Seafood value addition contributing toward sustainable fishing and food security |16 October 2015

According to the latest data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the consumption of fish in the world has been growing and Seychelles has one of the highest fish consumption per capita (kg) of more than 50kg. This means that for every Seychellois more than 47% of animal protein intake comes from fish. It is important to note that 90% of the fish consumed is produced locally by the artisanal fishery and that such a fishery contributes greatly toward maintaining a healthy nation and toward national food security.

However due to a combination of circumstances such as an increasing population and depleting stocks of certain fish species on the Mahé plateau, fishermen find it more challenging to maintain their annual catch and to satisfy local and export demands for fish.

To prevent an unfortunate situation whereby in order to meet demands, ensure food security and the  livelihood of their families, artisanal fishermen are faced with the only option of applying excessive fishing efforts and stress on certain fragile but targeted fish stocks, mitigation measures have to be foreseen and put in place.

In such a context one of the most practiced solutions is what we call value addition, which implies developing measures, guidelines, regulations and facilities necessary to achieve maximum resource utilisation hence revenue generation. In a situation whereby the quantity of fish reduces this approach allows to maintain and/or increase revenue by improving quality.

Seafood value addition together with good management measures aim at:

• promoting a  responsible and sustainable fishery;

• making maximum use of catch by reducing post-harvest loss, through   improved quality systems, handling practices and cold chains;

• Developing innovative processing techniques so as to produce high end products;

• Use of by-products of processing activities to develop noble products and biomolecules used as food, feed, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals;

• Alleviate stress on certain fish stocks, by diversifying use and consumption of resources.

In other words value addition of our marine resources has a key and important role to play in the fisheries sector and within our blue economy concept. This explains the setting up and motivation of the post-harvest development section within the Seychelles  Fishing Authority (SFA) responsible for promoting seafood value addition locally and internationally and developing the post-harvest sector so as to become a leader in the region. Since its creation in 2013, several post-harvesting projects have been conducted, some include:

• value addition of by-catch from tuna vessels for human consumption;

• diversifying local consumption of fish by developing several high end products from mackerel,  travely and skip jack;

• mitigating export issues with swordfish by promoting its local consumption among the general public and tourism institutions;

• Providing technical assistance and support to local entrepreneurs in fish processing techniques and quality;

• Sensitising the general public and train fishermen in the communities on good handling practices and quality standards.

Organic farming

Over the years many have tried to define organic agriculture and this has led to a lot of confusion and misinterpretations but according to www.fao.org  all these explanations and definitions for organic agriculture converge to state that it is a system that relies on ecosystem management rather than external agricultural inputs. It is a system that begins to consider potential environmental and social impacts by eliminating the use of synthetic inputs, such as synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, veterinary drugs, genetically modified seeds and breeds, preservatives, additives and irradiation. Similarly, organic farming refers to a kind of farming where agricultural activity is practiced mainly for maintaining soil fertility and controlling pests without the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilisers.

The main difference between conventional and organic farming are:

 Conventional farming

•    Application of chemical fertilisers to soil to grow crops

•    Application of  pesticides to plants for  management of pests and diseases
 
•    Use of herbicides for weed control

 Organic farming

•    Application of natural items that are naturally found in our environment as fertilisers (manure, compost, green manures, seaweeds, worm  etc) to build and maintain soil fertility

•    Relying on the natural enemies of pests control

•    Use of natural substance/methods for pests and diseases management

•    Use of crop rotation to conserve soil

•    Natural methods to control weeds

•    Use of certified seeds

•     Organic farms require organic certification approved by certification bodies.

There are many benefits associated with organic farming for e.g. flora and fauna habitats are less threatened and biodiversity increases with fewer chemicals which harm bees, other pollinators and insects. Natural fertilisers like green manures, compost and manures also help to maintain good soil physical conditions (e.g. soil structure, aeration and water holding capacity etc) and this in turn augment fertility of soils. It also prevents soil erosion and reduces contamination of the water supply from toxic runoff hence less pollution.

It is also believed that final organic products have significantly higher nutritional value compared to food grown using modern conventional techniques. As a result the products are considered to be less hazardous to human health. That's why currently demand for these types of food is greater than ever.   

What makes cultivation and products organic?

In line with www.Fao.org, products labelled as "organic" are those certified as having been produced through clearly defined organic production methods. In other words, "organic" is a claim on the production process rather than a claim on the product itself. One of the essential elements distinguishing organic farming from other forms of sustainable agriculture is the existence of production standards and certification procedures. This is because it is impossible to distinguish between organic products and those grown with conventional methods at a glance. Therefore, this is where certification bodies (third party) play an important role in ensuring that organic products have been produced and handled according to applicable international standards of organic farming.

Also it is to be noted that depending on the certification bodies or standards used for quality assurance of organic products there are some natural pesticides which are allowed in organic food production. But the levels of these natural pesticides usually need to fall within the allowable safety limits approved by the certification body(ies).

Likewise, in Seychelles the concept of organic farming (organic agriculture) is becoming more and more popular among farmers and the consumers because of their many benefits; health, environmental and ecological among others. In its effort to satisfy the demands of its customers, the Seychelles Agricultural Agency has adopted certain sustainable agricultural approaches to encourage farmers who are willing, to ultimately move towards organic farming. This is being achieved by encouraging farmers to use more biological pesticides and fertilisers instead of the conventional ones.

