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| Bulletin 13 |
Publications - Bulletins |
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S.
Braguy, Technical assistant, Mar Ambiante e Pesca Artesanal NGO (Marapa)
and Fisheries
are important to both the diet and the economy of African countries.
Preventing or limiting deterioration of the fish after the catch is
landed is thus of vital importance. There are many different ways of
doing this, of which solar drying has many advantages: it is simple,
low cost and non-labour intensive. We have looked at three countries -
Sao Tome and Principe, Nigeria and Congo - where attempts have been
made to improve on traditional drying methods. Sao
Tome and Principe: emphasis on quality Rather
than fish, what usually comes to mind at the mention of the Republic
of Sao Tome and Principe in the Gulf of Guinea is the cocoa cultivated
in the roças, the many large plantations left over from the
Portuguese colonial days,. However, here, as in other African
countries, fisheries are important for nutritional, economic and
social reasons. Whole communities along the coast depend on fishing
and fish trading. Not an easy business. The equatorial climate with
its high temperatures and humidity levels, coupled with lack of cold
storage facilities, make the preservation of fish rather difficult. On
top of this, the marketing network is very small, because the market
is small, communication with the commercial centres is poor, and the
state of the roads is so bad that the fish must be processed so that
it can be kept for longer. In
an attempt to reduce post-catch losses and improve livelihoods, the
Angolares communities on the island of Sao Tome, with the support of
the SFLP, decided to look at ways of improving the techniques they use
for salting and drying the fish. Marapa, a local NGO, helped them to
build two collective solar dryers to replace the traditional outdoor
drying method. Marapa was also working with some other fisheries
communities on smaller individual solar dryers with funding from the
Agence française de développement (French development agency). Many
of the country’s beaches are very distant from Sao Tome, the
country’s capital located on the main island, and access is
difficult because of the lack of regular transport. It is thus
important that fish caught in these areas for sale should keep for a
long period. The women processors, (“palaiès”), generally salt
and dry the fish. In the best case, they lay the fish out on
horizontal racks about one metre above the ground, to avoid direct
contact with the sand and on the ground. The racks consist of a wooden
frame with a cover made from bamboo or small branches (mangrove or
other trees), or a mat made from palm leaves or twigs, covered with a
fishing net. One
disadvantage of this method is that the slow drying process makes it
unhygienic, by contributing to the partial destruction of the proteins
content of the fish through oxidation and bacterial or enzyme
degradation. Moreover, the fish has to be brought inside every time it
rains and each evening to avoid night dew and its consequences, such
as mould. Dust contamination, insect infestation and exposure to
harmful human and animal handling are other disadvantages of natural
outdoor drying, particularly since the structures used to store dried
products (warehouses in the large centres) are poorly maintained and
rarely disinfected, which encourages insects. An
awareness-raising campaign was conducted among the women of Angolares
at the end of 2001 in an attempt to reduce the risk of contamination
and improve product quality. The SFLP had already provided the
community with some support in the form of a storage and distribution
system for the products landed by small fishers and assistance in
strengthening the organisational capacities of both the fishers and
the “palaiès”. The aim of the campaign was to explain the
advantages of drying in a closed environment heated by the sun, to
obtain a better quality product. The
collective dryers tested in Angolares look like small tents set up one
metre above the ground, measuring 3 m long and 1.5 m wide. The
individual dryers introduced into the other communities are the same
shape but smaller, 2 m x 1 m. In both cases, the fish is laid out on
two levels of racks made from bamboo strips lying on mosquito netting.
A transparent plastic sheet covers the wooden structure. Holes along
the bottom and top of the structure aid ventilation. The advantage of
the dryers is clear: they make use of a free source of abundant energy
to speed up the drying process (the drying period is 65% less than
when it is done directly in the sun), and protect the fish from
weather and insects. They are inexpensive, at CFA 51,000 (USD 91) for
the individual version. Both types are built by the processors
themselves, using locally available materials (only the mosquito
netting and the polyethylene sheets have to be bought on the market).
The better quality fish produced brings a more rapid return on
investment. Inevitably
some adaptation is required to change from the traditional to a more
improved drying method. The women from the fisheries communities that
undertook this activity were given training in fish salting and drying
methods: from gutting to washing before salting, from laying out in
the salting tray to turning the fish on the racks, all the stages were
looked at in detail to produce the best results. Improved hygiene in
the handling and storage of the fish was also considered at length in
order to meet the requirements of the customers who were prepared to
pay for a better quality product. After
two years, the solar dryer experiment has produced some good results.
