International Journal of Marine Science, 2016, Vol.6, No.18, 1-8
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4.5 Employment
Majority of women involved in fish processing are not employed and few of the women are employed (Table 5).
The present study shows (Table 5) that there are few formal job opportunities such that most of the women are not
employed but rather involve themselves in fish processing techniques. Boohene and Peprah (2012) observed that
most women engage in non-farm income generating activities because they are not engaged in formal wage
employment.
4.6 Participation of women in associations
Women can participate in associations and at the same time get involved in fish processing activities without the
two activities interfering each other. Participation of women in associations or cooperatives helps them to acquire
knowledge that enable them manage operations involved in fish processing. However, in contrasting views,
Kolawole (2010) observed that involvement of women in fish processing activities is not really influenced by
participation of women in different associations or cooperatives as they gain experience and knowledge in
managing the processing operations itself over time.
4.7 Access or contact to extension agents
According to results (Table 6) of the current study, most of the women do not have access to extension services
because the department of fisheries does not send extension workers to their areas to teach them. Women who
belong to fisheries groups have access to extension services while those who do not belong to fisheries group do
not have access to extension workers. Women who belong to fisheries groups complain that extension workers do
not visit them frequently in some instances they usually visit them once in three months as such they do not
benefit much from the extension services offered by the extension workers and they do not see improvement in
the processing techniques just as equal to those that do not have access to extension services.
The present study has revealed that there is lack of extension agents from the fisheries department to advise and
teach women on how to conduct different fish processing techniques and provision of improved fish processing
techniques over the Indigenous Fish Processing techniques (IFPs). Despite having no access to extension services,
women still participates in the fish processing operations. Women use vocational knowledge to carry out different
processing techniques to process fish. The results of the present study (Table 7) are in line with Kolawole (2010)
who concludes that the more an individual has contact with extension agents, the more the use of IFPs by the fish
processor perhaps as a result of the technical advice and support given by the extension agents.
5 Conclusion
Based on the findings of the study it was found out that women who are involved in fish processing techniques
use sun-drying, smoking, para-boiling and fresh form in processing the popular
Engraulicypris sardella
(Usipa).
Sun-drying is the most used processing technique followed by para-boiling and smoking while fresh form is the
least in use.
The study has also found that; the level of education, marital status and household size are factors that influence
involvement of women in fish processing.
Recommendations
The study recommends that the government of Malawi through the department of fisheries should send extension
agents to visit women involved in fish processing regularly to teach them on how to conduct the processing
activities to increase shelf life and avoid compromising the quality of the fish. Secondly, the study encourages
credit lending institutions like commercial banks should also come up to provide soft loans with minimum interest
rates to women fish processors at lower collateral so that more women can venture into the business of fish
processing.
Lastly, the government of Malawi through the department of fisheries should advocate for improved fish
processing techniques so that women involved in fish processing can adopt the improved fish processing
