Capacity Building for MSMEs Within Mariculture Value Chains at the Kenyan Coast
The overall goal of the project was to contribute to coastal economic development in an inclusive, integrated, participatory and sustainable manner to strengthen sustainable blue economy value chains through skill development and matching. The project attached a lot of focus on milk-fish, prawn, mud crab farming as key opportunities and targeted 5 counties, Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Tana River and Lamu. This was envisaged to influence improved income and employment of women and youth and equally gravitate the coastal target group to embrace mariculture practices which effectively responds and addresses sustainable climate resilience.
The project was premised on the partnership of the EU and Government of Kenya (GoK) to advance blue economy agenda through coastal development as commonly known “Go Blue” and Germany through GIZ is one of the implementing partners.
The project was implemented in collaboration with County Government Fisheries Department, CBOs and BMUs, as well as other partnering organizations in order to encourage commercially viable fish farming practices and to promote the benefits of responsible Mari culture. The approach used integrated public and private sector investments in the Mari culture value chain with community-wide initiatives that promote employment creation, improved livelihood, increased income and food security. The project designed need-based trainings tailored to the specific needs among different target groups with an aim of enhancing smallholder commercial fish farmers with Mari culture knowledge and technical and business/financial literacy skills to help sustainably manage, grow the sector and make it more inclusive.
