Toward a Sustainable and Sustaining Lake Economy: An Exploratory Framing of Kenya's Enabling Environment for Aquaculture in Lake Victoria
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Cage culture, or fish farming in floating cages, is now an established practice in LakeVictoria, Kenya, and has helped offset declining yields from the lake’s capture fishery. However, cage culture is still a relatively recent phenomenon compared to fishing and is not yet well regulated. Most of the growth in recent years appears to have gone to a few commercial farms while the outcomes for small and medium farmers are more varied. Smallholder aquaculture has significant potential to enhance regional nutrition security and economic growth, yet the sector remains underdeveloped due to numerous persistent challenges. In response, the Lake Victoria Aquaculture Association is leading a concept to facilitate better access to inputs, services, and markets through a coordinated approach. The present study evaluates farmer interest in this concept to inform implementation and contributes to understanding of the systemwide enabling factors supporting or hindering farmers, including policy, cooperation, and trust.