clusters of practicing fish farmers can contribute to the goal of better directing aquacultureÕs inclusion in current and future integrated community development initiatives. This report summarizes two case studies of locations where practicing tilapia farmers have managed to grow repeated crops of tilapia during extended periods (Trejos-Castillo, 2003; Mart’nez-Mej’a 2003). We describe the experiences, circumstances, and resources that enable their successful realization of the enterprise. Study 1 describes small-scale producers in Santa Barbara, Honduras. Study 2 examines a cluster of commercial producers in Olancho, Honduras, profiling the economic niche they occupy.
Methods and Materials
The objectives of this study are to:
1) Identify clusters of small- and medium-scale producers that have engaged in repeated cycles of tilapia production in Santa Barbara and Olancho, Honduras;
2) Elucidate the circumstances and conditions that contribute to successful implementation and continued practice of tilapia culture;
3) Formulate principles and guidelines for providing technical assistance and research support for small- and medium-scale tilapia farmers in Honduras.
Case Studies
A case study is a method for learning about a complex instance based on a comprehensive understanding of that instance obtained by extensive description and analysis of that instance taken as a whole and in its context (USGAO, 1990). Case studies are the preferred strategy when "how" or "why" questions are being posed, when the researcher has little control over events, and when the focus is on explaining a phenomenon in a real-life context (Yin, 1994).
Because aquacultural development may operate in different ways in different regions, we chose locations that are geographically dispersed and represent diversity in rainfall and elevation. Both Santa Barbara and Olancho have known clusters of successful tilapia producers, yet they represent contrasting physical and social settings for aquacultural development.
Study 1
The department of Santa Barbara is located about 125 miles northwest of the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, and about 65 miles southwest of the commercial center, San Pedro Sula. Mountainous, with an average altitude of 1,200 m, Santa BarbaraÕs regular rainfall and productive soils support a diverse agriculture that centers on coffee production. One of the more densely populated locales in Honduras, Santa Barbara has an area of 5,115 km2 and a population of 384,900 (753 persons km-2). High levels of poverty charac
terize most villages where the small adobe houses usually lack electric and telephone services. Most households grow a small kitchen garden in addition to farming dispersed plots in the surrounding countryside. Thus, growing tilapia was part of a broader approach to solve a food security problem in the area.
Two communities were the focus of Study 1. Although 11 communities were visited at the Santa Barbara department, the study focused on 21 de Octubre and Nuevo Lempira because of the centrality of the tilapia enterprises for many families and the extended period that producers in these locales had been growing tilapia. The first community, 21 de Octubre, is located near an American-owned mining operation that provides rotating spells of wage labor to many area workers. The communityÕs name derives from the Soldier's national holiday celebrated on 21 October. Approximately 150 households comprise the settlement with most households deriving livelihood from the practice of subsistence farming. The second community, Nuevo Lempira, is named after a historically significant Indian leader, as well as the unit of Honduran currency. Similarly, the 100 more-dispersed households in Nuevo Lempira primarily depend on subsistence farming.
Fieldwork consisted of 54 unstructured interviews conducted in June 2003. Discussions addressed the characteristics, dynamics, and socioeconomic impact of tilapia culture at the household and community levels. Group interviews were also conducted with community residents. A short interview guide was used to lead conversations with the farmers. Local markets also were visited to observe the items for sale, the extent to which tilapia was available, how it was presented, and at what price. The data for the subsistence producers are summarized in terms of the central themes or issues that emerged from the interviews and observations made during field visits to the communities.
Study 2
Located in east central Honduras, Olancho is the largest department in the country (24,351 km2). It has a population of 415,100 people, resulting in a relatively low population density of 17 people km-2. A cattle and forestry area, Olancho represents somewhat warmer temperatures and lower elevations than Santa Barbara, with broad valleys and low mountains.
Data were obtained in repeated visits to ten commercial tilapia producers during the months of July and August of 2002. The contacts consisted of introductory visits to schedule a subsequent interview lasting on average 2.5 h. After the interviews were complete, a group meeting was held to discuss technical problems in fish culture with Dan Meyer, Zamorano.