of Local enforcement Units, later named Beach Management Units (BMU), between 1998 and 2002. The paper takes the view that the overfishing problems that confront Tanzania’s fisheries management authorities are best understood from a social science perspective. The argument is that most communities’ values and institutions are embedded in their societies. The same is however, not true for externally originated management tools and systems as is the case with BMUs. This paper shows that the BMUs established between 1998 and 2002, were not sufficiently grounded in their socio-cultural environment and this led them to be unsustainable and ineffective. The paper demonstrates that this mismatch by examining the different historical and social contexts in which livelihoods such as fishing emerged and was carried out. These social contexts generated social values that explain the individual behaviour of community members. It is such values that communities always strive to maintain in any activity including fishing. Thus, when confronted with situations that threaten these values, communities strategize or negotiate ways to cope. The coping strategies of two communities riparian to the lake are discussed. The paper therefore proposes a framework for making these units ‘fit’ local conditions in order to make them effective and sustainable so as to reform fisheries management.
Freedom and Poverty in the Fishery Commons
(2010) Jentoft, Svein; Onyango, Paul O.; Islam, Mohammad M.
Poverty was at the heart of the tragedy of the commons discourse from the very beginning. The idea was that commoners would inevitably end up deprived due to their own resource overuse. As Hardin saw it, if the initial problem was freedom of the commons, then limiting that freedom would logically reduce poverty. In this article, we argue that alleviating poverty among resource users calls for a broader concept of freedom than Hardin’s – one that is more in line with that of Amartya Sen’s “freedom as agency.” Based on case-studies of smallscale fisheries and poverty in Bangladesh and Tanzania, we claim that the root of the tragedy of the commons is the restriction of freedom rather than unlimited freedom and that it is arguable whether the people who have no other option than to continue fishing for their livelihood, even in over-exploited ecosystems, could be understood to be free.
Local Institutions for Sustaining Wetland Resources and Community Livelihoods in the Lake Victoria Basin
(2008) Kibwage, Jacob; Onyango, Paul O.; Bakamwesiga, Hilary
What should policy makers do in deciding between institutions promoting community livelihoods or sustaining wetland resources within an impoverished community? Prioritizing community livelihoods without understanding the impact of local institutions on wetland resources may only aggravate impoverishment. However, prioritizing sustainable wetland resource use may lead to short-term impoverishment with positive long-term effect on both community livelihood and sustainable wetland resources. This paper tries to address this difficulty by assessing local level institutions such as property rights and those that govern extraction of wetland resources in three wetland communities of Lake Victoria. The paper argues that reassessing institutions on 'tenure system' and 'access to' resources are desirable policy objectives that should guide such decisions.
Macro-Economic Assessment of Lake Victoria Fishing Industry in East Africa
(2009-01) Abila, Richard; Odongkara, Konstantine O.; Onyango, Paul O.
The contribution of Lake Victoria fisheries in the economies of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda is usually grossly undervalued and inaccurately reported. This study supported by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization assessed the macro-economic importance of the fishing industry in the region, based on review of literature, analysis of secondary information and primary data. The study has provided data and information on fish production, fish exports and domestic fish trade; contribution of fisheries in employment, incomes, government revenue, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and food security. The report reveals that an estimated total of 1,042,868 tonnes were landed in the whole lake in 2006, with an ex-vessel value of US$ 371 million, shared between Tanzania (47%), Uganda (33%) and Kenya (20%). About 152,196 tonnes of Nile perch were processed by the region's 32 operating factories to produce 76,098 tonnes of various Nile perch products for export, which generated substantial foreign exchange. The fish export markets are diversified to include at least 26 countries in all five continents, of which EU is dominant. Fisheries contribution to the GDP of riparian countries though is relatively small, ranging between 0.5 and 2%. Lake Victoria fishery is also an important sector for informal employment in fish production, which employed about 196,426 people in 2006, and also many more informal employment opportunities in fish trade and artisanal processing. With all these benefits it is economically and socially justified for increased investment of resources to sustainably manage the fishery.
Occupation of Last Resort? Small-Scale Fishing in Lake Victoria, Tanzania
(Springer Link, 2011) Onyango, Paul O.
