Economic Evaluation Of Farmers Adaption For Raising Fish In Cages In Egypt:

Sami Abdel Hady Mustafa

The main objective of the study was to identify those variables related to technological innovativeness in fish cage aquaculture. Different independent variable groups were used.Those groups of variables used were: perception ofaquaculturists and demographic attributes; fish cageaquaculture structure (number of cages/relative income);Attributes of fish cage aquaculture; availability ofcommunication channels (awareness stage/adoption stage) ;organizations involved in supporting fish cage aquaculture;fish cage aquaculture activities for local economicdevelopment; barriers to fish cage aquaculture; laws andregulations; cage location (governorate); and adoption of fishcage aquaculture.Data of this study were collected during the periodFebruary-June, 1997. A pretest was conducted on 30respondents to fix the study questionnaire. A writtenquestionnaire and few face-to-face interviews were used with asample of 200 fish cage aquaculturists. The sample wasselected under the conditions: respondents should be fish cagefarmers, administrators, extension specialists, and investorswho have worked in fish cage aquaculture during the past fiveyears; they use modern technologies of fish cage aquaculture;and they should accept to participate in the study, asrespondents. Ten questionnaires were excluded because theirrespondents did not met the study preconditions. Only onehundred and fifty respondents were identified as the studysample (response rate=75%) .The difficulties encountered collecting the study data werevery huge due to different reasons including the toxificationsof fish ca,ges in Dakahlia Governorate; digging of the SalamCanal by which a reasonable number of cages were removed;drying of some parts of Lake Menzala; pollution occurred insome parts of Menzala lake; and the fierce environmentalcampaign against fish cage aquaculture which was implementedintensively by the Ministry of Irrigation. In addition, itwas very difficult to reach some fish cage aquaculturists.Furthermore, the study cost was rocketing. In general, thestudy examined some individual and environmental/organizational factors that are thought to be related to fishcage aquaculture technological innovativeness.The dependent variable, fish cage aquaculturetechnological innovativeness, was measured with a scale thatsums the level of use of five separate fish cage aquacultureinnovations (appropriate nets, buoyant, boats, water resourceswith appropriate water quality, and appropriate stockingrates. Factor analysis, reliability, frequency, zero-ordercorrelations, and step-wise multiple regressions procedureswere used in the analyses. spssjps (Version 6.1) was used inanalyzing the data. It was found that the followingindependent variables were significantly related toinnovativeness:(1) Perceptions of fish cage aquaculture by the Egyptianfish cage aquaculturists (the Egyptian fish cage aquaculturewill grow/prosper in the near future) are positively relatedto fish cage aquaculture technological innovativeness{r=0.23;P=.007) .(2) Attitude of fish cage aquaculturists towards theaquatic environment (stopping water pollution is theresponsibility of both the government and citizens, chemicalpesticides/industrial wastes should not be thrown in waterresources, pollution of water resources leads to fishcontamination, people should have environmental awareness toprotect water resources against pollution, and eatingcontaminated fish may hurt human health) is positively relatedto fish cage aquaculture technological innovativeness (r=O.33;P= .0a 0) .(3) Scientific orientation of fish cage aquaculturists(1 have to keep trying out new scientific practices, and thebest way1to compete is to apply the latest scientific researchfindings) is positively related to fish cage aquaculturetechnological innovativeness (r=0.19; P=.028).(4) Activities for local community development, as avariable, (raising fish in cages helps provide village marketsin neighborhood with fish, and raising fish in cages increaseawareness/motivation/interest among villagers regarding fishcage aquaculture) are positively related to fish cageaquaculture technological innovativeness (r=0.40; P=.OOO)(5) different obstacles (administrative, laws/regulations, different inputs of production, total costs, fishdiseases, rodents, net fouling, fish sudden die-offs, andconducting water analyses) are negatively related to fish cageaquaculture technological innovativeness (r=-O.30; P=.OOO).(6) Availability of some obstructing laws/regulations 1Snegatively related to fish cage aquaculture technologicalinnovativeness (r=-0.19; P=.028).(7) Attended formal training by fish cage aquaculturistsis positively related to fish cage aquaculture technologicalinnovativeness (r=0.24; P=.005).