CORAF/WECARD provide sustainable fish farming in Sierra Leone
School of Natural Recourses management department of Aquaculture and Fisheries management Njala University in collaboration with the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD) held a two-day workshop for the training of Framers, students and stakeholder in Monitoring & Evaluation and Gender Mainstreaming of Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) project. The workshop took place at Njala University campus at Mokonde on the 26th and 27th June 2015. (Photo: Prof. E. T Ndomahina, Dr. Olapade Julius, farmers, students and other stakeholders on a conducted tour)
Making the opening statement, the Acting Vice Chancellor and Principal of Njala University Prof. E. T Ndomahina stated, the workshop is one of few Academic engagements since he assume office as V.C and principal of the University, adding whatever will foster and promote the development of Fisheries and aquaculture in Sierra Leone is his passion. He maintained that farming is one of the key agriculture sub sector through which the issue of food security, poverty, environmental degradation and unemployment in sub Saharan can be adequately addressed; stressing West and Central African Countries particularly Sierra Leone needs to adopt new strategies of production in order to improve on the current production.
He furthered that women play a key role in food production and nutrition security representing 80% of farming population and they are highly involved in the value chain in agricultural production, processing and marketing. In spite of the role women and youth play in food production and security, they have limited control over and access to resources and opportunities that improve household food productivity and security, hence the need for such workshop. He ended by saying that it is important for stakeholder involved in implementation of MDFT project activities be sensitized and trained on gender mainstreaming and the monitoring and evaluation of project performance in sustaining the contribution of MDFT programme in the dawning of food sovereignty in West and Central Africa.
In his statement, Dr. J. O. Olapade noted that CORAF/WECARD is implementing two projects the first which is poverty eradication and Grassroots Empowerment through sustainable integrated Aquaculture development which involve fish cum rice and piggery production hosted by Njala University. Also sustainable integrated pond base Aquaculture with rice and poultry production, economic, social and environmental assessment, hosted by Ibadan Nigeria. The aim of the project he said is to develop land use systems through adaptive modern technologies and traditional experiences compatible with the cultural/social values of the people. Improve socioeconomic conditions, reduce risk and poverty and also create employment opportunities for myriads of rural dwellers in Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Nigeria.
The component of the project includes technology for sustainable integration of fish with rice and pig/poultry promotion. Dr, Olapade added that aquaculture have the capacity to create hundreds of jobs for young people in Sierra Leone.
The workshop also involves training of participant on leadership roles, data quality assessment and gender mainstreaming. The workshop ended with a work visit to the different project sites.
Ortorkor Janab
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