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Hybrid Aquaculture Research: the Case of Dedza, Malawi

Jessica Anderson

Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC

Canada, V8W 3R4, (250)-721-6377 (jlanders@uvic.ca)

Abstract

Recent research acknowledges the natural and social dimensions o

aquaculture systems. However, studies often create an artificialdivide by attempting to address each aspect in isolation. Socialscience research has tended to overlook the biophysical aspects of

aquaculture, while scientific research has uncritically acceptedorthodox explanations of environmental outcomes without recognizing the social

construction of such systems. This research analyses the case of small-scale tilapiaaquaculture in Malawi and presents evidence to support the central argument that aquaculture

systems must be addressed through hybrid research. The social dimension of this researchreveals that fish farmers in Malawi are rejecting practices which do not work in the local

context (fertilization with pond mud) and adopting strategies that do work (irrigation withpond water). The physical component of this research compliments the social by elucidating

that irrigation with pond water resulted in higher soil nutrient and moisture content. It isargued that understanding aquaculture impacts on ecosystems may only be achieved through

locally-based hybrid research methods that recognize the complex, connected nature of thesesystems.

f

Introduction

Over the last several decades, there has been

an increased emphasis on understanding thesocial and ecological complexities of rural

agricultural communities in the globalsouth1. However, research can create an

artificial divide by attempting to addresseach aspect in isolation. Social science

research can overlook the biophysicalrealities of rural agricultural systems, while

research in the natural sciences canuncritically accept conventional

explanations of environmental processeswithout acknowledging the social

construction of such systems2.

By integrating the research philosophies of

social and ecological sciences, we canaddress these systems in ways that may

illuminate new understandings and expand

the range on concepts available. For the

purposes of this paper, research perspectivesthat challenge the separation of research

methodologies, and bridge the gap betweensocial and ecological research by

acknowledging that most research questionsrequire investigation through both social

and ecological research methods, will bereferred to as hybrid research3. This type of

research may be especially important foraddressing rural agricultural systems

because by definition they encompassphenomena that are both social and

ecological.

The aim of this research is to contribute to

the conversation about the ability of hybridresearch to facilitate understandings of

complex rural agricultural systems. This isattempted not in the abstract, but bysubjecting theoretical claims about hybrid

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research to the complications of empirical

analysis, through the case of integratedagriculture-aquaculture (IAA) in Dedza,

Malawi.

Methods

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in theworld, the economy is heavily reliant on

agriculture and over eighty-five percent ofthe population lives in rural areas4. The

context of this study was the aftermath of a5 year development project by ConcernUniversal, through which IAA had been

introduced in Dedza5. In an IAA system,the fish pond is designed to capitalize on

outputs from the agricultural system, such

as crop residues, which may otherwise havebeen wasted. In return, the pond producesfish and water for irrigation, thus increasing

resource efficiency on the farm.

The social component of this studyconsisted of forty-five semi-structured

interviews. Participation was based onfarmers willingness to partake in the

research and their involvement in integratedaquaculture. Qualitative data, collected inopen ended questions, addressed attitudes

towards the benefits and challengesassociated with fish farming in Dedza. The

participants were also free to raise subjectsof personal concern or local issues.

Of the forty-five semi-structured interviews,thirty were randomly selected for soil

sampling. Composite soil samples werecollected from maize fields that had been

irrigated with pond water and maize fieldsthat had not. At Bunda College, soil

samples were immediately analyzed for soilmoisture content and pH. The dried soil

samples were transported to YorkUniversity, Canada. Total Kjeldahl-N(TKN) content was determined by the

micro-Kjeldahl digestion procedure6.

Mehlich 3-extractable P, K+, Zn, Mg2+andCa+ were determined7. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for normality was performed

on all data to ensure they met the

assumption of a normal distribution. One-way ANOVA tests were conducted to

analyze for differences between land usegroups. Irrigation with pond water was

used as the variable for comparison.

Results

The social component of this studyindicated that fish farmers in Dedza are

active social agents, capable of evaluatingan agricultural technology in accordancewith their social, economic and

environmental constraints and adapting itaccordingly. Farmers rejected the practice

of maize fertilization with pond mud due to

labour and equipment constraints, despitethe fact that the technique was taught byextension agents and is published as one of

the benefits of IAA in Dedza5.Alternatively, a method of bucketing pond

water onto maize crops was developed byfarmers and adopted in order to cope with

dry soil conditions.

The physical component of this study builtupon the social results. Soils that had beenirrigated with pond water had significantly

higher levels of N (P

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realities and the perceptions of local farmers

impact on the system2.

Fish farmers in Dedza demonstrated theiragency by modifying pond use in

accordance with their local needs. Thephysical component of this study confirmed

that crop irrigation with pond waterincreased soil nutrient and moisture levels.

Rainfall in Malawi is the most limitingfactor in crop production, making irrigationextremely important8. In order for IAA to

be a beneficial and sustainable farmingactivity, it must make both social and

ecological sense in the local context. Byemploying a hybrid research approach,

nuances of fish farming in Dedza, which

would have been overlooked using atraditional approach, were exposed.

It is acknowledged that choosing a researchstrategy is context dependent, and one

strategy will not always work in everysituation. However, when addressing ruralagricultural systems, a hybrid research

approach has proven to be a powerful toolthrough which to investigate how local

adaptations may influence the physicalenvironment and how the physicalenvironment influences local livelihoods. It

is argued that understanding this type ofsystem may only be achieved through

locally-based hybrid research methods thatrecognize the complex, connected nature of

these systems.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the research

participants from Dedza, Malawi for sharing

their time, ideas and experiences with me. Igratefully acknowledge the contributions of

Timothy Njovu, Emanuel Kaunda, TalyDrezner, Robin Roth and Jackson Langat.

References

1. Peet R, Watts M. 1996. LiberationEcologies. Routledge, London.

2. Batterbury S, Forsyth T, Thomson K.

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3. Whatmore S. 2002. Hybridgeographies: natures cultures spaces.Sage, London.

4. National Statistics Office of Malawi.2006. .

Accessed October 1, 2007.

5. Concern Universal Malawi AnnualReport 2005-2006. 2006.

. Accessed

March 1, 2009.

6. Bremmer JM, Mulvaney CS. 1982.NitrogenTotal. In, Methods of soil

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8. Nkhoma BG, Mulwafu WO. 2004. The

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