Fish Farming Activities in Mbanza-Ngungu: Farmer Socio-Professional Profiles, Production Practices, and Improvement Opportunities for Sustainable Aquaculture

Lydie Bambi Langa (), Soleil Wamuini Lunkayilakio (), Patrick Mafwila Kinkela, Vincent Gennotte and Carole Rougeot
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Lydie Bambi Langa: Unit of Aquatic Resources Management and Aquaculture, UR Focus, Faculty of Sciences, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Soleil Wamuini Lunkayilakio: Section of Science and Technology, Higher Pedagogical Institute of Mbanza-Ngungu, Mbanza-Ngungu 2006011, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Patrick Mafwila Kinkela: Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa 010, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Vincent Gennotte: Unit of Aquatic Resources Management and Aquaculture, UR Focus, Faculty of Sciences, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Carole Rougeot: Unit of Aquatic Resources Management and Aquaculture, UR Focus, Faculty of Sciences, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-18

Abstract: The study describes the distribution of fish farming activities, identifies and characterizes the stakeholders involved, and assesses their level of knowledge and the techniques used for fish farming in the Territory of Mbanza-Ngungu. Furthermore, it proposes avenues to improve the sustainability and profitability of the sector. The methodology relied on a snowball approach to recruit a representative sample of 350 fish farmers. Field visits allowed for detailed data collection through a specially designed questionnaire. The data were analyzed using statistical methods (chi-square test of independence) to identify trends and challenges across the sectors of the territory of Mbanza-Ngungu. The findings revealed that fish farming activities are distributed across the territory of Mbanza-Ngungu, with a male predominance (96%) among fish farmers and a growing trend of this activity among older individuals over 40 years old (48%). Additionally, the results demonstrate that aquaculture is mainly a secondary activity for 97% of respondents, yet it could play a pivotal role in household economic diversification. The study identifies predominant practices, such as extensive farming (89%) and monoculture (92%), while highlighting gaps in pond management and fish farmers’ general knowledge. Challenges are mainly related to feed access (28%), financing (27%), training (23%), and water quality monitoring (100%). The commercial orientation of production towards sales (94%) rather than self-consumption offers an opportunity to improve this sector in this territory. Finally, recommendations are made to enhance the sustainability and profitability of aquaculture in the region, including promoting integrated practices, more efficient pond management practices, and aquaculture product processing.

Keywords: fish farming; fish farmer practices; fish species; administrative sectors; territory of Mbanza-Ngungu; DRC (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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