NEWS:

3 Feb, 2016


Moses Limuwa, discussing fish productivity challenges in his research area in Nkhotakota
Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources with funding from the Government of Norway through the Capacity Building for Managing Climate Change in Malawi (CABMACC) programme has supported several scholarships for its members of staff. One of the beneficiaries of this programme is Moses Limuwa, a Monitoring and Evaluation Expert. Moses is currently a doctoral student at the prestigious Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMB) in Norway. In his research “The effects of Malawi Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Initiatives on Small-Scale Fishers’ Livelihoods under a changing environment”, Moses aims to link the impact of climate change to fisheries developmental initiatives and fish farmers’ livelihoods.

This study is being undertaken in Nkhotakota and is supervised by Professor Bishal Sitaula, Professor Trond Storebakken, Professor Espen Sjaastad, and Associate Professor Gry Synnevåg from Norway.

According to Limuwa, identifying key limitations to Malawi’s fisheries and aquaculture development is an important step towards attaining of sustainable livelihoods under a changing environment. Moses further said that, at present, little empirical research has been conducted on the subject area and that its knowledge is vital in designing context specific development policies related to adaptation to climate change.

“The fisheries and aquaculture sector is one of the least explored sectors in Malawi, however its potential is limitless. Such studies bring about the desired attention towards such sectors which can possibly be a way out of the economic huddle currently engulfing our country”. Said Limuwa.

The research gaps are being addressed through interlinked studies. These studies include: assessing the perceptions of small-scale fishers on climate variability / change and fish catches; the impacts of fisheries investments on food security and incomes; the socio-economic and biological factors affecting the decision of small-scale fishers to participate in aquaculture and the effects of hydro dynamic changes fishers’ gender roles.

Limuwa added that the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere is increasing such that as the air temperature rises, oceans absorb some of this heat and become warmer, the study will therefore validate the correlation in this conventional science, indigenous knowledge verses fish catches over a long period of time. He further explained that fish farmers and coastal inhabitants will bear the full force of these impacts through changes in the availability and quality of fish for food and rising risks to their health and safety.

From his vast studies in fisheries and aquaculture Moses has noted that many fisheries-dependent communities already live a precarious and vulnerable existence because of poverty, lack of social services and essential infrastructure. He stated that the fragility of these communities is further undermined by over exploited fishery resources and degraded ecosystems and thus the implications of climate change in food security and livelihoods of many developing countries are profound and are expected to derail coastal developmental initiatives.


Written by Christie Kang’ombe



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