Fish production and socio-economic benefits of small-scale aquaculture in Timor-Leste after and during project implementation

ABSTRACT

A survey was conducted interviewing 80 farmers of two districts, Bobonaro and Viqueque, in Timor-Leste. Bobonaro had an ongoing project; in Viqueque it was completed. Results showed that 80% of farmers had no formal education at all in Bobonaro, and only 60% did in Viqueque. Only 12.5% of the total farmers were women; all were in Bobonaro, none in Viqueque. In Bobonaro, annual total fish production was 1,014 kg; in Viqueque it was 628 kg. About half of the fish were sold, generating US$66 ± 14 and US$39 ± 5 per year per household as income respectively. In Bobonaro, the average annual fish consumption per family was 12.6 ± 0.7 kg (fresh weight); in Viqueque it was 7.3 ± 0.5 kg. Shortages of technical skills, seed, feed, and markets were major challenges that need solutions for small-scale aquaculture to sustain and grow.

KEYWORDS:

• Small-scale aquaculture
• Timor-Leste
• tilapia farming
• technology adoption
• socioeconomic benefits
• gender role

Acknowledgments

The present study was conducted as a part of the thesis research of the first author for partial fulfillment of the MSc degree in Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management (AARM) at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. The authors would like to thank all the staff of NDFA, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Timor-Leste, WorldFish, and Mercy Corps offices serving in Timor-Leste for their generous support during the data collection from the primary (survey) and secondary sources.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Timor-Leste. The project in Bobonaro was funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) through the Partnership for Aquaculture Development in Timor-Leste (PADTL) project, led by WorldFish and implemented in Ermera, Baucau, and Bobnaro municipalities (Pant et al. 2020a).