A project to provide fishing communities with tools and knowledge to dry fish has changed lives.
Mozambique is experiencing widespread malnutrition, particularly among children, exacerbated by El Nino and other socioeconomic factors. Food security in the country is threatened by extreme climate events such as droughts, floods, and cyclones. The ongoing conflict is leading to a lack of access to healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene.
As a coastal country, Mozambique produces significant amounts of fish, particularly from its marine fisheries.
In the past, the fishing communities relied on insufficient traditional preservation methods to ensure the quality and safety of their catch. However, solar drying has been recently promoted as a solution to provide rural communities access to efficient and reliable food preservation and to improve food security. They used traditional practices, including drying and storing fish on the ground where they were easily eaten, trampled, and contaminated. During the rainy season, many fish would wash away, rot, or be destroyed by flooding.
Solar drying is abundant and free, so this method is economical and energy-efficient.
In 2023, around half a million tons of fishery were produced, 94% of which was from artisanal fisheries, said Joao Alberto, the project manager for Improving Consumption of Animal Source Food Products for the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). The majority of fish in Mozambique comes from artisanal fisheries, as only 4% of fishing in the country is commercial, meaning most of the fish comes from these fisheries.
According to Alberto, the Improving Consumption of Animal Source Food Products project aims to improve animal source food consumption in three key components: access, demand, and enabling environment.
"We work on three volume chains, eggs, fish, and chicken. We also promote the availability and access of animal source foods. We also promote consumption through a demand generation campaign we are implementing," he said. "Our enabling environment component focuses on policy development, national strategies, and supporting governments with national strategies and other policy documents."
Alberto said that these fisheries primarily rely on traditional processing, such as sun-drying, which is commonly done on the beach. However, this method presents challenges related to food safety, including contamination from sand and birds, and significant losses of up to 40% during the rainy season due to inadequate preservation methods.
Solar dryers use the sun's energy to dry materials, such as food, by reducing their moisture content. The process preserves food and prolongs its shelf life.
Alberto described how solar dryers are being implemented as a sustainable solution in Mozambique to improve fish processing. Initially developed in Malawi, the technology was adapted for use in Mozambique with the help of Malawian experts in collaboration with the National Institute of Fisheries and Agriculture Development.
"The solar dryers function like greenhouses, featuring shelves where fish can dry in a protected environment, avoiding exposure to contaminants such as sand and birds," he said. "So far, the technology has been introduced in four fishing communities in central and northern Mozambique, with 150 fishers already adopting it."
Alberto said the project will be expanded by building 11 additional solar dryers to benefit around 1,000 fish processors. "By scaling up this technology," he said, "we can improve food safety and the quality of dried fish, eliminating the inefficiencies of traditional methods."
"Traditional fish drying methods result in a limited shelf life, but the introduction of solar dryer technology in fishing communities is helping to transform food systems. The goal is to bring in these new technologies and train and build the capacity of fishing communities to use and manage them," he said.
"We are still in the end stages of introducing this technology, but so far we have received good feedback regarding reductions in loss and reduced drying times. Drying it on the beach, also known as float drying, usually takes two days. With the solar dryers, it's in one day, especially mostly small fish, which are most affordable for our target consumers for this product."
According to Alberto, these dryers reduce drying time, loss, pests, and contamination, and keep fish off the floor, as opposed to traditional methods. This is resolved with this technology, he said.
Did the community embrace the technology?
Introducing new technology to fishers and processors required extensive engagement and explanation, said Alberto. They had to share lessons learned from Malawi-based projects.
"So far, the first batch of dryers we built have received massive acceptance," he said. "They want us to support them in adding additional dryers, even in places where we have already built these solar dryers."
Alberto said this technology is one of the most environmentally friendly technologies because it relies on the sun for drying, reducing its ecological impact. This technology cuts 20% of fish losses, contributes to food security, alleviates ecosystem pressure, and addresses climate change. It also improves the availability of fish products.
Challenges
"So, the idea is that we are creating capacity because they are part of the technology development process. However, the challenge is to create a very strong business case so that they can understand, accept, and scale up the technology," Alberto said.
They are collaborating with the National Institute of Fisheries to scale up the solar dryer technology, however, the challenge lies in ensuring fishing communities accept the technology, see its benefits during implementation, and are willing to invest in it, he said. To address this, the project focuses on building capacity, involving communities in construction, and ensuring active participation.
Alberto said that at the start of the project, a comprehensive assessment of the policy environment for fish revealed that Mozambique has strong fishing policies at the upstream level of the value chain, such as production and fishing centers. There are significant gaps downstream, especially in terms of commercialization strategies and enforcement.
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"Downstream, in terms of commercialization and strategies for it, there's a very, very big gap. We have the enforcement part which has some challenges. That's why we are providing fishing communities with a package that includes not just technology, but also training, good handling practices, and fishing techniques," he said.
Other countries could benefit from their experience with solar dryers. In Malawi, they are using a model that fosters sustainability through community involvement and savings groups. The solar tents are not free; users pay for their use, promoting self-sustainability. This approach, Alberto said, might be particularly effective in many West African countries, where electricity is scarce. The drying method produces well-dried fish with a long shelf life, making it a viable solution for rural areas.
A Sustainable Future
Alberto hopes that in the next four to six years, innovative technologies such as solar dryers, developed in collaboration with the government, will be scaled up to substantially reduce these losses over five years.
"Sustainability leads to a sustainable supply of fisheries, and that is very, very important to ensuring sustainability," he said. They are encouraging fishers to understand how it contributes to sustainability as well as a long-term supply of fish, "which is essential for the environment, as well as the pressure we place on the ecosystem".