The women have reacted positively to it. The solar dryers are used
frequently, with nearly one third of them in use throughout the year.
These dried fish can be stored for up to four weeks, and sometimes
more than a month whereas fish dried the traditional way could only
last for between 3 and 8 days. The women who have used the solar
dryers have come to realise that they can use them to salt and dry any
unsold fish, even during the rainy season. The
use of solar dryers in Sao Tome has helped produce profits for the
fisheries communities. The salted and dried fish is now better quality
and attracts a price about 20% higher than before the new method was
introduced. In the past, 1 kg of dried fish could bring between USD
3.6 and USD 4.2, but the new product is being sold at up to USD 6. The
technique is really taking off now as consumers begin to recognise
quality and accept to pay for it. The
conclusive results of this experiment have opened the way for a larger
programme which now covers not only the whole of the island of Sao
Tome, but also Principe. There is growing demand for the dryers,
particularly in the wetter areas to the south of the island of Sao
Tome and Principe. The new programme, funded by the French cooperation
agency (SCAC), began in January 2003, with the collaboration of the
NGO Marapa. The
experience has also produced some lessons. The main one is from the
collective use of the dryers in Angolares. Originally, the initiators
had thought that the dryers would be both used and managed
collectively. The excess fish landed would be processed in the dryers.
However, which of the women was to use the dryers first? Who would pay
for maintenance and repairs? This situation led to conflict,
especially because the fish cannot wait and has to be processed as
quickly as possible. The
new SCAC/Marapa programme decided to use individual dryers which are
better adapted to the reality on the ground. This seems to have worked
better, with a single family, or two or three women who are very
close, managing one solar dryer. For the moment, the new project has
helped 122 women from 11 communities to set up their own dryers and
establish the basis for a micro business. Training courses have also
been planned. The approach now is very different from that adopted in
Angolares. It requires meeting the demands of profita-bility, and the
main challenge will be to find markets to sell the salted/dried fish;
this is not a problem at the moment. The
women have also been given training in managing micro loans. The
youngest women receive a small loan of 230,000 dobras (USD 27.6) to
set up their business. The others have received loans to help them
intensify their activities. They have used the loans to buy the basic
raw material, the fish, as well as to provide the initial working
capital to run the family businesses properly. However, this is not
enough. The “palaiès” need access to larger loans, of between
500,000 and 1,000,000 dobras (USD 60 to USD 120). Another
problem highlighted by some of the women was that the individual solar
dryers used were too small, limiting the amount of fish that could be
dried. Some of the users also found that they retained too much
humidity and the ventilation system needed to be improved, by
increasing the size of the holes at the side and angling them to make
use of the wind. The 160 solar dryers introduced under the new
programme have been made bigger to take account of the processors’
concerns: they are 3 m long by 1.5 m wide, and the aeration holes have
been adapted. The
improved quality of the salted/dried products has been welcomed by the
consumers. The Sao Tome and Principe Directorate of Fisheries has
expressed the wish to develop the technique with a view to exports,
initially to the African continent, and then to Europe, by building a
centre for the preparation, processing and packaging of salted/dried
fish. A proposal for a support project has also been submitted to the
FAO to improve the salting/drying process and train women to use the
solar dryers. Ways now need to be found to give the women easier
access to the credit institutions. This is a real problem in the daily
lives of the women of Sao Tome and Principe. Another
country, a different approach: Nigeria Adapt
the solar drying tents. The fisheries communities of Lake Kainji, in
the north of Nigeria, did this several times, with the help of the
National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research (NIFFR) in New
Bussa. Fish drying is a common practice in this arid zone. As in Sao
Tomé, the traditional method is to spread out the fish –
particularly the low quality fish – on mats or even on the ground
and leave it to dry in the sun. Dust, insects, sand, stones and the
long time needed to dry it further lower the quality of the product. In
an attempt to improve the situation, the GTZ, the German development
agency, and NIFFR undertook a research on solar dryers. The objective
of the project was to improve the quality of the dried fish and to
reduce losses. The technique is low cost, easy to use and efficient,
and it was rapidly taken up in the Lake Kainji region. The second
objective was to show the fisheries communities that it was possible
to use a renewable energy source to dry the fish, rather than the
traditional method of smoking it using firewood, and thus help keep
the remaining forest intact. After
a trial period, the users and the scientists worked together to
improve the initial model on the basis of their first observations and
the facts in the field, to make it more effective. The improved dryer,
commonly known as “the Kainji solar dryer”, is the result of a
close partnership between the experts and the fisheries communities.
