(1/7/2013 - 30/6/2014)
Improving Employment and Income through Development of
Egypt’s Aquaculture Sector
(IEIDEAS) Project
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...i
1 Introduction and Background ... 3
2 Project implementation... 6
2.1 Project organization and management ... 6
2.2 Outcome 1: Productivity and sustainability of existing fish farms improved ... 6
2.3 Outcome 2: Livelihoods and working conditions of women fish retailers improved ... 10
2.4 Outcome 3: Farmed fish production increased in El Mineya ... 12
2.5 Outcome 4: Facilitate efficient and sustainable value chains and optimal institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks ... 14
2.6 Other research activities ... 16
2.7 Project reports and consultancies ... 18
3 Project budget and expenditure (Financial Report) ... 21
4 Publications ... 25 Annexes
Annex 1 - Project impact pathways and theories of change Annex 2 - Revised project logframe
Acronyms
ARC Agriculture Research Center (of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation)
BMC Broodstock Multiplication Center
BMP Best Management Practice
CAPMAS Central Agency for Public Mobilization And Statistics CDA Community Development Association
CLAR Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research DCED Donor Committee for Enterprise Development
EU European Union
FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation (of the United Nations) FTE Full-time equivalent
GAFRD General Authority for Fisheries Resource Development
GDP Gross Domestic Product
gr Grammes
IEIDEAS Improving Employment and Income through Development of Egypt’s Aquaculture Sector (project)
M4P Making Markets Work for the Poor PAC Policy Advisory Committee
PCBs Polychlorinated Biphenyls
PO Producer Organization
PSC Project Steering Committee
SDC Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
VCA Value Chain Assessment
Conversion Factors US$ = LE 6.88 - 7.15 I ha = 2.381 feddan
Executive Summary
Implementation of the SDC funded project ‘Improving Employment and Income through Development of Egypt’s Aquaculture Sector’ commenced on 1st
December 2011 and will continue until December 2014. This is the third operational report and summarizes the results of the 12 month period from 1 July 2013 until 30 June 2014.
The project was based on a value chain analysis (VCA) carried out by WorldFish in September 2011. The information in the VCA acts as the baseline for the main project parameters. It established that the aquaculture value chain is a significant employer (14 FTE per 100 tonnes of annual production), particularly in rural areas and there was scope to increase employment of youth and women.
The geographical focus for the project is in 4 governorates where there are significant aquaculture industries; Kafr el Sheikh, Behera, Sharkia and Fayoum, and one governorate, El Mineya, where there is little aquaculture at present. The main outcomes are improved profitability for existing producers, securing employment for women fish retailers, expansion of aquaculture in El Mineya, improved policy environment for aquaculture and enhanced contribution of aquaculture to the nutritional health of Egyptian consumers.
The project is managed by WorldFish Egypt in collaboration with CARE Egypt who are responsible for implementing the activities leading to the outcomes dealing with women retailers and the expansion of aquaculture in El Mineya. The project is managed by a joint committee from WorldFish and CARE, overseen by a Project Steering Committee.
The main project activities in this reporting period continued on from the work carried out during the first 1.5 years of project implementation.
Preparatory research on the aquaculture hatchery industry resulted in a strategy for dissemination of generation 9 (G9) of the Abbassa improved strain of Nile tilapia through broodstock multiplication centers (BMCs) to hatcheries that in 2014 have sold millions of sex-reversed, Abbassa strain fry to fish farms. During 2013, the 8 BMCs stocked 124 hatcheries with broodstock and supplied 45 farms directly with sex-reversed Abbassa strain fry. These hatcheries have stocked an estimated 1200 fish farms (around 20% of the total number of fish farms) with improved strain fry in 2014. Initial research on the results of G9 fry stocked into fish farms in 2013 indicated that production increases by around 20% compared to ponds stocked with commercial strains. This is in line with on-station research where a 30% growth advantage was achieved. Meanwhile work continues at the Abbassa research center on developing the next generation, now G13, of the improved strain.
Best Management Practice training started in late 2012, building up momentum in 2013 which rose to a peak in early 2014. A total of 2600 training sessions have so far been delivered by project ‘farmer trainers’ to around 1800 individual fish farmers on a range of topics from pond construction to post-harvest handling practices. Initial research on uptake of key messages by fish farmers and impacts on production shows that trained farmers stock fewer fish and manage their feed more effectively. This reduces their operating costs
resulting in improved profitability but not necessarily higher production.
Six women fish retailer organizations have been formed, 2 in El Mineya and 1 in each of the other project governorates. All have been established under Community Development Associations (CDAs) as it was felt that it would have taken too long for them to be registered as separate organizations. Capacity building support has been given to the CDA executives and to Retailer Committees within the CDAs. Grants have been used to provide the retailers with essential equipment, such as cold boxes, motorized tricycles, fish grills and knives for cleaning fish. In Shakshouk, Fayoum a dedicated market space has been established which has proved to be popular with the retailers, their customers and with the local authority. A survey focused on the socio-economic circumstances of fish retailers has been drafted and will be published shortly.
Extensive support has been given to existing and prospective fish farmers in the Upper Egypt governorate of El Mineya. Existing fish farms in irrigated land and new fish farms in desert areas have been stocked with good quality fry and given technical assistance and training. These resulted in significant harvests of farmed fish in late 2013 and early 2014. Following on from the 2013 consultancy study on policies and institutions, activities relating to policy engagement focused on setting up an Innovation Platform in early 2014. The mid-2013 change in government meant that it was difficult to pursue policy change through ‘official’ channels. The Innovation Platform has resulted in 6 working groups focused on the main policy issues affecting the aquaculture industry. The aim is to develop policy
recommendations that can be taken up with the government and policy makers once the situation has stabilized.
The project has carried out a major study on the place of fish in the diets of poor Egyptian households. This report will be published shortly.
A project review was carried out by an independent consultant in early 2014 at the request of SDC. The review concluded that the project is moving towards achieving its main objectives of increasing employment and incomes, mainly through anticipated aquaculture production increases and more efficient management. It suggested that final assessment of project impact should not be carried out until early 2015 because of the seasonal nature of the farming system. It recommended that the revised logframe should be endorsed as soon as possible by the Project Steering Committee and SDC; also that a series of ‘golden indicators’ are identified rather than trying to implement a complex M&E framework. The review
suggested that work with women retailers needs to identify how sustainable, representative retailer committees can be established and a need to deploy additional resources to better understand and document the achievements. It also recommended that SDC should support a follow-on project. While SDC have indicated that they are unable to support a new, full-scale project immediately they are able to provide ‘bridging funding’ until a new project starts in late 2015 or early 2016.
The financial report indicates that the rate of expenditure of the overall project budget is in line with the original budget. There has been over-expenditure on particular line items, particularly consultancy, because of the nutrition study and project review which will be reconciled with SDC.
