Climate change, overfishing and habitat loss have caused a sharp decline in fish stocks around Pemba Island, off the coast of Tanzania. To find a new income from the sea, women from Pemba are turning to sustainable seaweed farming, Mongabay’s video team reported in May.
Seaweed farming was introduced to the island in 1989. It has a low environmental impact at small scale, especially since it’s grown in shallow ocean water and doesn’t require fertilizers, freshwater or arable land. Today, the practice helps seaweed farmers, who are mostly women, support their families.
“I have been a seaweed farmer since 1995. I value this activity as it helps me provide food for my family, pay for my children’s education, and earn a living,” seaweed farmer Shadya told Mongabay.
She added that the seaweed farm has created something of a microhabitat attracting a variety of fish, squid, octopus and other marine animals. Studies also show that seaweed farms can mitigate the local effects of ocean acidification.
Seaweed has become one of Tanzania’s main exports, Mongabay reported. In light of this, the government has been supporting programs for sustainable seaweed farming.
“Since this project, they’ve adopted modern farming techniques,” seaweed agriculture expert Aisha Hamisi Sultani told Mongabay, referring to what is called a double loop system.
More than 25,000 seaweed farmers, mostly women, have benefited from a government program in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. With improved cultivation techniques, the farmers are able to earn more money.
“It helped us greatly as our harvests have increased,” Shadya said.
Despite their progress, the seaweed farmers of Tanzania still face a number of challenges, including the changing climate.
“When the water gets too hot, the seaweed is damaged. During strong winds, it gets scattered,” Shadya said.
Sultani said the farmers also have to deal with ocean pollution from improper waste disposal.
Most of the seaweed sold for export is used to make carrageenan or agar, which are thickening and stabilizing agents for food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
“Over 90% of seaweed is exported as raw material. Farmers, especially women, do not benefit because they’re given a lower price,” Ayubu Singoye, an aquaculture specialist with TNC, told Mongabay.
For a kilogram of seaweed they are paid just 700 shillings or 25 U.S. cents, or about 12 cents a pound.
Sultani said the next step is to process the seaweed locally, creating value-added seaweed products so the farmers can earn more from their labor.
Singoye said the government has already built a factory in Pemba to process seaweed into carrageenan.
“Hopefully when the factory starts [early next year], we’ll be able to process here and have a better price,” Singoye said.
Watch the full video here.
Banner image of a woman farming seaweed at Pemba Island, Tanzania. Image © Franz Thiel.
This story first appeared on Mongabay
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