Fishing for answers : can aquaculture transform food security in rural Kenya?
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food-producing sectors in the world. Though the bulk of current aquaculture production occurs in China, certain sub-Saharan African countries are beginning to make meaningful forays into the sector. Many of these interventions are born out of concerns over declines in key wild fish stocks, and the hope that fish farming - when directed toward rural communities - can bring about transformative food security gains. Yet with a few notable exceptions, much of the empirical evidence exploring these causal relationships comes from Asia. As fish farming begins to take root in sub-Saharan Africa, several questions will need to be addressed, among them: will farmed fish production take pressure off of wild fish stocks by augmenting supply; and will fish farming bring about the anticipated gains in food security? This dissertation is intended to aid policy makers, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, to answer these questions. Research is focused in Kenya, where the government introduced a massive fish farming intervention, which ran from 2009 - 2012. By collecting and analyzing socioeconomic survey data from 1000+ fish farming households in the Lake Victoria region, this dissertation aims to shed light on the conditions under which fish farming can bring about household-level food security benefits. It is particularly focused on the 'pro-poor' dimensions of the sector, and explores what the addition of an aquaculture pond can mean for households at the so-called 'bottom of the pyramid'. Results indicate positive nutritional and income gains for adopting households, but also show that well diversified 'middle-income' households tend to benefit the most. Indeed, low rates of adoption among poorer households paint a concerning picture. Finally, an analysis of wider supply chain dynamics underscores the need for a cohesive policy approach that improves the efficiency of input production and that links fish farmers to more lucrative markets. For countries in the region worried about declining wild fish stocks and the food security of their citizens, this dissertation provides recommendations on possible pathways forward.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2017 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | ole-MoiYoi, L. Katrina | |
|---|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources. | |
| Primary advisor | Caldwell, Margaret R | |
| Primary advisor | Naylor, Rosamond | |
| Thesis advisor | Caldwell, Margaret R | |
| Thesis advisor | Naylor, Rosamond | |
| Thesis advisor | Crowder, Larry B | |
| Thesis advisor | Falcon, Walter P, 1936- | |
| Advisor | Crowder, Larry B | |
| Advisor | Falcon, Walter P, 1936- |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | L. Katrina ole-MoiYoi. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2017. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2017 by L. Katrina ole-MoiYoi
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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