This is a perfect illustration of participa-tory research aimed at
development and steered by demand, that is, by the communities’
needs. The
adaptations include the remodelling of the transparent polyethylene
sheet covering the dryer to ensure optimum heat concentration under
the tent and complete protection from insects. Another example is the
dryer frame that the fish processors said should be made from wood,
easily obtainable from nearby forests. The project initiators were
looking at metal uprights. Another good illustration of the
collaboration between scientists and processors is the replacement of
the black polyethylene sheet at the base of the dryer that helps
better absorb solar energy, by rocks covered with locally produced
black dye, again on the advice of the users. The
Nigerian solar dryer experience shows, if any proof were needed, the
advantage of having local communities play a full part in any project.
The fisheries communities have a wealth of knowledge of which the
scientists are ignorant. The project was based on true partnership,
and so the improved technology was more easily accepted and adopted by
the beneficiaries. Accepted and adopted, meaning that the technology
was not given up because it was too expensive or did not meet the
users’ expectations. The collaboration also went a long way to
reducing the communities’ apprehension about the administrative
departments, which they had thought too distant from their concerns.
In addition to supporting the communities’ livelihoods improvement
strategies, participatory research can also help to improve public
development policy and the work of development organisations by
providing the decision-makers with relevant innovations and
information. In
terms of results, the Nigerian fisheries communities, like those of
Sao Tome, have seen economic benefits. The dried fish produced from
their solar dryers is much easier to sell than what they used to
produce, at a higher price, bringing them more profit. The proof of
this is that the simple dryer, which can be built by the beneficiaries
themselves, has already become popular in many villages in the region.
The National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research (NIFFR) hopes
that the solar dryers will gradually help reduce the large amounts of
fish imported from neighbouring countries by improving local fish
production. There
is also a second result. The introduction of solar dryers for
preserving fish has also helped reduce pressure on the environment by
reducing the demand for firewood to smoke fish. Figures
rise in Congo The
third case study is Congo, where salted/dried fish is a much sought
after commodity. Nearly 720 tonnes of salted/dried fish were imported
in 2002 alone, mainly from Senegal and Norway, to meet domestic demand.
Salting/drying is the favoured method in the seafaring communities as
a response to the constraints of fishmongering, particularly for
Congolese women, who rarely smoke fish. For the fishers and their
womenfolk, salting/drying is less work than smoking to preserve the
fish. The product also keeps better and attracts a higher price than
smoked fish. It is usually the larger species (shark, conger eel, bass,
threadfin, brotula) that are salted/dried, because they attract better
prices than the pelagic species, such as sardinella, which take longer
to prepare for salting and drying or for smoking. Congolese
women buy large quantities of fish. The catches are larger too, since
the fisheries resources are numerous and varied. The new drying
methods make it possible not only to reduce losses, but also to secure
and improve the livelihoods of the fisheries communities for most of
the year. Hence the target is an increase in quantity, although
quality is also an issue. Solar
dryers were introduced to the Base Agip beach in Pointe-Noire on the
initiative of the Programme to support the economic and social
integration of displaced populations around Pointe-Noire (PAIPOD),
which is funded by the European Union and run by Agri Congo, a
national development support institution. In its pilot phase, and in
partnership with the SFLP community project, it aimed at improving on
existing activities, particularly salting/drying, and revitalising the
supply chains by making them more professional and organising the
stakeholders involved. Twenty processors (mainly single women or
widows, with an average of four children to support) were selected
from the socio-professional organisations set up by the SFLP project
and trained to use the solar dryers. The women each received CFA
470,550 in credit (USD 840). Part of this sum (CFA 270,550) was used
to purchase the solar dryer, which has an estimated three-year life
span (the plastic film has to be renewed every six months). The
remaining CFA 200,000 were used to buy the raw material. An agreement
was reached with the women on repayment of the loan. During the pilot
phase, repayment was over 12 months, with no interest charged. The
option chosen was to adapt and disseminate a previously tested 4m x
3.75m x 2m individual “shed” solar dryer, fitted with two shelves
and a salting box. It can salt and dry an average of 110 kg of fresh