This because even though it has got many advantages organic farming can be time consuming, especially in this age where farmers face a lot of problem to manage the growing number of pests and diseases to harvest marketable crops, feed the ever growing population and at the same time earn a living. Moreover, presently organic foodstuff may not be affordable for all.  Ideally, it will be best to describe the approaches adopted by numerous farmers in Seychelles as sustainable agriculture rather than organic farming (organic agriculture) until such time is reached. This because sustainable agriculture is a farming method which protects the biodiversity, public health, human communities, for future generations while at the same time ensuring food security.

A healthy soil for a healthy life

Created first before mankind soil remains the most mistreated substance in all of man’s existence. To illustrate this sad fact, consider the amount of none recyclable wastes that are dumped into the soil on a daily basis around the globe. The image is very scary. Why is it that we are still alive on this planet is in itself one of the world greatest miracles.

The accompanying graph shows the municipal waste production in the United State from 1960 to 2013. According to this information from United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2013 in the US people were generating 254.1 million tons of municipal waste, which includes waste like plastic, which are most of the time not biodegradable.  What is the final destination of all these waste? The answer, sadly so often is, inside the soil.

Soil is the only reservoir in the world where everything one day will found its final faith. Some might argue that the sea is another reservoir but the reality is that everything that is dumped in the sea will have two main destinations. Either they will end up on the sea bed or on the coast, which in both cases is soil.

The 68th UN General Assembly declared 2015 the International Year of Soils (IYS). The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has been nominated to implement the IYS 2015, within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership and in collaboration with governments and the secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. (FAO 2015)
 
The IYS 2015 aims to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of soil for food security and essential ecosystem functions.
The specific objectives of the IYS 2015 are to:
•    Raise full awareness among civil society and decision makers of the profound importance of soil for human life;

•    Educate the public on the crucial role soil plays in food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, essential ecosystem services, poverty alleviation and sustainable development;

•    Support effective policies and actions for the sustainable management and protection of soil resources;

•    Promote investment in sustainable soil management activities to develop and maintain healthy soils for different land users and population groups;

•    Strengthen initiatives in connection with the SDG process (Sustainable Development Goals) and Post-2015 agenda;

•    Advocate for rapid capacity enhancement for soil information collection and monitoring at all levels (global, regional and national).  (FAO 2015)

The overall objective is, to let the whole world know that by destroying the soil we are destroying our own lives and by taking care of it we are building a brighter future for the next generation.

  As former President of the United State (Franklin D. Roosevelt) quoted in his 1937 Letter to all State Governors on a Uniform Soil Conservation Law, that “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people”.

Today it is very alarming the amount of waste and pollutant going into the soil as if this is an infinite resource. Seychelles is not an exception. In our country it is sad to say that very little attention is given to soil when we decide on various land use. This raises a lot of questions on the decision taken in light of the soil quality and capacity to the soil to deal with waste generated by the various developments.

For as long as life exists, soil will remain the only and most important element on the face of the earth on which everything are forms, making it the primary ingredient in the circle of life. Let us protect this foundation of our existence and let us make the right choice for the coming generation.   

Prepared by the Soil And Plant Diagnostic laboratory
Seychelles Agricultural Agency

Backyard gardeners get training in Peri-urban farming techniques

The Competitive Local Innovations for Small Scale Agriculture (Clissa) project funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad), in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, is conducting training for backyard gardeners in Peri-urban farming techniques to increase the production of locally produced agricultural products and thus improve and local food and nutrition security for household and communities.

Peri-urban farming is the practice of intensive semi or fully commercial farming in urbanised areas (cities, towns and densely congested rural areas) to produce vegetables, fruits and other crops.

  The available places including verandahs, rooftops, and backyards/front yards of the houses are intensively cultivated, using planting containers like pots, troughs, tyres etc… to produce fresh vegetables and fruits to achieve food security and food sufficiency and excess produce sold to generate additional income.
 
The training started in the beginning of July this year, and has been taking place on Saturdays,  from 8.30am to 3.30pm, at specific district community centres for people from all regions on Mahé  and Praslin. The training is on-going and is also scheduled to take place on Perseverance and La Digue soon. It is open to all interested persons who would like to learn the techniques of peri-urban farming as well as those already involved in some form of backyard gardening and would like to improve their skills on peri-urban farming techniques.

The training instructor is Gabriel Prudence, a farmer with over 30 years of experience in agriculture as a farmer and trainer. Until September a total of 180 participants had attended the training with an average of 20 participants per training. The trainings mainly focus on Introduction to peri-urban farming, planning and organising of the planting area, soil preparation, irrigation and plant nutrition.

Outcome/expected results

The training will enable existing and ‘new’ backyard gardeners to increase their skills and knowledge of peri-urban farming techniques for the production of vegetables, fruits and other crops. It will also make them become more aware of the importance of backyard gardening, for food security and income generation.


Food Week/World Food Day

‘Agriculture and social protection, each home a garden for the wellbeing of the family’

As part of activities to mark the Food Week and World Food Day this year under the local theme ‘Agriculture and social protection, each home a garden for the wellbeing of the family’, the organising committee has put together some articles highlighting the government’s ongoing effort to ensure each family contributes to food security as well as the wellbeing of its members.
 
Contributed by the Seychelles Agricultural Agency.

(Photos courtesy Seychelles News Agency)