1 Introduction and Background
This third operational report summarizes the results for the 12 month period from 1 July 2013 until 30 June 2014 of the Improving Employment and Income through Development of Egypt’s Aquaculture Sector (IEIDEAS) project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). It follows the first and second operational reports which covered the periods 1 December 2011 to 30 September 2012 and 1 October 2012 to 30 June 2013, respectively.
The IEIDEAS project commenced in December 2011 and runs for 3 years. It followed a value chain analysis conducted in September 2011 by a team from WorldFish, assisted by a consultant, Graeme Macfadyen of Poseidon Aquatic Resources.
Recommendations from the value chain analysis were carried through to a project proposal that was submitted to SDC in November 2011 and approved in early December 2011. The 3-year IEIDEAS project commenced in December 2011.
In the original project logframe the project goal was:
To create around 10,000 jobs through the development of Egypt’s aquaculture sector in 5 governorates, benefitting 50,000 household members; to develop the aquaculture sector in general; to contribute to the nutritional health of low-income consumers.
Project outcomes were as follows:
1. Reinforce profitability of aquaculture producers and create 9,142 jobs in the governorates of Behera, Fayoum, Kafr El Sheikh and Sharkia.
2. Create/retain 900 jobs in the aquaculture retailing sector (managed by CARE Egypt) 3. Increase farmed fish production in El Mineya governorate and create 250 jobs; Pilot
and disseminate methods to decrease environmental and water utilization impacts of aquaculture (managed by CARE Egypt).
4. Facilitate efficient and sustainable value chains in the aquaculture sector and optimal institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks.
5. Contribute to nutritional health of low income consumers.
The logframe objectives and indicators were revised during a series of workshops in
November 2012 and 2013 to fit with the DCED Results Measurement system and presented in the Year 2 Operational Report in a revised logframe (Annex 1) and as results chains or impact pathways and theories of change for each component of the project (Annex 2). This was done because many of the original indicators in the original logframe were felt to be either unrealistic or unmeasurable while the process of mapping results chains and articulating theories of change provided greater clarity.
In the new logframe the revised project goal is:
To create 10,000 jobs in the Egyptian aquaculture value chain through support for the sector in 5 governorates benefitting 50,000 household members; to build a more secure future for the sector; and, to contribute to the nutritional health of low-income consumers.
The end of project (EOP) indicators for the project goal are:
10,000 jobs created including 900 decent jobs for women retailers Net income in target enterprises increased by $8.8 million
Project benefits extended to 2,000 fish farms, 100 wholesalers, 900 retailers by EOP Access to quality fish maintained or enhanced for low income consumers
Summarized progress against key performance indicators in the original project logframe and the 2013 revised project logframe is outlined below in Table 1.1.
Table 1.1 Progress against original and revised outcomes and key performance indicators Original logframe
outcomes
Original KPIs to 30/11/2014
Revised outcomes Revised End of Project KPIs Comments on current situation (30/06/2014)
1. Reinforce profitability of aquaculture producers and create 9,142 jobs in the governorates of Behera, Fayoum, Kafr el sheikh and Sharkia.
9,142 jobs created 6% increase in direct
employment of women and youth 15% profit increase among 400 target producers and 1200 secondary adopters 100% production increase compared to non-project governorates 1. Productivity and sustainability of existing fish farms in Sharkia, Kafr El Sheikh, Behera and Fayoum improved.
30% production increase among 2000 target producers
10% increase in national aquaculture production
10,000 jobs (FTE) created.
8000 on fish farms (4000 for youth) 800 with traders/retailers (300 for youth) 1200 for retailers (600 for women, 600
for youth)
Abbassa strain Nile tilapia disseminated to 8 BMCs, 130 hatcheries and 1200 fish farms. BMP farmer training given to 1800 fish farmers
so far in 2600 training sessions.
Profitability and production increases from use of the improved strain and BMP training assessed in Feb 2014. Indicates that BMP training results in improved profitability but not necessarily improved production (farmers manage their farms more efficiently) whereas farm ponds stocked with the improved strain had increased production by around 20%.
GAFRD production statistics indicate continued growth in aquaculture production (3% increase to 1.02 million tonnes in 2012) which will result in increased employment along the value chain however this cannot be attributed to the project as the main activities only started in 2012. The project will have generated some additional
employment along the value chain in 2014 due to increased production however the target of 10,000 FTE will not be reached until after the end of project (EOP) when larger production increases will result from widespread adoption of improved practices and use of the improved strain. 2. Create/retain 900 jobs in the aquaculture retailing sector 900 jobs created/retained for women 2. Livelihoods and working conditions of women fish retailers improved through pilot-scale interventions in Sharkia, Kafr El Sheikh, Behera, Fayoum and El Mineya.
5 sustainable fish retailer organizations established
Working conditions improved for 900 fish retailers
Approaches developed for scaling out to other markets and governorates
6 women retailer groups operating in Mineya (2 groups), Fayoum, Kafr El Sheikh, Sharkia and Behera involving 1125 women.
21 VSLA (small loans) groups also established. Different approaches (market infrastructure,
improved transport, distribution centers, empowerment training) tested in the groups. Revised KPIs should be achieved by EOP. 3. Increase farmed fish production in El Mineya governorate 15% production increase in El Mineya 3. Farmed fish production increased in El Mineya including
pro- El Mineya fish farm production reaches 150 t/yr by EOP (100 t/yr from ‘desert aquaculture’ integrated fish farms and 50 t/yr from existing
120 farms stocked with quality seed in 2014 and provided with technical assistance. Variable production increases shown in 2013/2014
and create 250 jobs; Pilot and disseminate methods to decrease environmental and water utilization impact of aquaculture 250 new jobs created 50% of aquaculture surface in El_Mineya makes use of integrated aqua/agricultural approaches, ensuring minimal environmental impact 50% of aquaculture surface in EL-Mineya makes use of water efficient practices
poor aquaculture and reduced environmental impact systems.
farms)
100 new fish farms developed (150 jobs) Pro-poor aquaculture systems tested
harvests. Total amount harvested in 2013 was 23 tonnes (cf 5.5 tonnes in 2012).
There will be increased production from fish farms in Mineya by EOP, however tonnage from existing ponds is likely to be higher than from ‘desert farms’. New farms are unlikely to generate 150 FTE until there is widespread adoption of aquaculture in Mineya. Work on pro-poor aquaculture systems in Mineya was terminated because of poor results with catfish in small tanks.
4. Facilitate efficient and sustainable value chains in the aquaculture sector and optimal institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks Local aquaculture associations in production and retailing established and functioning More supportive institutional, policy and regulatory framework established
4. Facilitate efficient and sustainable value chains in the
aquaculture sector and optimal institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks
Strengthened capacity of existing aquaculture producer and industry organizations to represent their members’ interests. Private/public sector policy platform
established to develop approaches for key aquaculture sector challenges (resource planning, licensing, land/water tenure, quality management systems, market development)
Capacity building support is being given to the Aquatic Union to act as the representative body for governorate-level aquaculture POs.