brotula (the species used as a reference) per operating cycle, with
between three and four cycles per month. The system should allow the
women to process the fish in more hygienic conditions, and should
reduce the drying time, particularly during the rainy season. Here,
the dryers used are larger than the ones used in Sao Tome and Nigeria
and are more like greenhouses. This has to be so because of large
number of kilos of fish they have to process. The
first data after a few months of activity show that the initiative has
helped improve both the quality and the quantity of fish processed, as
well as the processors’ income. Some processors have seen their
turnover double. The results show that a shed dryer produces an
average of 400 kg of salted/dried fish each month. Part of this is
sold locally, and the rest is sent to other towns in Congo, although
this is not without problem: the processed fish is currently
transported in recycled cardboard boxes or synthetic fibre sacks, a
very unsatisfactory situation. There is also a problem of “case
hardening” because of poor control of the drying temperature. The
project is hoping that an exchange of experiences with Sao Tome and
collaboration with the national research institutes will help deal
with this. In general, the results are encouraging, but a few more
months are needed before any conclusions can be drawn. The
number of women assisted is still too small to have had any
significant impact on the sector especially since the need to extend
the technology has become increasingly obvious after the first
agriculture, livestock and fisheries show which took place in
Pointe-Noire in October 2003. An appraisal has shown that the funding
capacity of the processors themselves is no more than CFA 50,000 (USD
90) per year on average, which poses serious problem if external
funding is not available. Thus, if we want to have an impact and
ensure that this form of greenhouse drying spreads, we need to promote
cheaper, but still “profitable”, designs that the processors could
pay for themselves. In
its development phase, the project expects to reach a larger number of
women with the funds repaid from the credits given to the initial
beneficiaries. The results show that 70% of the women who were given
loans are up-to-date with their repayments. The others are running a
few weeks late. This
aspect of the project will further encourage the dissemination of the
technology although is not enough to reach most of the fish processors
along the coast. Indeed, the Sao Tome experience in solar dryer
management could be an important point of reference in achieving this
objective. The Congolese processors should take advantage of this
experience. The other problem area identified is the high cost of the
shed dryer. Ideas are currently being studied for introducing local
materials, such as eucalyptus wood, which would bring down the
investment costs. The
Congo National Coordination Unit (NCU) is not sitting back. Contacts
have been made with the Multidisciplinary Food and Nutrition Research
Team (ERPAN) of the General Directorate of Scientific and Technical
Research (DGRST) about setting up solar dryers in the Conkouati Douli
fishing community along the Congo River, where a SFLP community
project is ongoing. The team has already experimented with the
different types of solar dryers and provides training on it. The plan
is to construct a type of dryer adapted to the environment and, in
particular, as cheap as possible, using local materials. Only the
plastic film will be purchased. In contrast to Base Agip in
Pointe-Noire where the women work individually and dry large
quantities of fish, the NCU plans to promote collective use of the
shed dryers at Conkouati Douli, where the quantity of fish are smaller
and the fish processors are used to drying their fish on shared frames.
They make their own mark on the flesh of the fish in order to keep
track. The
collective management experience in Sao Tome has shown its
limitations. Will the community in Conkouati be capable of jointly
using and managing the dryers? Why not? The women here are used to
working together and the dryer is large, with enough space to dry fish
for several women. In any case, that will be a matter for discussion
by the community project management team. These
three examples of how solar dryers are being used once again show how
important it is to take account of the local situation when
implementing a development project. The experiences should be
publicised, as they can be lessons and help to answer some of the key
problems that have led to the failure of other attempts to introduce
solar dryers, such as the investment cost and the life span of the
dryer. Moreover, the effect of this on the price of the processed
product, which has meant that the technology is used for the bigger
species which command a higher price, should be analyzed. In this
respect, sharing experiences between the various communities, as well
as the research institutions and other development agencies, involved
in the Our
thanks go to Mrs Yvette Diei of the FAO Regional Office for Africa for
her contribution to this article. |
