Research thematic areas and projects captured from the realigned research agenda. ARTPII thematic areas

Perceptions the impact of the recommended fishing gears and methods on fishes livelihoods assessed effectiveness of l.Kyoga SMUs in understaking their roles in fisheries management resources required to remain viavle and sustainable and the means toacquire them assesse

Poverty in selected Tanzanian and Ugandan fish landing sites in Lake Victoria Basin: a multidimensional analysis using the fuzzy sets approach

It is increasingly being realized that poverty is a very complex, multi-dimensional concept that has many determinants, and is about much more than just low incomes. Poverty in fishing communities, as in other sectors, is difficult to measure. The few studies that have been undertaken have often focused just on income rather than on a broader concept of poverty. This paper is based on a study conducted in eight fish landing sites in the Lake Victoria Basin, in Tanzania and Uganda, from January to September 2009. The major objective of the study was to find out the livelihood strategies pursued by households in these landings. Data related to different aspects of household poverty were also collected. The multidimensional poverty analysis using fuzzy sets was carried out to identify those non-monetary variables for which the households are deprived most. Forty four percent of the households in Ugandan landings and 38% in Tanzania are structurally poor. In Uganda the variables for which the households are deprived most are availability of credit, owning of a vehicle and doing business. In Tanzania, the variables are owning of household furniture, the quality of the dwelling units and having a clean source of drinking water. The study recommends that households and policy makers in the two countries exert extra effort to reduce deprivations in these variables

How knowledge acquisition shapes system understanding in small-scale fisheries

Within socio-ecological systems, actors’ interaction with the system may differ greatly, which is likely to result in differences in system understanding. The current work investigated this assumption in the Nile perch fishery at Lake Victoria. Specifically, a survey on Nile perch stock level and the drivers behind stock fluctuations was conducted with 225 participants with formally versus informally acquired knowledge across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Whereas most participants agreed that the stock has declined, several differences in system understanding were found between types of knowledge acquisition. Specifically, participants with informally acquired knowledge focused on examples of fewer drivers related to tangible human activities (e.g., the use of illegal fishing gear), whilst participants with formally acquired knowledge used more abstract and a larger variety of drivers related to the presence of humans (e.g., overpopulation). These findings confirm that the type of knowledge acquisition affects system understanding in small-scale fisheries and highlights the importance of assessing system understanding of various actors for successful resource management

How knowledge acquisition shapes system understanding in small-scale fisheries

Within socio-ecological systems, actors’ interaction with the system may differ greatly, which is likely to result in differences in system understanding. The current work investigated this assumption in the Nile perch fishery at Lake Victoria. Specifically, a survey on Nile perch stock level and the drivers behind stock fluctuations was conducted with 225 participants with formally versus informally acquired knowledge across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Whereas most participants agreed that the stock has declined, several differences in system understanding were found between types of knowledge acquisition. Specifically, participants with informally acquired knowledge focused on examples of fewer drivers related to tangible human activities (e.g., the use of illegal fishing gear), whilst participants with formally acquired knowledge used more abstract and a larger variety of drivers related to the presence of humans (e.g., overpopulation). These findings confirm that the type of knowledge acquisition affects system understanding in small-scale fisheries and highlights the importance of assessing system understanding of various actors for successful resource management