Funded by Thewaterloofoundation and executed by the Inter-Villager Association of Dassilamé (AIV), the project ‘’Promoting oyster farming as a sustainable community enterprise in the Sine Saloum Delta, Senegal’’ was officially launched on Wednesday 9 November 2016 in Toubacouta in the Fatick region in the western part of the country.
By organizing a field visit (November 9 to 10, 2016) for the official launch of the project, Wetlands International wished to provide more information to the relevant stakeholders and to follow up the activities that have already begun. This new project facilitated by Wetlands International, implemented by the Dassilamé Inter-Villager Association (AIV) and funded by Thewaterloofoundation aims to strengthen the economic power of local communities by creating small businesses in the Saloum Delta. The Wetlands International team explained the issues and activities of this new project following the precedents implemented in the area: Mangrove Initiative in West Africa (IMAO) and Ecosystem Alliance.
From September 2016 to now, many activities have been carried out by the beneficiaries. They are linked to the purchase of materials for oyster farming, installation and monitoring of garlands and oyster farms in mangroves, collection of abiotic data on ecological environmental parameters such as pH, salinity, temperature and sunshine and biological on oysters: height and weight among others. Thus, material was purchased for monitoring the parameters of pH-meter medium and salt refractometer. An exchange visit was recently made in the municipality of Somone on techniques of production and marketing of fresh oysters. The beneficiaries are almost all very active women in the field, eight (8) in total.
There is great potential in the area for the sale of fresh oysters. They offer greater added value. This is why a consultant was recruited to carry out a survey on the oyster industry. He must collect socio-economic information and his survey will help to write the Business Plan for the development of the sector as a local enterprise to develop the area.
During this short mission, the Wetlands International team visited and georeferenced all the sites where garlands and pochons are installed and the parameters of the environment are recorded.
At the end of the project in 2018, Wetlands International and Thewaterloofoundation wish to develop oyster farming and promote the development of the sector as a sustainable community enterprise in the Sine Saloum Delta.