Co-construction of a local fish culture system : Case study in Western Cameroon (original) (raw)

Fish culture can be an important food source as well as a way to increase employment and income of rural populations in Africa. In most countries, however, it is not considered to be a full share activity, and, in most cases, the fish culture systems implemented by rural production do not reach their economic viability. In order to promote sustainable fish culture as well as flexible and innovative production systems, it is important that the socio-technical and organizational innovations be codesigned. To study this issue a research program in Western Cameroon developed a project with two fish farming groups organized into Common Initiative Groups. Two theoretical approaches are used: the sociology of translation and sciences - which considers that innovations are socially built and that the role of the research is not only to produce new techniques but to translate the different issues, so as to enrol the actors around a common question; and both action-research and intervention-r...