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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

Erick Boy

researcher spotlight

Erick Boy

Erick Boy is the Chief Nutritionist in the HarvestPlus section of the Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit. As head of nutrition for the HarvestPlus Program since 2008, he has led research that has generated scientific evidence on biofortified staple crops as efficacious and effective interventions to help address iron, vitamin A, and zinc deficiency in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.

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Since 1975, IFPRI’s research has been informing policies and development programs to improve food security, nutrition, and livelihoods around the world.

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IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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Projects

The 3-year program titled “Accelerating aquaculture development in Ghana through sustainable Nile Tilapia seed production and dissemination,” (TiSeed in short) was launched on February 2019 to address issues in the tilapia seed and extension system to improve productivity and profitability of tilapia cage and pond farming in Ghana, with particular focus on women and youth small-scale fish farmers.

The program runs from 2019 to 2022 and is being implemented by a consortium of international and local research institutes, led by IFPRI, supported by the Water Research Institute, (WRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Ghana, KIT Royal Tropical Institute in the Netherlands, and WorldFish. Other partners are Fisheries Commission (a government institution) and two private hatcheries (S-HOINT Ltd. and Crystal Lake Ltd.).

The program is working with other key players in the industry, including Raanan Fish Feed West Africa Ltd., Aller Aqua Feed Ghana Ltd., Ghana Aquaculture Association, National Fish Pond Farmers Association, Flosell Farms, West African Fish Ltd., National Aquaculture Technical Committee, Environmental Protection Agency. The program is a research grant funded by the Government of Netherlands and the CGIAR Research Programs on Policies, Institutions and Markets (PIM) and Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH). This program is among the nine (9) research proposals selected and awarded through the Netherlands-CGIAR research programme on seed systems development.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TISEED (INTERACTIVE)

Project duration: 2019 – 2022

Contact

Catherine Ragasa

Funders

CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM)

The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Project partners

KIT Royal Tropical Institute

Water Research Institute, (WRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

WorldFish

S-HOINT Ltd. (Fish Hatchery)

Fisheries Commission, Republic of Ghana

Crystal Lake Fish, Ltd.

Publications

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Does ICT-based aquaculture extension contribute to greater adoption of good management practices and improved incomes? Evidence from Ghana

2022Ntiri, Prosper; Ragasa, Catherine; Anang, Samuel Afotey; Kuwornu, John K. M.; Torbi, Eva Nimorme
Details

Does ICT-based aquaculture extension contribute to greater adoption of good management practices and improved incomes? Evidence from Ghana

This paper aims to assess the coverage and contribution of different information and communication technology (ICT) tools (mobile phone, WhatsApp platform, television, and radio) in the dissemination of aquaculture and market information to fish farmers in Ghana. Data from a 2021 survey of 391 active fish farmers were analyzed using propensity score matching, inverse probability weighted regression adjustment, and multivariate probit regression models. Mobile phone (phone-based app, internet search, or social media) is the most used ICT tool for aquaculture advice, followed by television programs. Results show that receiving aquaculture information through ICT tools has a positive and significant average treatment effect on the adoption of good management practices, farm productivity, and farmers’ income. Farmers receiving aquaculture information from mobile phone and television programs had higher adoption of good practices, production, and income on average. Farmers receiving aquaculture information from both ICT tools and extension agents achieved the highest harvest and income on average. Results also show that the adoption of the various ICT tools is interrelated, whereas several factors—including age, education, farming experience, share of fish farming in household income, and extension contact—influence the choice of ICT tool. Mobile-based extension was more accessible to youth and more educated farmers, and it could be a good medium for reaching these groups. Television and radio programs are accessible to all types of farmers from different backgrounds; these media are currently underutilized for aquaculture promotion and their application could be enhanced and expanded for current and future projects.

