Socio-Demographic Factors Influencing Active Pond Ownership among Smallholder Fish Farmers in Mano Ward, Samfya District, Zambia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Mbonyiwe Chakanga *
Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Rufunsa Zambia P.O Box 01, Rufunsa, Zambia.
George Chinkwanda
Department of Agriculture and Aquatic Sciences, Kapasa Makasa University, School of Applied Science and Open Learning, P.O Box 480195, Chinsali, Zambia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Smallholder aquaculture is relevant to rural livelihoods in Zambia, but farmer characteristics differ across local contexts. This study describes selected characteristics of fish farmers in Mano Ward, Samfya District, and documents the categories in a production-related summary graphic.
Methods: A descriptive questionnaire survey used a non-probability approach directed towards registered fish producers. Each of the three item-specific frequency tables comprised 44 observations for sex, age group and active pond count. Frequencies and percentages were checked arithmetically. A separate nine-category graphic was described without respondent-level interpretation because its source values, denominator and coding procedures were undocumented.
Results: Of 44 sex entries, 27 (61.4%) were female; of 44 age entries, 23 (52.3%) were aged 31–50 years. Thirty-eight of 44 pond-count entries (86.4%) belonged to categories with more than one active pond. The graphic assigned 19% to credit facilities, 16% each to profitability and labour, and 14% to yield. These values are chart shares, not the proportions of respondents affected by these categories.
Conclusion: The tabulations provide a restricted description of the recorded farming group, including sex, age group and pond-count categories. The separate graphic does not establish the frequency, importance or effects of production constraints. Broader inference requires documented recruitment, linked farm-level observations and traceable chart inputs.
Keywords: Aquaculture, active fish ponds, descriptive survey, fish farmers, questionnaire, Zambia