The policy and institutional environment was analysed in 2013.
An aquaculture Innovation Platform was established in 2014 with 6 working groups focussed on key policy issues affecting aquaculture development. 5. Contribute to nutritional health of low income consumers 900,000 t of fish produced for domestic markets Cost of fish less than
or equal to 2010 price
Per capita fish consumption in kg stable or above 2010 levels
According to GAFRD statistics there has been a 44% increase in aquaculture production from 0.7 million tonnes in 2009 (baseline year for the project) to 1.02 million tonnes in 2012. Total per capita fish consumption (farmed and
wild) has risen from 19.7 kg in 2010 to 20.55 kg in 2012 while farmed fish per capita
consumption rose from 16.44 to 16.48 over the same period.
However, this cannot be attributed to the project as BMP training only started in 2012 and the improved strain will only be available at scale to fish farms in 2014 and 2015.
2 Project implementation
2.1 Project organization and management
Overall project management is by WorldFish Egypt, with management of Outcomes 2 & 3 delegated to CARE Egypt. The main management body for the project is a four member management committee comprised of the WorldFish Project Leader, Malcolm Dickson, and WorldFish Country Manager, Gamal El Naggar, and from CARE, the Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Samir Sedky and the Initiatives Manager (initially Susan Nour, replaced in June 2013 by Pamela Labib and by Ehab Anwar in October/November 2013). The management committee meets (if possible) on a monthly basis to discuss project progress and agree on upcoming work-plans.
Other key staff working on the project include Ahmed Nasr Allah, Diaa Kenawy, Mohamed Fathi and Mohamed Tharwat from WorldFish Egypt and Bahaa Wahib Gerges, Samy Hussein, Eshak Mounir and Georgina Joseph from CARE Egypt.
The management committee reports to a Project Steering Committee, co-chaired by Salah Abdel Momen, former Director of the Agriculture Research Center (ARC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, and a representative from SDC (usually Sally Yacoub). Other members are Malcolm Dickson (Project Leader & Secretary), Gamal El Naggar (WorldFish), Hazem Fahmy (CARE), (CARE Initiatives Manager - Observer), Heidi Samir (civil society organisations and retailers) and Ismail Radwan (representing aquaculture producers).
Salah Abdel Momen was appointed as Minister of Agriculture in 2012, but remained as co-chair of the PSC. He was replaced as Minister of Agriculture after the June/July 2013 revolution but indicated that he would like to remain as chair of the PSC. Meanwhile his replacement as Minister of Agriculture has now also been changed. The rapid changes in personnel made it so difficult to organize PSC meetings that none have been held since March 2013. The 2014 external review of the project in early 2014 noted the lack of steering committee meetings as a problem and suggested that a meeting should be arranged as soon as possible to endorse the M&E framework for the project, the revised project logframe and agree on priority activities until the end of the project. Agreement has now (August 2014) been reached that the PSC can be chaired by the current President of the ARC. A meeting will be arranged in mid-September.
2.2 Outcome 1: Productivity and sustainability of existing fish farms
improved
This outcome focussed on two main activities which should lead to improvements in profitability and production by existing fish farmers in Kafr El Sheikh, Behera, Sharkia and Fayoum;
providing high quality seed - dissemination of Abbassa strain tilapia broodstock to private sector hatcheries
providing technical training - developing and delivering Best Management Practice training
Figure 2.1 Dissemination of improved strain impact pathway
A scientific paper based on the 2012 seed value chain study has been published in the journal Aquaculture (Nasr-Allah et al, 2014).
The study helped to determine a seed dissemination strategy (figure 1), which was to establish leading private sector hatcheries as broodstock multiplication centers (BMCs), selling broodstock to the several hundred hatcheries across the main fish farming areas. The BMCs were supplied with mixed-sex 9th generation (G9) Abbassa strain fry in July 2012. These fish were on-grown for the remainder of 2012 and transferred to breeding systems in the BMCs at the start of the 2013 season. Large quantities of improved strain fry and fingerlings have become available from hatcheries in 2014 (who were supplied with broodstock from BMCs in 2013).
The 8 BMCs sold over 2.7 million Abbassa strain G9 Nile tilapia broodstock to 124 hatcheries in 2013 and supplied another 2 hatcheries in 2014. By June 2014 these hatcheries had supplied an estimated 1200 fish farms with mono-sex fry while the BMCs also produced 4.7 million mono-sex fry which were sold to 45 fish farms in 2013 and 6.1 million mono-sex fry to 48 farms in 2014 (table 2.2). WorldFish Abbassa also supplied additional broodstock to the BMCs to compensate for any losses or additional requirements for them to achieve targets.
It should be possible to identify trends from the first farms supplied with the improved strain in 2013 (initial results indicate a 20% increase in production) and 2014. However, the results of the higher level goals will not become apparent on a ‘macro scale’ until 2015 when a significant number of fish farms have benefitted from stocking the improved strain.
Figure 2.2. Abbassa improved strain dissemination strategy (blue = all-male; red = mixed sex)
Revised logframe targets are that 2000 fish farms will be stocked with the improved strain by the end of project (Dec 2014) however, this is unlikely to be achieved. Many of the
hatcheries said that the broodstock supplied as fry in 2013 were not sufficiently mature by early 2014 to be used for breeding. This meant they missed the crucial ‘early season’ window for supplying mono-sex fry to fish farms. However, the hatcheries should be able to supply the more than the EOP target number of fish farms in 2015.
Meanwhile, work continues on developing the Abbassa improved strain of Nile tilapia at the WorldFish Research Center. The 13th generation was produced in 2014, which should perform significantly better than the 9th generation released to fish farms under the IEIDEAS project.
Table 2.2. Dissemination of mono-sex fry from BMCs to production farms in 2014
BMC Ahmed Sharaky Dr. Salah Husam Ezz El-Deen Mahmo ud Salah Eng. Attef WorldFish Abbassa Dr.
Magdi GAFRD TOTAL
No of farms supplied 27 4 3 6 0 6 2 0 48
No of Seed (1000) 4000 150 500 500 0 869 100 0 6,119
Technical training
Best Management Practice training continued through-out the reporting period using the training packages for pond-based fish farmers were developed in the mid-2012.
Figure 2.3 shows progress against the impact pathway for this activity.
