摘要：The rice-fish farming project in Guinée Forestière launched in 2000
was, at the outset, a pilot project for the purpose of testing the
introduction of a new production technique in an impoverished and landlocked
region. It aimed to improve food security for people living in the region
and to promote the creation of income through a diversification of activity
and better land use. The intervention strategy followed the template used in
Côte d'Ivoire for a similar project. It consisted in supporting groups
of voluntary producers who were ready to accept the risk of financing
lowland developments to produce fish and rice. The project was supported by
a small group, mainly composed of volunteers (expatriates) and local
facilitators recruited as the project activities progressed. A €1.8 million
grant was donated by the Agence Française de Développement, raised
between 2000 and 2008, to cover technical assistance and training
expenditures.
The project gave precedence to the concept of actor autonomy for the
development of lowlands and ponds.
Investments were financed and implemented by the producers themselves
depending on their available resources in funds and labour. Animal husbandry
methods, based on extensive mixed cropping, used no other inputs than those
available on the farm itself. The fish farmers themselves supplied alevins.
To ensure the sustainability of rice-fish farming activities after the
project ended, special emphasis was given to providing a structure for the
profession in the future by encouraging the members of the groups to sponsor
and train new candidates.
Although results exceeded the initial targets since, by the end of the
project, 350 farmers and 500 ponds were active, lowland rice and fish
production is still limited. It does provide, however, regular supplies of
fish to approximately 6000 people, calculated according to the low level of
local consumption (10 kg/per year/per person).
The impact of the project is considerable. In economic terms, lowland
development is an excellent profit opportunity since it multiplies farmers'
incomes by six, two thirds of which are from fish farming and the remaining
third by rice. The lowland development technique reduces the time required
to cultivate rice by 30%. As a result, these benefits are attracting a
large number of new potential entrants.
The impact on the environment is also positive, in particular due to the
improvement of soil fertility and the beneficial effects of ponds on the
natural environment.
Finally, these good results have led to plans for new projects to prolong
and consolidate existing benefits and to repeat the system in other
countries.
