Influence of Selected Resources of Blue Economy towards the Benefit of Fishers and Seaweed Growers of Paje Village in South District of Unguja

Abstract

This study was conducted in order to assess influence of selected resources of Blue Economy towards the benefit of fishers and seaweed growers of Paje village in South District of Unguja. Specifically, the study was set in order to meet three objectives, namely; to examine the contribution of selected resources of Blue Economy towards the welfare of Fishers and Seaweed Growers at Paje village; to examine the satisfaction of Fishers and Seaweed Growers of Paje village in utilizing selected resources of Blue Economy to better their lives; to explore the challenges faced by Fishers and Seaweed Growers in Paje Village. Sample size of this study was 135 respondents. In this study, simple random sampling was applied to select respondents from Paje village and purposive design was employed to target the technical staff from the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries. Data were gathered using questionnaires for seaweed farmers and fishers of Paje Village and by using face to face interviews for government officials from the MBEF. Data were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study revealed that, the benefits that seaweed farmers and fishers are getting through seaweed farming and fishing are earnings for meeting their daily needs by improving standard of living for having self-employment, increased household income and Engagement in different small businesses. In general, the benefits accrued contribute to poverty reduction in Zanzibar. Also due to the results, the study clearly indicated that, most fishers and seaweed farmers are not satisfied with the income they get from their daily marine activities, hence the time and effort used do not compensate with the activities they are doing and go beyond with their high expectations where by (47.6%) respondents said never compensated, (13%) said rarely, (8.4%) said very often, (10%) of respondents said always and (23.8%) were neutral. Also, most fishers and seaweed farmers were not satisfied with the income they earn and their activities did not increase their household assets and gain less benefit. This is because of low price of the seaweed products. Finally, the study recommends improvement of both key fishing and seaweed infrastructure including ice-making plants and cold-storage facilities to store excess catch, seeds and feeds for better marketing opportunities. This will be achieved using efficient modern technology and the use of advanced tools and equipment to facilitate quality production.