Fish
farms
Hatcheries
Broodstock multiplication centers Abbassa research center2012
2013
2014
Figure 2.3. Best management practices training
Tables 2.3 and 2.4 show the number of training sessions and trainees attending training sessions in each month in the main project governorates. A total of 2,318 training sessions were delivered in the period July 2013 to June 2014 (each training event may consist of one, two or three training sessions). The total number of trainees attending training sessions was 21,749 (number of trainees at each session multiplied by the number of sessions). The number of unique farmers attending training was 1800. The target is to have 2000 farmers receiving the complete suite of Best Management Practice training sessions by the end of project. (tables 4 & 5)
Over 28 trainers have now received ToT training, 12 of whom were actively carrying out BMP training in 2013/14. Two trainers have now delivered more than 600 training sessions each while 5 others have delivered between 160 and 260 sessions each. While original training session plans covered only ten subjects, some of these have been subdivided so that the trainers report against delivery of 15 subjects; overwintering, fish health care, water quality, post-harvest treatments, harvesting, stocking, pond preparation, pond fertilization, site selection & pond design, water management, book-keeping, handling of live fish, feeding, fish sampling and social responsibilities.
The Best Management Practice training has been complemented by the production of ten BMP short films on the main training topics1.
Initial assessments of changes in practices by farmers receiving BMP training indicate that they prioritize efficiency rather than increasing production. Trained farmers manage their feeds more efficiently and stock fewer fish which increases profits but not production. This needs to be confirmed by further studies involving more fish farmers, however it calls into question the Theory of Change assumption that trained farmers will produce greater
quantities of fish, generating more employment in farms and in the downstream nodes of the value chain.
1
The BMP training has been subsidized by the project. In the original project proposal, training was to be organized by aquaculture producer organizations who would continue delivering training after the end of the project. However, the POs were too weak (or in some cases, non-existent) which made it necessary to organize and deliver through farmer trainers, supported directly by the project. This can be looked at as a ‘pump-priming’ action, filling an urgent need for the sector and something which may or may not be sustained after the project has finished. The project has established a cost-effective training system and generated training materials that could be used by others. In the project results chain it was assumed that responsibility for some aspects of the BMP training will be taken up by private sector actors, such as feed companies, after the project has finished. However, it may also be possible to engage strengthened POs in the training process as their capacity is now being improved.
Table 2.3. Number of training sessions July 2013 - June 2014
Governorate Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Behera 6 0 16 18 13 11 18 28 18 35 33 53 Fayoum 0 32 0 26 40 28 48 39 20 67 56 38 Kafr El Sheikh 38 25 81 82 80 84 137 128 127 48 82 88 Sharkia 62 40 66 55 46 71 61 68 93 57 27 29 Total 106 97 163 181 179 194 264 263 258 207 198 208
Table 2.4. Number of trainees attending training sessions July 2013 - June 2014
Governorate Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Behera 60 0 145 135 102 95 145 276 126 253 222 521 Fayoum 0 352 0 232 340 242 420 441 163 481 481 274 Kafr El Sheikh 344 236 825 832 851 969 1386 1426 1393 462 912 936 Sharkia 555 427 609 617 410 472 378 474 885 417 195 232 Total 959 1015 1579 1816 1703 1778 2329 2617 2567 1613 1810 1963
2.3 Outcome 2: Livelihoods and working conditions of women fish retailers
improved
Progress against the impact pathway for this activity is shown in figure 2.4 and the status of activities by the CDAs and retailer committees is summarized in table 2.5.2
Women retailer organizations have now been established under 6 CDAs (Community Development Associations): Shakshouk CDA in Fayoum, Al Amal CDA in El-Diyaba and Deir Abu Henes, El Mineya, Abu Hammad CDA in Sharkia, Sabeel CDA in Behera, and Riyadh CDA in Kafr El-Sheikh. The CDAs received training in grant management, financial management, strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, proposal writing,
communication skills, effective management, negotiation skills and planning skills.
In each of the six CDAs women retailer committees have been established comprising 10-15 women. The committee members received training in team working, marketing skills, gender principles, meeting management, hygiene skills and roles and responsibilities of committees. On the job training was also provided by CARE staff through daily work and monitoring. As a result of this support the retailer groups have annual plans, relationships between CDAs, women retailers committees and women retailers have been strengthened, CDAs have efficient financial systems and are able to submit monthly financial report and CDAs have
2
developed vision, mission and strategic planning work which assist engagement by women retailers. The CDAs also helped the Retailer Committees to develop their own internal bylaws.
The most common form of assistance for women retailers was the supply of ice boxes, which keep their fish fresher in summer. Each woman contributed towards the ice box purchase.
Two cross visits were conducted for Delta CDAs (Abu Hammad & Riyadh) to Shakshouk CDA in Fayoum to have a better understanding of Shakshouk experience in working with women retailers and grant management procedures.
Figure 2.4. Support for women retailers results chain
A marketplace was established in Shakshouk in June 2013. This has greatly improved the relationship between the women and the local authority and residents. Women retailers have said that they can sell their fish more quickly than before as customers know where to come to buy fish, leaving them with more time to carry out other work.
Eight motorized tricycles have been provided to groups (each comprising six women retailers) to transport fish from wholesalers to CDA redistribution centers or to marketplaces. Each group of women contributed 20% of the cost of the tricycle.
Fish distribution centers have been established in 5 of the CDAs with the aim of storing fish and reducing the control over fish supply by wholesalers. Results have been mixed. In some, the women retailers prefer to source their fish through the CDA whereas in others they get better service through existing wholesalers.
Four fish grills were distributed with the aim of allowing the women to diversify their services by providing cooked fish in addition to fresh fish. Again the results have been mixed. Women have been provided with cleaning tools so that they can prepare fish (gutting, scaling) for customers. In Fayoum, some of the women are now rearing ducks (ducklings provided by the project) which are partly fed by peelings from shrimp processing.
It appears that new entrants are being attracted to fish retailing in some of the project areas. In Behera 35 women have started working as fish retailers while 4 women in Fayoum have returned to fish retailing.
The project has also concentrated on capacity building of the CDAs and retailer committees to support the women retailers. In 2014 this has included empowerment training for retailers’ through interactive theatre and including the development of some of the women as trainers. The project has also helped to establish 21 Village Savings and Loans (VSLA) groups in Kafr El Sheikh and Mineya. The VSLA groups operate independently of the Retailer
Committees and include men retailers. Members hold regular meetings at which they pay a fee. The capital can then be disbursed as loans to members. In most cases this has been used to provide capital for fish purchases.
A detailed socio-economic survey of fish retailers (both male and female) was carried out in late 2013 through a consultancy. The draft report assesses to what extent gender is relevant to the conditions and outcomes of work in fish retailing, and by doing so, assesses whether it is useful to work jointly with women and men fish retailers in future. The findings show that the informal nature of fish retail has a stronger influence on work conditions and outcomes than gender alone. Women face more constraints than men in terms of time available for their vending work due to domestic responsibilities, but otherwise women and men fish retailers experience many similar constraints around space to vend, access to transport and competition (see page 19).
The 2014 external review (Kjaersig, 2014), suggested that the retailer committees need further support to become sustainable, representative entities and the sustainability of some of the interventions needs to be assessed. It questioned the role of distribution centers in the CDAs suggesting that there needs to be better integration with existing supply chains. The review also called for more resources to be allocated to carry out research and documentation of the work with the women retailers.
