Constraints hindering small scale aquaculture production in southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethiopia has a great potential for small scale aquaculture development. However, the overall fish production in the country is very low due to several constraints. Therefore, this study was aimed to identify major constraints affecting the development of small scale aquaculture production and forward possible intervention for further research, extension work and policy makers. For this purpose, questionnaire survey and visual observation were used to collect primary data. A total of 300 fish farming households having artificial fish pond were purposively selected. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. The study showed that five major constraints hindering the development and the promotion of aquaculture production were identified. The most serious constraint was the absence of aquaculture technologies (as reported by 72.7–85% of the total respondents) followed by shortage of sustainable quality fish seeds and feeds supply (as reported by 60–80% of the total respondents), while low Nile tilapia yield (as reported by 32.5–34.5% of the total respondents) was the least constraint across and within the two studied areas. The rank and the trend of the constraints across the two areas were the same, while it was different among different agro-ecologies. In conclusion, the first two identified aquaculture production constraints, i.e. applicable technology transfer gap and shortage of sustainable quality fish seeds and feeds supply, were taken the most serious problems affecting the development of aquaculture in the study areas and beyond. Thus different stakeholders should be integrated to work on the adoption of appropriate aquaculture technologies and production of quality fish seeds and feeds.