2021 One Planet Laureate Candidate James Banda James Banda is a Research Officer at the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment, Malawi. His research focus is on demand-driven innovations to address the challenges of fish value chain actors.

Improving Marginalized Communities’ Participation in Fish Value Chains in Malawi

James notes that his choice of research dates to 15 years ago, when, as a fishmonger’s child, he observed his mother’s struggle with preparing fish for the market. . He reveals that his mother often faced challenges when handling fish, like sudden heavy rains and dust contaminating the fish and compromising their quality. This meant that she lost a substantial amount of her profits which trickled down to the household finances.

His childhood experience and the staggering statistics on the country’s fisheries and population stirred his love for exploring the fish value chain.

His research focuses on innovations to address the challenges of fish value chain actors, especially women and the youth in Malawi.

While researching fish handling techniques, he discovered that many fishers had been using unimproved methods like open drying resulting in a quality loss due to cross-contamination.

Some fish processors even result to use dangerous chemicals to preserve their stock.

James found a solution to this problem by improving their drying technology with a solar tent dryer, a climate-smart technology governed by the principle of convection current.

He explains that drying fish in an enclosed environment, including the solar tent and improved smoking kilns, protects the products from dust and insect infestation, yielding better-quality outcomes.

In Malawi, women dominate fish post-harvest processing but face numerous challenges.

James notes, "My innovation is meant for women like my mother, whose livelihoods depend on fish farming. I want to make their lives and that of their children easier and give them options I never had growing up.”

James also trains the fishing communities on sustainable fishing techniques through his interactions with them at Monkey Bay, Malawi.

He notes that fisheries and aquaculture production has been steadily declining as Malawi’s population grows alongside the demand for natural resources.

Through the One Planet Fellowship, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) is building the capacity of young high-potential researchers such as James to develop gender-responsive, relevant interventions toward combating climate change.

Appreciate

Credits:

AWARD