While the project logframe has targets for the number of women working conditions whose have improved as a result of the project, support for women retailers is a pilot-scale activity. It is testing out methodologies for enhancing their livelihoods, which will only result in significant contributions towards poverty reduction goals if it is scaled up after the current 3-year phase of the IEIDEAS project.
The main objective during the remaining project period is to assess the impacts of the various interventions with the aim of developing ‘best-bets’ for scaling up and out future fish retailing interventions.
2.4 Outcome 3: Farmed fish production increased in El Mineya
Mineya was selected as a typical ‘non-aquaculture’ governorate for the project that could act as a model for aquaculture development in similar areas in the future. The status of activities against the impact pathway is shown in figure 2.5.
Figure 2.5. Aquaculture production in Mineya
CARE staff, assisted by Dr Gamal Azazi from CLAR, identified current and prospective fish farmers operating existing pond-based systems and irrigation reservoirs and provided technical advice and training for them.
Training support was based on Best Management Practices and included 44 training sessions with a total of 195 trainees.
Two cross-visits were conducted for 30 fish farmers to the WorldFish research center and the Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research at Abbassa, and to the Hendrix feed mill. In 2013 9 farms with 18 existing ponds and 54 desert fish farms (54 ponds/tanks) were stocked with commercial strain tilapia fry and a hatchery in Mineya was stocked with Abbassa strain broodstock. This hatchery has produced 0.38 million fry in 2014 while the total number of fish farms being supported under the project in 2014 is 120. This includes 18 farms with existing ponds, the remainder being ‘desert’ fish farms.
Figure 2.6 shows the results of production from 9 of these fish farms in 2013/14 (8 existing, 1 desert).
Figure 2.6. Production from fish farms in Mineya
An aquaculture association has been established in Mineya although its registration (under the Aquatic Union of Co-operatives) has yet to be officially approved. The project has provided capacity building training to the association.
A group of 18 young people (14 male, 4 female) have been identified in El Mineya for development as aquaculture resource persons for the governorate. A training of trainer program has been developed, including residential training at Abbassa. The first ToT session took place at Abbassa in December 2013.
The main challenge to developing a sustainable aquaculture sector in Mineya or similar governorates is to identify realistic approaches that can be implemented at scale. Limitations on water use (only from drainage canals and lakes) and where aquaculture can be
conducted (not in agriculture zones and limited use of cage farming) mean that (legal) aquaculture expansion is restricted to the use of water storage reservoirs, which are limited in size and number.
Fish performance in these systems has been variable, depending on the interest of the farmer. As the water flow-through rate is high, the fish need to be fed and only some farmers are willing to make the necessary investment in feed. The next step should be to work with farmers who have shown an interest and develop dedicated fish rearing systems (ponds or tanks) adding on to existing irrigation infrastructure.
2.5 Outcome 4: Facilitate efficient and sustainable value chains and optimal
institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks
Figure 2.7. Organizational and policy development results chain
The consultancy mission by Ian Goulding and AAA Consultants carried out in March 2013 concluded that:
Egyptian aquaculture is a great success story.
While there is a clear legal and policy framework there are a number of important gaps that do not reflect the growing importance of the sector for food security and economic development.
Uncontrolled harvesting of marine fry, such as mullet, risks the collapse of wild stocks.
The seasonal nature of tilapia production and the limited range of market options make market development a priority for the sustainability of the sector.
Egypt is unable to export aquaculture products to the EU as it does not have the necessary residue monitoring or health control systems in place.
This led to the development of an Innovation Platform which was launched in January 2014 with the aim bringing industry stakeholders and regulators together to work on the main issues constraining the aquaculture industry so that clear policy recommendations can be made to the new government.
Six working groups have been established to work on the following issues: access to water,
land ownership/leasing policies, development of markets,
fish health,
reducing farm operating costs (mainly feed costs) and
improving fish farmer representation (through the Producer Organization).
The working groups are commissioning research and where possible, will propose solutions to the issues to be presented to policy makers when the political situation stabilizes. Most of the proposals will include changes to policies and laws, or interpretation of these by the regulatory authorities. These should be taken up by the aquaculture POs in the future with or without the assistance of the IEIDEAS project. Some will also need more extensive support.
For example, the fish health group wants to carrying out a mapping exercise to establish which diseases are impacting fish farms in different locations and at what times of the year. Support has already been offered by the Livestock and Fish CGIAR Research Programme in collaboration with the international veterinary pharmaceutical company, Merck Animal Health who see Egypt as a new market for their fish health products. So the Innovation Platform group has succeeded in highlighting a problem which has led to a new source of support for the sector.
In 2013, CARE assessed the capacity of aquaculture POs which has been followed up with capacity building support to the Aquatic Union of Cooperatives, the apex body for
governorate-level fish farmers associations. The Aquatic Union is now helping to build stronger governorate level POs.
Market studies
Detailed market studies were carried out in 2012 and 2013 in preparation for a project to be funded by Danida. The results of these studies have identified opportunities for market development through added value processing. A paper on the results has been accepted for presentation at the World Aquaculture Society conference in Australia in mid-2014.
Unfortunately, Danida decided to cut its aid program to Egypt in August 2013 and continued political problems in Denmark mean that it is unlikely to be re-instated before the end of the IEIDEAS project.
2.6 Other research activities
Pro-poor aquaculture
A Malawian fisheries officer, Jacqueline Kazembe, joined the project for 4.5 months with sponsorship under the CGIAR AWARD scheme. She concentrated on setting up
experimental, pro-poor aquaculture systems for women based on farming African catfish in small homestead tanks. The concept was to grow fish in simple tanks, where water is exchanged on an occasional basis and effluent water is used to irrigate vegetables.
Figure 2.8. Pro-poor aquaculture
The systems included demonstration tanks at Abbassa, growth trial tanks at Abbassa and tanks at the homesteads of women in the Abbassa area. The growth trial results were disappointing, both on-station and at the homesteads. The catfish used in the trial failed to thrive which raises a question over their origin and suitability for this type of system. Further research is needed to determine whether the problem is related to the strain used (their behaviour seemed very different from the same species in West Africa), feeds or the system itself.
The other technology being tested is growing and selling small tilapia (100-150g average weight) to meet demand for small fish by poor consumers. Many of the IEIDEAS project women retailers say they cannot get enough small fish to meet market demand as fish farmers concentrate on producing larger fish (350g+) which command 30-40% higher prices (LE/kg) from wholesalers. However, if fish farms harvested more frequently and fertilized rather than fed for more of the growing period, thereby reducing costs, they could maintain profitability, improve their cash flow and meet market demand from poor consumers. The tests at the Abbassa Research Center in 2014 are to compare high and low stocking densities harvested either once or twice during the growing season. If successful, the trials could offer a new pro-poor production option for existing fish farmers.
Pro-poor aquaculture production is a pilot-scale activity introduced in response to a review of project activities using the making markets work for the poor (M4P) approach and also to better conform with the Livestock and Fish CRP objective of ‘More meat, milk and fish, by the poor and for the poor’.
