Abstract:
The growth of fish farming as a family income, in the district of Manica, has been growing from
accelerated in recent years, both for the domestic market and for the foreign market.
Several business segments have promoted investments in large-scale projects,
to various parts of the country, but family production has also been standing out, becoming a
important alternative source of income and employment for many families, both in the interior and on the coast.
Despite innumerable difficulties, the number of family producers is increasing, who now have a
professional dedication to the activity, even if integrated to others, within its production process
management of the rural establishment. In 2005 there was a drastic decrease in the number of
fish farmers due to the international crisis, drought that occurred at the national level, with consequent
reduction in demand for fish, and successive increases in feed prices occurred, creating a
new situation at the level of the productive sector. The acquisition of fingerlings and feed is carried out through
donation from the National Institute of Aquaculture (INAQUA) and partner in the pioneering phase of the activity.
Fish and aquaculture associations are present in all districts of the province of
Manica; however, the closer it is to the provincial capital, the better it is organized. In between
the main obstacles mentioned by fish farmers are obtaining feed, purchasing
fingerlings and the lack or restriction of information and specialized technicians. The present research had
with the objective to analyze the socio-economic trajectory of fish farming in the family income, in the district
of Manica, using a systemic approach, seeking to understand the behavior of these
rural producers in response to this new reality as well as the factors that condition the
sustainability of this great activity in this segment. The survey gathers information for
subsidize the formulation of public policies, respecting the socio-economic context of the region and the
logic of family production.