Small-scale fisheries have been conceptualized as a “safety valve” – the last reliable livelihood when no other exists for fishers, who are considered poor. This perception appears to be the grounds upon which poverty alleviation and resource management policies are defined. This chapter looks at this notion and questions whether small-scale fisheries are really an “occupation of last resort.” Based on an ethnographic study on a Lake Victoria fishing community in Tanzania, data indicate that regardless of their poverty status, small-scale fisheries are perceived as offering a rich way of life that fishers join by choice. By discussing what fishers consider as the underlying issues in their choices, this chapter argues that fisheries management (in technical terms) should shift to governance that supports opportunities and processes for fishers to pursue the kind of life they want, and create an environment in which they can pursue that life, respectively. Such a shift would also benefit from a set of management-relevant social variables and indicators that focus on peoples’ judgments of their well-being, capabilities, and satisfaction to aim toward sustainable fisheries management and poverty reduction. The chapter therefore emphasizes that if managers and policy makers/governors do not understand the full meaning and satisfaction that small-scale fishers attach to their occupation, policies instituted to curb overfishing risk not only misfire but also backfire.
Poverty in Lake Victorian Fisheries – Understanding Governability
(Springer Link, 2013) Onyango, Paul O.; Jentoft, Svein
Why is poverty such a challenging problem in small-scale fishing communities, despite noble efforts to eradicate it? This chapter argues that poverty requires a governability lens to be understood and effectively alleviated. More specifically, the chapter uses the interactive governance approach’s three systems model, i.e., the system-to-be-governed, the governing system and governing interactions, to discuss poverty as a “wicked problem” that involves challenges pertaining to governability. We explore the limits of, and conditions for, governability and how these affect poverty. Our point of view is shaped by the poverty conditions prevalent in the fishing communities of Lake Victoria in Tanzania.
Poverty in Small-Scale Fisheries: The Governance Perspective
(2010) Jentoft, Svein; Onyango, Paul O.; Islam, Mohammad M.
In fisheries, alleviating poverty sometimes requires strategies that are inherently in conflict. When aiming to develop a fishery as a means to reduce poverty, its common pool resource basis might be undermined, resulting in greater poverty. But poverty in fisheries is also linked to, or a part of deeper social issues and processes, for instance, the marginalization and exclusion of certain communities. Poverty also has many factors— income, health, literacy, gender, power, security, etc.—all of which make poverty alleviation a particularly “wicked problem” that would require a broad process of political, social and institutional reform. In other words, poverty alleviation is not only an issue of sustainable resource management but also one of societal governance. Drawing from research in small-scale fisheries communities in Nicaragua, Tanzania, and Bangladesh, this paper describes how fishing people cope with poverty. The paper discusses what the governance implications are for alleviating poverty at individual, household and community levels, and argue that both the definition of poverty and poverty alleviation in small-scale fisheries must be rooted in real life experiences.
Re-configuring Poverty: The Wickedness Perspective
(2009) Onyango, Paul O.
Alleviating poverty in small-scale fisheries requires a clear understanding of what poverty means. On the whole, different perspectives and strategies have been used to understand and address poverty. These strategies have been grounded in an understanding of poverty as a straightforward economic problem. Moreover, a number of these strategies and perspectives have one way or another been grounded in the understanding that poverty has to do with low incomes and expenditure. However in reality, poverty presents itself as a more complex problem. This paper, therefore, explores an understanding of poverty that goes beyond the income-expenditure nexus. Based on empirical information from Lake Victoria Tanzania, the paper discusses two issues, first, that poverty should be understood from an ecological, social and institutional context and secondly, that poverty alleviation involves a dilemma and a wicked problem.
Regional Synthesis of the 2007 Socio-economic Monitoring Survey of the Fishing Communities of Lake Victoria
(2009-01) Abila, Richard; Odongkara, Konstantine O.; Onyango, Paul O.
Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization carried out a large socio-economic survey within the fisheries communities of Lake Victoria in 2005 to generate baseline socio-economic data on livelihoods, access to financial services, access to information and about the scale of business operation. The survey was carried out in the three Partner States – Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda - at a total of 97 landing sites, with 4028 respondents, of whom 25% were boat owners, 25% boat crew, 38% traders and processors and 12% from the ‘others’ category. Overall, 75% of the respondents were male, reflecting the occupational categories interviewed and the fact that most of the respondents were heads of households.
Unsustainable Tendencies and the Fisheries of Lake Victoria
(2002) Crean, Kevin; Abila, Richard; Lwenya, C.; Omwega, R.; Omwenga, F.; Atai, A.; Gonga, J.; Nyapendi, A.; Medard, M.; Onyango, Paul O.; Geheb, Kim
During the last 15 years the fisheries of Lake Victoria have been subject to intense fishing effort coupled with deteriorating conditions in the aquatic environment. Efforts to set and maintain ecological limits for the control of fish exploitation have not been successful and the goal of sustainable development for the Lake’s fisheries has proved elusive. The factors that contribute to unsustainable tendencies in the Lake’s fisheries are explored and the problems that need to be addressed if the adverse trends that affect production and management are to be overcome are investigated.

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