Aquaculture production in Egypt is dominated by medium scale enterprises rather than poor producers because of the policy framework under which the sector operates. Aquaculture can only be conducted in designated areas where most of the land is Government-owned and leased to farmers. No other forms of development such as agriculture, or construction of permanent buildings are allowed in these aquaculture zones. The relatively large size of leased land blocks (around 10 ha) means they are operated as businesses employing staff rather than household-operated units. Also, under current regulations, aquaculture is technically illegal in non-aquaculture zones, such as traditionally irrigated land (where there are 3.5 million land-holdings of less than 1 hectare) or in small cages in the Nile. This places a major constraint on opportunities for poor people to directly engage in aquaculture.
The greatest potential for pro-poor aquaculture in Egypt would be integrated aquaculture-agriculture in aquaculture-agriculture areas. If small farmers were allowed to develop small-scale fish rearing systems as part of their farming system, they could generate significant household-level benefits in terms of improved incomes (by selling fish) and nutrition (from eating fish) as well as improving the sustainability of their farming system through nutrient recycling.
However, integrated aquaculture-agriculture is not allowed at present in Egypt as anything that reduces the area of irrigated crops is seen as a threat to national food security. It seems unlikely that this policy will change, however it could be taken up by strengthened producer organizations in the future.
Another opportunity which is more likely to be officially supported is the integration of aquaculture and agriculture in ‘new’ or ‘reclaimed’ land where the main water source is groundwater. This has been tested by the project in Mineya, where over 100 groundwater irrigation balancing ponds have been stocked with fish. The next step will be to develop dedicated fish-rearing systems to improve productivity and benefits for the operators.
2.7 Project reports and consultancies
Project Review
A project review was carried out by the consultant, Henrik Kjaersig3 in February 2014 at the request of SDC. The aim of the review was to assess project progress against end of project targets, to plan activities for the remainder of the project period and plan towards a new phase of funding by SDC.
The review concluded that implementation progress was higher than what could be expected. It recommended that the final (revised) performance framework needs to be formally endorsed by the project steering committee and SDC. Comparing EOP targets to project progress, the review concluded that most targets are likely to be met whereas the employment target of 10,000 FTE and improved nutritional health of low income consumers are unlikely to be met during the project period.
Regarding the work with women fish retailers, the review suggested that the project needs to identify mechanisms to establish representative retailer committees and consider the
sustainability implications of some of the interventions, such as ice boxes, freezers and tricycles. The review also recommended a project approach with a gender lens rather than just working with women only and a need for more resources to be dedicated to gender research and documentation over the remainder of the project period.
The review suggested that environmental impacts of the project are given more consideration and that the Innovation Platform process is maintained. More resources should also be committed to communications as long as the national situation allows. The review recommended that the final impact assessment should not take place until early or mid-2015 to allow for results from fish harvests of fish stocked in 2014. Rather than using an elaborate M&E framework, the review suggested that a limited number of ‘golden
indicators’ should be used with disaggregated gender and youth disaggregation of data where appropriate.
The review recommended that SDC should continue support for the sector through a new project focused on employment creation and economic development in the Egyptian aquaculture value chain. Due consideration should be taken to issues of environmental sustainability and inclusion, gender and youth. The new program should have a clearer value chain approach including M4P and gender transformative approaches. Further piloting should be limited and centered around recommendations from the Innovation Platform. Subsequent decisions by SDC mean that current intentions are to provide limited ‘bridging’ funding in 2015 following the end of the IEIDEAS project, leading to a new project starting in late 2015 or early 2016.
Feed value chain analysis
A senior Egyptian consultant, Dr A. F. M. El-Sayed carried out a value chain analysis study of the Egyptian aquaculture feed industry in late 2013. The report concluded that the aquaculture feed sector has grown from around 20,000 t/yr in 1999 to a current capacity of around one million tonnes per year. It identified several types of feed mills producing a range of different types and qualities of feeds. These include from international feed companies producing high-quality extruded feeds, locally owned large feed mills, some government-owned, producing mainly conventionally pelleted sinking feeds and small non-specialist mills. All the producers are suffering because of the high cost of feed raw materials, most of
3
http://livestock-fish.wikispaces.com/file/detail/Final%20IEIDEAS%20Review%20Report%20%28without%20attachments%29.p df
which are imported. Credit for purchase of feed is a major issue; while private sector mills usually offer credit, public sector mills must sell most of their feeds through agents who offer credit to the farmers. The study found that the sector employs around 4-5,000 FTE. The report has been published as a WorldFish project report4 and will be followed up by a journal publication.
Food safety research
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) carried out collaborative research under two projects focusing on food safety and the aquaculture value chain in Egypt. The GIZ
supported project, Safe Food Fair Food and the ACIAR supported project, Rapid Integrated Assessment carried out field work in late 2012 and the first half of 2013. This has resulted in a draft report5 which concludes that the main food safety issue facing the value chain is poor post-harvest handling rather than contaminants.
4 http://www.worldfishcenter.org/worldfish-publications/value-chain-analysis-egyptian-aquaculture-feed-industry 5 http://livestock-fish.wikispaces.com/file/detail/Egypt%20draft%20report_MEltholt_18_9_13_kr_dg2.docx
Fish retailer report
A study was commissioned by the project to better understand the livelihood strategies of male and female fish retailers in Egypt. The field work was carried out in late 2013 by North-South Consultants Exchange and has resulted in a draft report6 with the following
conclusions:
There is a need to work with both women and men fish retailers in gender responsive ways
Need to enhance fish retailers’ voice and recognition
Need to address domestic responsibilities and time constraints
Need to engage with market systems to improve the provision of transport and cold storage services
Further studies are needed to better understand aspects of women and men fish retailers’ relationships
Human nutrition study
A study was commissioned by the project to understand the role of fish and other animal sourced foods in Egyptian households. Field surveys were carried out by the Environment and Development Group (EDG) in May/June 2014 focussed on the following issues:
1) The place of ASFs, and particularly fish, in the diets of the poor,
2) Factors affecting consumer demand for different types and qualities of ASF among the poor, and
3) How equitably ASF consumption is distributed within households.
The consultants have written a draft report which is currently being reviewed by WorldFish.
6
3 Project budget and expenditure (Financial Report)
Information on project expenditure against the budget is shown in following tables 3, 4 and 5. Overall expenditure on the project up to the end of June 2014 amounts to $5,438,974 which compares to an original budget figure of $5,496,469 for the same period, or 98.9% of the original budget.
Expenditure of the SDC contribution to end June 2014 was $3,534,023 compared to the original budget for this period of $3,614,786 or 97.7% of the original budget.
This means that expenditure has been brought into line with original budgets. However, as we near the end of the project, some of the line items, such as consultancy, are over-spent while others, such as travel, are underspent. A proposal will be made to SDC to reconcile any variations in budget line items above 10%.