(8) Experience of fish cage aquaculturist, 1n fish cageaquaculture or any other related field, is negatively relatedto fish cage aquaculture technological innovativeness(r=-O.17; P=.044).(9) Cosmopolitancy of fish cage aquaculturists isnegatively related to fish cage aquaculture technologicalinnovativeness (r~-0.27; P=.OOl).(10) Place of living now (governorate where therespondent is living now) is negatively related to fish cageaquaculture innovative technologies (r~-O.24; P=.004).(11) Fish cage aquaculturist’s exposure to face-to-facemeans of communication at the awareness stage is positivelyrelated to fish cage aquaculture technological innovativeness(r~O.29; P~.OOl).(12) Some attributes of fish cage aquaculture arepositively related to fish cage aquaculture technologicalinnovativeness. They are:12.1 Observability (its results are obvious duringapplication) is positively related to fish cage aquaculture ~technological innovativeness (r=O.20j P=.017).12.2 Applicability (it is easy to apply fish cageaquaculture in the field) is positively related to fish cageaquaculture technological innovativeness (r=o.27j P=.OOl).The most important predictor was found to be activitiesfor local economic community development (COMDEV) whichexplained 16% of fish cage aquaculture technologicalinnovativeness. The combination of different activities forlocal economic community development (COMDEV), exposure toface-to-face means of communication at awareness stage(COMCA1), overcoming obstacles/barriers that work against fishcage aquaculture prosperity (OBSTACLE), and applicability offish cage aquaculture (APPLICA) together explained 32% of fishcage aquaculture technological innovativeness.5.1. Scope and Limitations of the StudyThe study was conducted in ten governorates (38.5% of thecountry governorates. It encompassed different categories ofcitizens including fish farmers. investors, administrators.supervisors, and aquaculture extension specialists who arerelated to fish cage aquaculture. The study took intoconsideration both individual and environmental/organizationalfactors and extended to deal with some limited economiccriteria.Limitations of this study can be identified as thefollowing:(1) the dependent variable, fish cage aquaculturetechnological innovativeness, was measured as a compositescore of five technological innovations. As a consequence,the innovation process for such innovations was submergedthrough aggregation into an overall innovativeness’ score foreach fish cage aquaculturist. Thus, difference in theinnovative process among the innovations were lost. This 1Sconsistent with Rogers I (1983) criticism of innovationresearch.(2) This study’s findings are related to specificgeographic locations and individuals and may not be applicablecompletely to others. The few economic variables used in thestudy were very few and related to the respondents who haveexperiences and use innovative technologies in fish cageaquaculture. Therefore, those economic variables had a verylimited impact. The study can be considered as a case studyunder some conditions. Thus, we cannot generalize from onlythis study. More studies are needed.(3) Number of the participants in this study were smalland selected under some conditions. Thus, it is not possibleto generalize from the findings. In addition, the study wasconducted in a bad situation regarding the distress and losswhich some of them experienced through accidental toxificationof fish and governmental threat. Therefore, it is recommendedto use multi-respondent data gathering design, andmultimeasurement approach, or triangulation, at differentperiods of time.(4) The study did not divide the respondents ~ncategories, based on their innovativeness level. This wouldhave enriched and changed the scope of the study.(5) Despite those previously mentioned limitations ofthis study, the res~lts confirm the findings of some otherstudies such as those of Baldridge et al. (1975), El-Ghamriniet aL, (1995), and Sawhney et aL, (1991). This study alsoemphasized the need for studying different social and economicvariables and their combined effects on fish cage aquacultureinnovativeness.5.2. RecommendationsIt was found, from the study, that technical assistance1S needed. Despite ~he fact that the respondents viewed thedifferent organizations are supporting fish cage aquaculture,it was clear that there are different obstacles (the economicones are in the least critical), laws/regulations, bad andnon-profitable experiences, and difficulties in living nearthe project locations, it is obvious that technical assistance/training is needed. from the obtained findings,training and scientific orientation were related positivelywith fish cage aquaculture technological innovativeness. Inthis sense, training should work in parallel with