Year published

2022

Authors

Ntiri, Prosper; Ragasa, Catherine; Anang, Samuel Afotey; Kuwornu, John K. M.; Torbi, Eva Nimorme

Citation

Ntiri, Prosper; Ragasa, Catherine; Anang, Samuel Afotey; Kuwornu, John K. M.; and Torbi, Eva Nimorme. 2022. Does ICT-based aquaculture extension contribute to greater adoption of good management practices and improved incomes? Evidence from Ghana. Aquaculture 557(30 August 2022): 738350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2022.738350

Country/Region

Ghana

Keywords

Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Income; Average Treatment Effects; Aquaculture Extension; Extension Systems; Capacity Development; Aquaculture; Information and Communication Technologies; Digital Technology

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2022.738350 Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Impact of fish feed formulation training on feed use and farmers’ income: Evidence from Ghana

2022Ragasa, Catherine; Mensah, Yaa Osei; Amewu, Sena
Details

Impact of fish feed formulation training on feed use and farmers’ income: Evidence from Ghana

Feed accounts for 60–80% of tilapia production costs, and high feed cost and limited feed access are major issues faced by fish farmers. A potential solution is for farmers to produce their own feeds using cheaper and locally available ingredients. This paper evaluates the feed formulation training implemented in Ghana as part of the Fisheries Commission’s activities under the Ghana Aquaculture for Food and Jobs program. This paper analyzes baseline and follow-up survey data using difference-in-difference estimation and analysis of covariance. One year after the training, results show positive impact on the farmers’ knowledge of feed formulation, quantity of feed formulated, feeding and management practices, productivity, and income. Feed formulation training encouraged more farmers to formulate their own feeds and maintained or increased total feeds used in their facilities from 2018/2019 to 2020/21. Among the farmers who did not receive training, feed formulation activities and feed quantity used reduced from 2018/19 to 2020/21. A common practice is the use of locally available quality commercial feed as starter feed for smaller fish and own-formulated feeds as a complement for or alternative to commercial growout feeds for bigger fish. Especially when constrained by lack of funds, many farmers reduce the use of commercial feeds and formulate their feeds using cheaper and locally available raw materials to maintain similar levels of feeding intensity. Feed formulation acts as an important coping strategy in the context of small-scale farmers with limited financial resources. This study recommends scaling out feed formulation training and expanding research on optimal fish nutrition using locally available and low-cost raw materials, in combination with commercial feeds to maximize productivity and incomes for farmers.

Year published

2022

Authors

Ragasa, Catherine; Mensah, Yaa Osei; Amewu, Sena

Citation

Ragasa, Catherine; Mensah, Yaa Osei; and Amewu, Sena. 2022. Impact of fish feed formulation training on feed use and farmers’ income: Evidence from Ghana. Aquaculture 558(September 2022): 738378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2022.738378

Country/Region

Ghana

Keywords

Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Income; Fish Feeds; Feed Formulations; Training; Farmers; Capacity Development; Aquaculture; Productivity; Feed Conversion Efficiency; Aquaculture Feeds; Impact Assessment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2022.738378 Source record

Project

Policies, Institutions, and Markets

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Sustainable aquaculture development in sub-Saharan Africa

2022Ragasa, Catherine; Charo-Karisa, Harrison; Rurangwa, Eugene; Nhuong Tran; Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia
Details

Sustainable aquaculture development in sub-Saharan Africa

Aquaculture must grow above the current rate of 11% per year to meet projected demand and reduce dependence on seafood imports. Government support and private investment are urgently needed for sustainable growth.

Year published

2022

Authors

Ragasa, Catherine; Charo-Karisa, Harrison; Rurangwa, Eugene; Nhuong Tran; Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia

Citation

Ragasa, Catherine; Charo-Karisa, Harrison; Rurangwa, Eugene; Tran, Nhuong; Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia. 2022. Sustainable aquaculture development in sub-Saharan Africa. Nature Food 3: 92-94

Country/Region

Kenya; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe; Rwanda; Ghana

Keywords

Tanzania; Congo, Democratic Republic of; Eastern Africa; Middle Africa; Western Africa; Development; Aquaculture; Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Sustainable Aquaculture; Aquaculture Development; Tilapia; Food Production; Policies; Investment; Aquaculture Production

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00467-1 Source record

Project

Aquatic Foods

Record type

Journal Article

Funders

CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM)
The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Team members

Kwaw Andam

Kwaw Andam

Country Program Leader / Senior Research Fellow, Development
Strategies and Governance

Sena Amewu

Sena Amewu

Research Officer, Development
Strategies and Governance

Other

Topics/Countries

External Resources

External blogs

458
The Fish Site (March 2019)


459
IFPRI-Ghana (July 2018)

Various

Interactive

Media Coverage