4 Publications
Reports
El-Sayed A.F.M. (2014) Value chain analysis of the Egyptian aquaculture feed industry. WorldFish, Penang, Malaysia. Project Report: 2014-22
Goulding I. & M. Kamel (2013) Institutional, Policy and Regulatory Framework for Sustainable Development of the Egyptian Aquaculture Sector. WorldFish Project report: 2013-39.
Kjaersig, H. (2014) IEIDEAS Project. External Review - Final Report. PEM Consult, Copenhagen. 31p.
Mur, R. (2014). Development of the Aquaculture Value Chain in Egypt; Report of the National Innovation Platform Workshop, February 2014. Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Amsterdam. 45p.
IEIDEAS Project (2013) Second Operational Report (1/10/2012 - 30/6/2013) -. August 2013 Journal articles
Nasr-Allah, A., M.W. Dickson, D.A. Kenawy, M.F.M. Ahmed & G.O. El-Naggar (2014) Technical characteristics and economic performance of commercial tilapia hatcheries applying different management systems in Egypt. Aquaculture Vol. 426-427 p. 220-230 (Open access)
Hebicha, H.A.; El Naggar, G.O.; Nasr-Allah, A.M. (2013) Production economics of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) pond culture in El-Fayum Governorate, Egypt. Journal of Applied Aquaculture, 25: 227-238
Ibrahim, A.N.; Abou Zaid, M.Y.; Khaw, H.L.; El-Naggar, G.O.; Ponzoni, R.W. (2013) Relative performance of two Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus Linnaeus) strains in Egypt: The Abbassa selection line and the Kafr El Sheikh commercial strain. Aquaculture Research, 44(3): 508-517
Nasr-Allah, A.M., Dickson, M., Kenawy, D.A.R., El Naggar, G., Ahmed, M.F.M., Azazy, G., Garana, Y. And Diab, A.M. (2014). Value Chain Analysis of Egyptian Fish Seed Production. 4th Scientific Conference in Aquaculture Between Science and Application, organized by (CLAR) from 11-12 March 2014. Published in special edition of Egyptian Journal for Aquaculture and Abbassa International Journal (2014), 351-372. (Open access) Manuals/handouts
Kenawy, D.A.R., Nasr-Allah, A.M., and Ahmed, M.F.M., (2013). Egyptian Aquaculture Best Management Practice guidelines (in Arabic). WorldFish,
Nasr-Allah, A.M., Kenawy, D.A.R., Ahmed, M.F.M., and Zakey, A., (2014). Best
Management Practices for Tilapia Hatcheries in Egypt (Manual in Arabic), WorldFish, Egypt. Egyptian aquaculture Best Management Practices (2013). Videos series (Arabic and
English). On worldfishcenter youtube. Press releases/news http://www.worldfishcenter.org/news-events/egyptian-aquaculture-sector-plans-further-growth http://www.worldfishcenter.org/news-events/online-aquaculture-training-videos-now-available-egyptian-fish-farmers http://www.worldfishcenter.org/news-events/sheltered-marketplaces-offer-security-and-profits-women-fish-retailers http://www.worldfishcenter.org/news-events/how-fish-can-feed-africa
Annex 1 - IEIDEAS project results chains and ToC assumptions
The results chains and associated theory of change assumptions, as refined at the June 2013 Abbassa workshop, are detailed below.
1. Abbassa strain dissemination
Results chain/impact pathway
Assumptions/theory of change
The main assumption is that large numbers of farmers are willing to stock the Abbassa strain. This seems likely, as there are no other ‘improved strains’ available to Egyptian fish farmers and the reaction from farmers has been very positive; they would like to have a faster growing fish. However, it is important to manage expectations regarding the ability to deliver sufficient Abbassa strain seed at the right time. Large quantities of improved strain fry and fingerlings will not be available from hatcheries until 2014 (who will be supplied with broodstock from BMCs in 2013) so awareness raising activities need to be timed
appropriately. The revised logframe targets assume that 2000 fish farms will be stocked with the improved strain by the end of project (Dec 2014).
In relation to on-farm trials, it is assumed that farmers will stock the improved strain in addition to the existing commercial strains (but not in the same pond) to allow for comparisons to be measured.
If demand for the improved strain seed is very high there is a risk that BMCs and hatcheries will cheat by selling commercial strain seed as Abbassa strain. This highlights the need to develop genetic markers.
Continued development of the improved strain will depend on continued funding support for genetic research.
We do not know how wholesalers and consumers will react to the improved strain; this could be positive (if fish are more even sized, for example) or could be negative (if people think improved strain = genetically modified). The size of fish at harvest could also influence markets; farmers may tend to grow larger fish, assuming that it results in greater profit.
However, poor consumers tend to buy small fish, so less fish could be available for poor consumers.
For fish farmers, the use of the improved strain will lead to greater flexibility in production options as the grow-out time should be shorter. This means it will be easier to spread production through-out the year. There is a risk that production intensification will result in increased disease risks.
At the ‘poverty reduction’ level in the results chain it is assumed that faster growing fish will result in more fish being traded and sold by other actors in the VC which will result in more employment, increased incomes and increased consumption leading to improved nutrition of consumers. However, the results of these higher level goals will not become apparent on a ‘macro scale’ for some time and will not be apparent during the current phase of IEIDEAS project. Nevertheless it should be possible to identify trends from the first farms supplied with the improved strain in 2013.
2. BMP training
Results chain/impact pathway
Assumption/theory of change
While the delivery of BMP training by ‘farmer trainers’ is progressing well, the results chain assumes that it will be possible to deliver training by private sector actors, such as feed companies, after the project has finished. This assumes that the private sector will be willing fund the delivery of quality BMP training if, for example, it results in greater market share for feed companies. Obviously, not all commercial actors will be able / willing to do BMP
training.
It is likely that poorer farmers will benefit more from BMP training (as their existing practices are worse, or they have received less training in the past) than richer, better-resourced farmers. BMP trainers have already been asked to target poorer fish farmers for training. BMP training should result in rapid production increases (more rapid than dissemination of the improved strain) that will result in progress on ‘poverty reduction’ goals during the project period. The target is to have 2000 fish farmers trained in the complete farmer BMP training by end of project. If the trained farmers achieve a 30% increase in production as a result of
the training it should be possible to achieve the 10% rise in production, employment and incomes envisaged for overall project objectives.
3. Support for women retailers
Results chain/impact pathway
Assumptions/theory of change
Support for women retailers is a pilot-scale activity, testing out methodologies for enhancing their livelihoods, which will only result in significant contributions towards poverty reduction goals if it is scaled up after the current 3-year phase of the IEIDEAS project. The project targets are modest; to have sustainable retailer groups operating in all 5 project
governorates. Afterwards, these approaches could be extended to other parts of the country and to other markets in the 5 governorates covered by the project.