creating anddeepening scientific attitudes among fish cage aquaculturists.The majority of respondents ranked the General Authorityfor Fish Resources Development as the first among thoseorganizations involved in supporting fish cage aquaculture.The General Authority for Fish Resources Development isresponsible for all water resources in Egypt. The findingimplies that there is some symbiotic relationships between theindustry and concerned organizations. In this sense, this.bond should be strengthened and supported for the mutualbenefits of the two parties. The General Authority for FishResources Development, and a Lsro ot.l ro i cOllccrncd or qani Zvtiono,could involve fish cage aquaculturists in technical updatesand site visits to help fish cage aquaculturists to becompetent in production aquaculture and the scientificprinciples of fish cage aquaculture. Site visits and tours offacilities would also be helpful for them.Fish cage aquaculture activities for local communityeconomic development implies the importance of mutual benefitsand horizontal linkages between fish cage aquaculture andlocal communities around them. These relationships should bestrengthened.Resources playa significant role in fish cageaquaculture. Despite the fact that resources proved, from thefinding, to be not related to fish cage aquacultureinnovativeness as a consequence of taking the study sampleunder some conditions, the researcher observed that almost all,the participants refused primarily to provide any informationabout relative income and their resources and they mentionedit in a way reflected some doubts. It is very important tobuild confidentiality and trust between fish cageaquaculturists and the extension service Fish cage aquaculturists should be rewarded for theirinnovativeness and productivity. The Ministry of agriculture,Agricultural Professions, fisheries cooperatives, andaquacultuFe cooperatives should develop procedures torecognize and reward innovative fish cage aquaculturists whoadopt new forms of innovative technology with the goal ofimproving their production.It is also very important to find ways to avoid waterpollution accrued from implementing fish cage aquaculture. Itis the shared responsibility of both fish cage aquaculturistsand the government.5.3. ImplicationsFish cage aquaculture technological innovativeness ischaracterized by small number of highly qualified, scientificoriented fish cage aquaculturists; effective means ofcommunication emphasizing the role of face-to-face orinterpersonal communication; tendency to play an active rolein local economic community development; some importantattributes of fish cage aquaculture that combine thoseattributes of observability and compatibility are identifiedas the most important attributes that play important role inits adoption process. It may be that individuals who areinnovative in adopting fish cage aquaculture are alsoinnovative when it comes to other areas of agriculturalscience and technology.Since aquaculture is taught in relatively few highschools, colleges, research institutes and concernedorganizations, fish cage aquaculturists need assistance inimproving their knowledge and skills in this profession. Thiscan be achieved through technical training and providingenough resources for this promising field. Adoptingscientific principles by fish cage aquaculturists may help toalleviate their uncertainty and allow them to accept risk,both of ~hich are important individual attributes related totechnological innovativeness.Exposure to face-to-face means of communication seems tobe very important in diffusing fish cage aquaculture. It wasproven to be related to fish cage aquaculture technologicalinnovativeness. In fact, it was more important than massmedia. Exposure to face-to-face means of communication shouldbe strengthened and emphasized.Assisting fish cage aquaculturists overcome differentobstacles and barriers that make it difficult for thisprofession to prosper and flourish was proved to be of utmostimportance in diffusing fish cage aquaculture. Overcomingobstacles facing this industry was related to fish cageaquaculture technological innovativeness.This study attempted to examine some of the differentvariabled that may be related to fish cage aquaculturetechnological innovativeness using personal and differentorganizational/environmental factors. Perhaps the findings ofthis study will assist policy makers as they considerappropriate policies, laws, regulations to push this promisingprofession forward.This chapter explained limitations of the study,recommendations of the study, and implications of the study.The following pages will include the used references,acknowledgment, and appendices. The appendices will includethe used questionnaire, the attached letter to the questionnaire, and the Arabic abstract.