Assessing fishing activities as a tool for poverty reduction :

Abstract

The study was about assessing fishing activities as a tool for poverty reduction, in Kateta sub county, Serere District. Objective of study included; investigating the role of fishing in poverty reduction, to find out the level of gender participation in the fishing activity, to challenges to fishing in relation to poverty eradication and to establish the possible solutions to these challenges of the fishing activity in Kateta sub-county, Serere District. This study investigated fishing activity and; its role in poverty alleviation and the study focused on the three landing sites of Acomia, Olupe and Jinja landing sites. A qualitative research method was employed because the nature of the study, descriptive due to the fact that most of the respondents were illiterate or semi illiterate. 60 respondents from the study areas constituted the sample. The study was cross sectional involving use of questionnaires. Analysis was done by use of excel and stata statistical packages. The methods of data collection that used in this study were observation, interview using questionnaires and literature review. Results were presented as frequency tables, bar graphs, pie Charts and the cross tabulation of the univariate and bivariate analysis. The study findings and analysis showed that fishing activity had contributed immensely in improving the general welfare of the local people through increased income and access to cheap food. It has also reduced income poverty by increasing local purchasing power, many fishermen have purchased a number of family assets for example domestic animals such as cows, others have bought land and others plots of land in Kateta, lningo, Adaudi and Acomia trading Centre's. The study showed imbalance in the level of participation of the women and men in the fishing activity as men dominated the activity. A number of challenges to fishing in the sub-county were advanced as diseases such as malaria and blurred visual problems during sunny days to the fishermen, perishability of the fish and weeds in the lake, which limit the fishing in the various landing sites. Recommendations include adoption of the, fish preservation methods such as smoking of fish, sun drying and salting at the sites which is not in existence at, the moment, this can increase more employment opportunities to those who will carry it out, and also serves to add value and reducing the levels of perishability of fish. The provision of the refrigerators is also recommended by the researcher at the landing sites to reduce fish perishability at the various sites and thus increasing the earnings of fishermen, this helps to reduce poverty in the fishing communities.