Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of fish farmers regarding water quality and its management in the Rwenzori region of Uganda
- Author
- Athanasius Ssekyanzi, Nancy Nevejan (UGent) , Ronald Kabbiri, Joshua Wesana (UGent) and Gilbert Van Stappen (UGent)
- Organization
- Project
- Abstract
- As the number of inhabitants in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) increases, demand for animal-source proteins outstrips the current supply. Aquaculture is promoted to sustain livelihood and for improved food security. However, the production in SSA is still low at less than 1% of the total global production. Poor water quality is cited to be one of the factors limiting the growth of the aquaculture sector and is attributed to limited familiarity with standard aquaculture practices. Thus, a knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) survey was carried out among fish farmers in five districts of the Rwenzori region. Our results showed that 81% and 80% of them had poor knowledge and practices concerning water quality in aquaculture, respectively. Seventy percent did not know that fish farming caused pollution, while 68% believed that there was no need to treat fish farm effluents. Only 45% showed good attitudes towards water quality management. Fish farmers that fed fish with only complete pellets and those that combined them with locally available products (LAP) were 8 and 5 times more likely to possess more knowledge (p < 0.01) on water quality as compared to others that used only LAP. Slight improvements in attitudes and practices for every unit increment in knowledge were observed (p < 0.05). This limited familiarity with water quality management could severely impede the growth of aquaculture, as well as the sustainable utilization of available water resources. Therefore, there is a need for more training and improvement of extension services among fish farming communities.
- Keywords
- AQUACULTURE, EFFICIENCY, effluents, aquaculture production, rural, land-based, smallholder, sub-Saharan Africa, locally available products (LAP)
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01GX62Q9RJZN6SMM54A60AZFP6
- MLA
- Ssekyanzi, Athanasius, et al. “Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Fish Farmers Regarding Water Quality and Its Management in the Rwenzori Region of Uganda.” WATER, vol. 15, no. 1, 2023, doi:10.3390/w15010042.
- APA
- Ssekyanzi, A., Nevejan, N., Kabbiri, R., Wesana, J., & Van Stappen, G. (2023). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of fish farmers regarding water quality and its management in the Rwenzori region of Uganda. WATER, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/w15010042
- Chicago author-date
- Ssekyanzi, Athanasius, Nancy Nevejan, Ronald Kabbiri, Joshua Wesana, and Gilbert Van Stappen. 2023. “Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Fish Farmers Regarding Water Quality and Its Management in the Rwenzori Region of Uganda.” WATER 15 (1). https://doi.org/10.3390/w15010042.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Ssekyanzi, Athanasius, Nancy Nevejan, Ronald Kabbiri, Joshua Wesana, and Gilbert Van Stappen. 2023. “Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Fish Farmers Regarding Water Quality and Its Management in the Rwenzori Region of Uganda.” WATER 15 (1). doi:10.3390/w15010042.
- Vancouver
- 1.Ssekyanzi A, Nevejan N, Kabbiri R, Wesana J, Van Stappen G. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of fish farmers regarding water quality and its management in the Rwenzori region of Uganda. WATER. 2023;15(1).
- IEEE
- [1]A. Ssekyanzi, N. Nevejan, R. Kabbiri, J. Wesana, and G. Van Stappen, “Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of fish farmers regarding water quality and its management in the Rwenzori region of Uganda,” WATER, vol. 15, no. 1, 2023.
@article{01GX62Q9RJZN6SMM54A60AZFP6,
abstract = {{As the number of inhabitants in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) increases, demand for animal-source proteins outstrips the current supply. Aquaculture is promoted to sustain livelihood and for improved food security. However, the production in SSA is still low at less than 1% of the total global production. Poor water quality is cited to be one of the factors limiting the growth of the aquaculture sector and is attributed to limited familiarity with standard aquaculture practices. Thus, a knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) survey was carried out among fish farmers in five districts of the Rwenzori region. Our results showed that 81% and 80% of them had poor knowledge and practices concerning water quality in aquaculture, respectively. Seventy percent did not know that fish farming caused pollution, while 68% believed that there was no need to treat fish farm effluents. Only 45% showed good attitudes towards water quality management. Fish farmers that fed fish with only complete pellets and those that combined them with locally available products (LAP) were 8 and 5 times more likely to possess more knowledge (p < 0.01) on water quality as compared to others that used only LAP. Slight improvements in attitudes and practices for every unit increment in knowledge were observed (p < 0.05). This limited familiarity with water quality management could severely impede the growth of aquaculture, as well as the sustainable utilization of available water resources. Therefore, there is a need for more training and improvement of extension services among fish farming communities.}},
articleno = {{42}},
author = {{Ssekyanzi, Athanasius and Nevejan, Nancy and Kabbiri, Ronald and Wesana, Joshua and Van Stappen, Gilbert}},
issn = {{2073-4441}},
journal = {{WATER}},
keywords = {{AQUACULTURE,EFFICIENCY,effluents,aquaculture production,rural,land-based,smallholder,sub-Saharan Africa,locally available products (LAP)}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{22}},
title = {{Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of fish farmers regarding water quality and its management in the Rwenzori region of Uganda}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.3390/w15010042}},
volume = {{15}},
year = {{2023}},
}
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