An economic assessment of inland fisheries' contribution to income generation and food security in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

In South Africa, the presence of inland waterbodies provides opportunities for households to engage in fishing activities. The existence of fish and the availability of several waterbodies in the country's inland provinces provide households with alternative means of generating income and food security. With the prevalence of food insecurity, high unemployment, and poverty in the country, inland fisheries serve as an economic safety net, food, and source of income for rural poor households who live near impoundments. However, policymakers in South Africa have overlooked inland fisheries as a means of supporting rural livelihoods. Furthermore, the sector's economic and social contribution is frequently overlooked and underappreciated. Thus, inland fisheries are classified as informal due to the lack of legislation, despite the fact that rural households rely on this sector for income and food. Furthermore, the inland fisheries value chain is short, with little evidence of post-harvesting activities, and the roles and functions of rural households in this value chain are unknown. Despite this, inland fisheries provide a low-cost source of protein for households, and hence this sector has the potential to help reduce poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity. Given this background information, the study aimed at assessing the contribution of inland fisheries to income generation and food security in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The objectives of the study were to identify and describe the socio-economic characteristics of households and their different roles and functions played along the inland fisheries value chain in the Limpopo Province, to determine the contribution of inland fisheries to household income in the study area and to determine the contribution of inland fisheries to household food security in the study area. The study was conducted within three districts of the Limpopo Province namely, Sekhukhune District Municipality (SDM), Mopani District Municipality (MDM) and Vhembe District Municipality (VDM). Multistage and proportional sampling procedures were used to select 400 participants. In the study, both fishing and non-fishing households were interviewed. The motive behind interviewing non-fishing households is that they are mostly consumers of inland fish. Therefore, snowball and purposive sampling techniques were used to identify households who participate in inland fisheries. Snowball and the Convenient sampling technique were also used to identify the role players of inland fisheries. This was done to obtain information about the roles that households perform along the value chain of inland fisheries. Of the 400 households, about 193 are fishers who play either single or multiple roles within the value chain. A structured questionnaire was therefore used to collect data to achieve the objectives of the study. The collected data was captured on Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 27 for analysis. Several analytical tools from SPSS were employed to run the analysis. For instance, the descriptive statistics was used to identify and describe the socio-economic characteristics of households and their different roles and functions played along the inland fisheries value chain in the Limpopo Province. On the other hand, Pearson Chi-square and Pearson Correlation Moment were used to check the relationship between the socio economic characteristics of households and their functions along the inland fisheries value chain. To determine the contribution of inland fisheries to household income, the study calculated the share of both fishing and non-fishing income activities to the total household income of households who only participate in inland fisheries. This was derived by using income share. To check the level of income diversification for fishing households, the study utilised the Simpson Income Diversity index (SID). The Multiple Linear Regression model was used to analyse factors that influence the income of fishing households. To determine the contribution of inland fisheries to household income, two food security measures were used. This includes Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Data were analysed for both fishing and non-fishing households to check the food security differences. Binary Logistic Regression model was employed to analyse the determinants of rural households’ dietary diversity using HDDS which was grouped into Low dietary diversity and High dietary diversity. Furthermore, Multinomial Logistic Regression model was used to determine the effects of inland fisheries on household food security status. Based on the findings, the study concludes that males dominate inland fisheries activities over females. Fishing is practised for food by both males and females, but there is also an aspect of income generation. Furthermore, most fishers prefer to capture fish at state dams, with Tilapia being the most common species in all the three investigated districts. However, Carp, Bass and Catfish are also amongst the preferred fish species. Additionally, households are likely to consume fish from inland waters at least once a week. The findings also show that selling raw fish contributes more to the overall household income in all the three districts. On average, households in SDM and VDM have a medium level of income diversity, whereas households in MDM have a low level of income diversity. Furthermore, the marital status of the household head, access to credit, and average quantity of fish are among the factors influencing the income of fishing households, whereas level of education, distance to fishing area, and number of years fishing are some of the determinants of dietary diversity. Similarly, gender of the household head, total household income, and type of agricultural activity are some of the significant variables that influence the food security

status households in the Limpopo Province. Additionally, the results show that there is a significant difference between the household food security of small-scale fishers, subsistence fishers, recreational fishers and non-fishing households. However, households in SDM and VDM are likely to be mildly food insecure where else households in MDM are likely to be severely food insecure. The study found that rural households in the study area play various roles within the inland fisheries value chain. These roles include input suppliers, fishers, traders, processors, and consumers. Additionally, there is exist a relationship between socio-economic characteristics of the households and their functions along the inland fisheries value chain. Lastly, the study concludes that the value chain of inland fisheries is short due to the lack of exports and formal markets in the study area. To this end, the study recommends that policy makers should recognise inland fisheries as another way of sustaining rural livelihoods translating to income and food security. Moreover, awareness of the inclusion of inland fish in household food and the available opportunities for rural households in the value chain should be given attention by the government and relevant institutions. However, sustainable fishing practices is the central issue that should be prioritised by households under the guidance of the government to maintain a long and lasting livelihoods.