By Maria Cristina Gallegos,
"The youth strongly believe that aquaculture as an income generating activity that can help improve their livelihood,” says Mike.
When Hosne Ara, 20, visited a prawn factory near her home in Barunga, Bangladesh in June 2010, she raised some big questions.
“… I found that the hatchery didn’t follow any rules. They had no properly trained and experienced technicians. I challenged the owner about his existing problems, proved myself capable, and got a job on the spot,” says Hosne.
Hosne became the first woman to work at the prawn factory, applying aqua-farming skills she learned through helping out with her family’s backyard fish-stocked pond. After finishing 10thgrade, she also completed a 45-day training course with the Bangladesh Youth Employment Pilot (BYEP) sponsored by the Bangladesh Department of Fisheries in partnership with other local NGOs.
In the last 30 years, aquaculture has grown at a fast clip. Young people in communities like Hosne’s are seeking employment in fish farms, prawn factories, and other types of aquaculture systems. And governments, NGOs and businesses are investing in and sponsoring training and initiatives for young people in the field.
Randall Brummett, an aquaculture expert at the World Bank, says: “More and more, we see young people in management positions and taking jobs in the aquaculture industry … Aquaculture is an attractive sector for young people with basic skills … they think it’s cool.”
Growing industry
Aquaculture, the art of cultivating freshwater and saltwater seafood under controlled farming conditions, is one of the fastest growing food production industries. A recent World Bank report(PDF) says aquaculture has been growing at a rate of 8% annually, and accounts for about 10% of global agricultural exports.
More than 200 million people in developing countries depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihood.
Experts say aquaculture could play a key role in feeding future generations. Fish are better converters of vegetable protein by weight than cattle or chicken and do not use fresh water like other animals. But there are challenges, too, and the industry is relatively young. Some aquaculture has been poorly developed and has destroyed valuable ecosystems, spread disease, and caused pollution.
Research and efforts around aquaculture and other issues impacting the health of the world’s oceans are set to be explored by a group of international organizations, governments and others – including the World Bank –by a newly formed alliance called the Global Partnership for Oceans.
Job training for young people
Some governments are investing in job-training programs for young people to help promote well-managed aquaculture operations, as well as provide them with skills in a growing business, says Randall.
The government of New Zealand (PDF), created an education fund, which provides funding for Maori youth. The government has also set up a training partnership with the Seafood Industry Council (SeaFIC), which already had a training program in place. The Maori have successfully sought to expand the scholarship fund and training activities.
Scotland is offering aquaculture education and training programs in schools.
In Rwanda, young people are involved in several aspects of aquaculture. From setting ponds or pools, to harvesting, to marketing and selling.
Mike Remplait, 26, a Peace Corps volunteer in Rwanda and a fish farm worker says: “Increasing fish production has become a major development issue for Rwanda. The young people involved in this activity can see the positive effects of aquaculture in their community. The youth strongly believe that aquaculture is an income generating activity in Rwanda and it can help improve their livelihood.”
A Rwanda tilapia farm project involves young people in the entire harvesting process. They have now farmed for seven months, and they recently saw the results of their work. It takes 6 to 8 months for tilapia to mature.
“Farming tilapia does not require much work, as long as the farmer has a functional pond near a stream,” says Mike.
"The youth strongly believe that aquaculture as an income generating activity that can help improve their livelihood,” says Mike.
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