Initial project activities have worked through community development associations (CDAs), which have expressed interest in the project. Obviously there is an assumption that the interests of the CDAs coincide with those of the project and the retailers.
The main interventions that have been requested by the retailers so far are improvements in storage and handling of fish through using ice boxes, better transport and dedicated spaces to be used as markets. These should result in improved fish quality. However, this can only be guaranteed if the fish is delivered to retailers in good condition (clean, chilled or live), which is only possible in areas close to the main supply routes.
Improved quality should result in reduced losses and increased sales. However, links between this and higher profits, increased incomes, increased consumption and improved nutrition have yet to be demonstrated.
The left hand side of the results chain concentrates on improved working conditions, leading to improved entitlement to control assets; again these links are as yet unproven.
4. Pro-poor aquaculture production
Results chain/impact pathway
Assumptions/theory of change
Pro-poor aquaculture production is another pilot-scale activity. The approaches developed would need to be scaled up to result in achievement of higher level goals.
The first activity has been to develop small-scale catfish rearing systems to be used by women. There is a major assumption that appropriate technologies can be developed that are sufficiently attractive to be implemented by women. In the early stages of technology development, equipment and operating costs will be subsidized. However, the real test will be at the scaling-up stage when they are facing real costs.
Scaling up of these approaches will require close cooperation with development partners such as NGOs.
5. Upper Egypt aquaculture production
Results chain/impact pathway
Assumptions/theory of change
Developing aquaculture production in Upper Egypt is also a pilot-scale activity, testing approaches that could be applied more widely in other ‘non-aquaculture’ governorates. The main challenge is to identify realistic approaches that can be implemented at scale at present. Limitations on water use (only from drainage canals and lakes) and where aquaculture can be conducted (not in agriculture zones and limited use of cage farming) mean that (legal) aquaculture expansion is limited to the use of water storage reservoirs, which are limited in size and number.
6. Organizational & policy development
Results chain/impact pathway
Assumptions/theory of change
The central activity in this results chain is the creation of a platform for policy dialogue. However, political instability means that this is very difficult to achieve at present.
This has to be viewed as a long-term program rather than something that must be achieved and result in policy progress during the project period. It will also require a flexible approach. If policy changes can be achieved, this could result in policies that provide a more secure operating environment for VC actors, allowing them to invest in better equipment and market development, which will feed through to increased fish production and policy level goals such as increased employment, increased incomes, increased consumption and improved nutrition.
Key policies required (10 year time frame) are as follows: Access to water
Land tenure
Access to EU markets
Establishing fish quality and disease testing protocols Licensing of fish farms
Relaxation of taxation on imports
Overall project impact pathway
Results chain/impact pathway
Assumptions/theory of change
The project impact pathway links the results chains, making a clear division between the activities that are being implemented at scale (dissemination of improved strain, best management practice training and strengthening institutions and improving the policy
environment) and the pilot-scale activities (support for women retailers, research on pro-poor aquaculture and developing technologies for Upper Egypt). The activities being implemented at scale will result directly in increased production, productivity, quality, flexibility in
harvesting strategies, while the pilot-scale activities will require to be scaled up before they will result in significant development impacts; increased employment, increased incomes and improved nutrition.
ANNEX 2 - Revised project logframe
Logframe: Improving Employment and Income through Development of Egypt’s
Aquaculture Sector (IEIDEAS)
Ph. 01
1 Dec 11 –
31 Dec 14
Hierarchy of Objectives Key Performance Indicators Means of Verification Assumptions &
Risks
Impact (Goal) Impact Indicators
To create 10,000 jobs in the Egyptian aquaculture value chain through support for the sector in 5 governorates
benefitting 50,000 household members; to build a more secure future for the sector; and, to contribute to the nutritional health of low-income consumers.
10,000 jobs created including 900 decent jobs for women retailers Net income in target enterprises increased by $8.8 million
Project benefits extended to 2,000 fish farms, 100 wholesalers, 900 retailers by EOP
Access to quality fish maintained or enhanced for low income consumers
Value chain analysis GAFRD statistics CAPMAS data Project
reports/databases
Outcomes Final Outcome Indicators
1. Productivity and sustainability of existing fish farms in Sharkia, Kafr El Sheikh, Behera and Fayoum improved.
30% production increase among 2000 target producers 10% increase in national aquaculture production 10,000 jobs (FTE) created.
8000 on fish farms (4000 for youth) 800 with traders/retailers (300 for youth) 1200 for retailers (600 for women, 600 for youth)
Value chain analysis Best management practice
surveys
GAFRD production statistics Other independent external
evaluations
SEE SECTION ON RISK IN MAIN PROPOSAL
2. Livelihoods and working conditions of women fish retailers improved through pilot-scale interventions in Sharkia, Kafr El Sheikh, Behera, Fayoum and El Mineya.
5 sustainable fish retailer organizations established Working conditions improved for 900 fish retailers
Approaches developed for scaling out to other markets and governorates
Organizational assessments Value chain analysis/retailer
survey and interviews Project reports/databases 3. Farmed fish production increased in El Mineya
including pro-poor aquaculture and reduced environmental impact systems.
El Mineya fish farm production reaches 150 t/yr by EOP (100 t/yr from ‘desert aquaculture’ integrated fish farms and 50 t/yr from existing farms)
100 new fish farms developed (150 jobs) Pro-poor aquaculture systems tested
Project reports/databases
4. Facilitate efficient and sustainable value chains in the aquaculture sector and optimal institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks
Strengthened capacity of existing aquaculture producer and industry organizations to represent their members’ interests.
Private/public sector policy platform established to develop approaches for key aquaculture sector challenges (resource planning, licensing, land/water tenure, quality management systems, market development)
Policy & Institutions reports Project reports
Outputs (Results) Output Indicators
1. Fish farms, hatcheries and other value chain actors in the four main aquaculture production governorates receive best management practice training, other technical support and access to Abbassa improved strain seed.
Seed
2000 fish farms using Abbassa improved strain by EOP
20% improvement in fish growth rates among farmers using Abbassa strain BMP
2000 fish farmers trained in complete set of best management practices by EOP) Significant improvements in productivity, production, quality, improved
efficiency of production and FCR among trained farmers
Best management practice surveys
Project reports/databases
2. Fish retailing organizations established and functioning in 5 governorates
Retailer committees formed and members trained
Retailer committees supported to deliver interventions/services Results from pilot-scale trials assessed and communicated
Organizational assessments Committee meeting minutes Training documents
Documentation of interventions/ services delivered
Project reports/databases 3. New aquaculture value chains in El Mineya
established
100 new fish farms established Hatchery established in El Mineya Producer organization established Market linkages/systems established
Pro-poor aquaculture production systems tested
Project reports/databases Producer organization assessment
4. Improved institutional and policy environment, fostering efficient and sustainable VCs
Sector development strategy and quality management plan developed by Producer Organizations
New licensing arrangements proposed
Project reports
