391
4 Conclusion
The solar dryers have improved fish processing, and thus there is potential for the
method to be adopted if more dryers are constructed, especially in Vinthenga, where
the demand to use the dryer is high. But this assessment is based on one dryer which
was in use. In Chipala, where the community rejected the development, the initiative
is a white elephant project, and its impact with regard to improving livelihoods of
FPs is minimal and not well accounted for. Likewise, the impact of the technologies
on the reduction of wood-fuelled methods and their impact on deforestation could
not be assessed because the community was not using the kilns installed by the
project in Chipala.
The main reason for adopting the technology was the quality of fish produced in
the tent dryer, as there was a need for a more hygienic and profitable processing
method other than sun-drying. Adoption increased as the FPs realised that the
method reduced their time spent and activity while processing fish. However, the
capacity of the dryer in Vinthenga has meant that increases in adoption limit the
impact of the dryer on income, as fish processors cannot use the dryer consistently
because of the demand.
Women were involved in all activities in the fisheries’ value chain except for
catching fish, which is restricted to men. Fish processing profits are affected by the
fact that there are no female fishers because they have little bargaining power over
the prices set by fishermen whose knowledge of the market is limited as they are
only involved in catching fish. The study concluded that, all factors constant, the
current fish value chain meant that even with the solar drying method, post-harvest
losses during the off-peak seasons would prevail due to the fluctuation of prices set
by fishers who have little knowledge of the market. The gender roles and perceptions affected the socio-economic status of fish processors, in that gender equality
was contextualised as a responsibility shift to women who were involved in fish
processing and other enterprise. The discussion revealed that this perception of gender equality was not recognised as affecting or rather stalling the improvement of
women’s assets, though the more money women made, the less responsible their
husbands became.
The lack of key sustainability measures poses a threat to the continued use of the
method. The lack of skills and knowledge transfer, on how the technology works or
how to construct dryers to increase usage, meant that the communities had been
empowered to manage a technology that they do not entirely understand, let alone
know how to replicate. In Chipala, the abandonment of the dryer as well as the conflicts surrounding it meant that unless governance structures are transformed the
method would not be sustainable as the community has rejected the project, even
though they have been exposed to the benefits through the success story of their
neighbours in Vinthenga.
All factors considered, the impact of the solar tent dryers on the livelihoods of
fish processors has been insignificant. The solar drying method was adopted in one
village and rejected in the other. Amongst the causes of this rejection are the manBetween the Sun and Fish Are People: A Socio-economic Study of Solar Dryers for Fish…
4 Conclusion
The solar dryers have improved fish processing, and thus there is potential for the
method to be adopted if more dryers are constructed, especially in Vinthenga, where
the demand to use the dryer is high. But this assessment is based on one dryer which
was in use. In Chipala, where the community rejected the development, the initiative
is a white elephant project, and its impact with regard to improving livelihoods of
FPs is minimal and not well accounted for. Likewise, the impact of the technologies
on the reduction of wood-fuelled methods and their impact on deforestation could
not be assessed because the community was not using the kilns installed by the
project in Chipala.
The main reason for adopting the technology was the quality of fish produced in
the tent dryer, as there was a need for a more hygienic and profitable processing
method other than sun-drying. Adoption increased as the FPs realised that the
method reduced their time spent and activity while processing fish. However, the
capacity of the dryer in Vinthenga has meant that increases in adoption limit the
impact of the dryer on income, as fish processors cannot use the dryer consistently
because of the demand.
Women were involved in all activities in the fisheries’ value chain except for
catching fish, which is restricted to men. Fish processing profits are affected by the
fact that there are no female fishers because they have little bargaining power over
the prices set by fishermen whose knowledge of the market is limited as they are
only involved in catching fish. The study concluded that, all factors constant, the
current fish value chain meant that even with the solar drying method, post-harvest
losses during the off-peak seasons would prevail due to the fluctuation of prices set
by fishers who have little knowledge of the market. The gender roles and perceptions affected the socio-economic status of fish processors, in that gender equality
was contextualised as a responsibility shift to women who were involved in fish
processing and other enterprise. The discussion revealed that this perception of gender equality was not recognised as affecting or rather stalling the improvement of
women’s assets, though the more money women made, the less responsible their
husbands became.
The lack of key sustainability measures poses a threat to the continued use of the
method. The lack of skills and knowledge transfer, on how the technology works or
how to construct dryers to increase usage, meant that the communities had been
empowered to manage a technology that they do not entirely understand, let alone
know how to replicate. In Chipala, the abandonment of the dryer as well as the conflicts surrounding it meant that unless governance structures are transformed the
method would not be sustainable as the community has rejected the project, even
though they have been exposed to the benefits through the success story of their
neighbours in Vinthenga.
All factors considered, the impact of the solar tent dryers on the livelihoods of
fish processors has been insignificant. The solar drying method was adopted in one
village and rejected in the other. Amongst the causes of this rejection are the manBetween the Sun and Fish Are People: A Socio-economic Study of Solar Dryers for Fish…