Annual FASA monitoring survey: Baseline characterisation of the practices and use of local feed ingredients among fish farmers and ingredient processors in Zambia

Abstract

The sustainable growth of aquaculture in sub-Saharan Africa is hinged on developing nutritious, cost-effective fish feeds and adopting appropriate feeding practices. To address this need, WorldFish is implementing the "Development and Scaling of Sustainable Feeds for Resilient Aquatic Food Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa" (FASA), a 5-year project funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) with NOK 80 million. Collaborating with partners such as ICIPE, CORAF, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Aller Aqua Zambia, NRDC, local feed millers, and farmer organizations, the project is aiming to develop affordable, innovative aquatic feeds, benefiting 5,000 smallholder aquatic food producers in Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia. Responding to baseline data needs, a study assessed fish feed practices among fish farmers and ingredient processors. The study, focusing on eleven districts in six provinces, used multistage and a purposive sampling approach, targeting 600 fish farmers and 180 ingredient processors respectively. Data was collected using pre-tested digital questionnaires and Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI).