Beyond post–harvest processing: Empowering female fishers through sustainable livelihoods

By Hashim Muumim and Alice Maro

“I began processing sprats, sardines, and perch in 1992 in Kigoma, Tanzania where there were only a few processors,” said Tumaini Luhingulanyi. “I would use sand to dry my sprat and wild forest firewood to smoke my perch,” she said.

Tumaini Godfrey Luhingulanyi, 60, starts her typical day at 5 a.m. She has no young children at home, and all of her six children are adults who have either left secondary school, graduated from college or married and have families of their own.

At 7 a.m., Tumaini leaves her home and travels to the Katonga landing site in Kigoma region to wait for the fishermen returning with the night’s catch.

She typically purchases sprat, sardines and perch from fishermen and either sells them fresh for a small profit, or transports them to processing sites where the sprat and sardines are sun-dried on traditional smoking kilns or drying racks, and perch are smoked on wood chips.

Tumaini is a small-scale fish processor in Lake Tanganyika and a beneficiary of the European Union (EU)-funded FISH4ACP project, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI) in Kigoma and Katavi regions. The project aims to to strengthen Lake Tanganyika’s sardine, sprat and perch value chain.

Prior to joining the project, Tumaini was a member of a women's processing group that was supported by a local microfinance institution. The group had a village saving and loan group (VICOBA), through which members obtained a TZS 12 million (USD 5,170) loan to rent space for drying fisheries products and buy drying nets and processing equipment. The group was initially thriving and had successfully repaid the loan, but as time passed, members began to pursue independent projects. Tumaini broke away from the group and continued processing fish on her own, making more progress than she did in the group.

Through the FISH4ACP project, Tumaini received training on leadership and gender issues, and the project continues to train her and other women on the use of modern gears and improved processing methods, such as fish-smoking techniques and the use of kilns, which will reduce post-harvest losses and the effects on her health. She is one of the most productive and successful woman processors in the Katonga landing site, with her own fishing vessels, fenced (protected) drying areas, traditional kilns, land suitable for smoking ovens, and employees.

Harnessing woven baskets for a better living

Small-scale fish processors, like Tumaini, are key players in the fisheries value chain because they have the most leverage, particularly in terms of reducing fish losses and improving product quality.

Unfortunately, not all players in the fisheries value chain are as fortunate as Tumaini. Fishers, for example, would venture out onto the lake at 2 a.m. in the morning and return either empty-handed or with a meagre catch that they would sell to the processors for a small profit. There are a several reasons for the low yield, but the most important is the type of equipment used.

Tumaini has been in the industry for over 20 years and has seen a shift from fishers using bamboo woven baskets as fishing gear to carry fish from the lake, to using wooden and cooler boxes provided by TAFIRI. Tumaini will benefit from the cold storage facilities that will be installed at the Kibirizi landing site later next year, as they will help her improve her work and reduce post-harvest losses of her fisheries products.

FAO and TAFIRI conducted a scoping study to identify potential markets for fisheries products in Tanzania and regional markets with premium prices, from which Tumaini benefits. Also, the project will identify financial products offered by various local microfinancing institutions with the aim of connecting people like Tumaini and ensuring they receive enough funds to expand their businesses.

She currently sells her sun-dried and smoked fish to local buyers at the local market, earning her a little extra money. The fish would then be resold in other parts of Tanzania, or exported to neighbouring countries, like Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia, as well as Australia, Europe, and the United States.

Empowering women in the fisheries value chain

Eighty-seven percent of processors in the Lake Tanganyika fisheries value chain are women. They play a major role in the processing industry, owning over 95 percent of the drying spaces rented out by fishermen and outfitted with drying racks and smoking kilns. Women constitute most roadside vendors, local restaurant owners, retailers, and wholesalers in Kigoma, with 20 percent owning export businesses.

The women have experienced a number of challenges including post-harvest losses, unreliable markets, price fluctuations, robbery, sexual harassment, and abuse at work. Despite these challenges, women own fishing vessels and equipment, which they rent to fishermen in exchange for a percentage of their catch.

To promote more female participation in the fisheries activities, FAO and partners launched the TAWFA Lake Tanganyika chapter. The charter lays the groundwork for greater gender equality across the Lake Tanganyika fisheries value chain and serves as a platform for connecting with other potential opportunities through the FISH4ACP project. It is also in line with the National Plan of Action for the Implementation of Small- Scale Fisheries in Tanzania and the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022).

Tumaini reflects on her journey, recalling how she used to dry sprat in the sand and sell them to buyers from Burundi, who eventually stopped buying from her due to the presence of sand, dust, and grass particles. To avoid wasting her products, she used to shred the unsold fish into small pieces, mix it with maize flour, and sell it at a lower price as chicken feed.

“Despite a difficult past, I now employ ten people who help me with everything from carrying fish from the landing site to drying and smoking the fish at the processing site to packaging, transporting, and selling at the market,” she explains. “Through my business, I've been able to build my own home, buy land, start a poultry farm, and even pay the tuition for my son who has recently graduated with a diploma in clinical medicine.”

*Hashim Muumin is FAO Tanzania's FISH4ACP National Professional Officer and Alice Maro is the National Communication Officer for FAO Tanzania.