'Fishing farmers' or 'farming fishermen'? The quest for household income and nutritional security on the Kenyan shores of Lake Victoria

Abstract

The paper considers the relationships between fishing and farming in providing household income and nutritional security among Luo communities on the shores of the Kenyan sector of Lake Victoria. In recent years the resources of Lake Victoria have come under severe pressure due to a variety of economic and ecological factors associated with over-fishing and a significant decline in fish species. Farming has increased in importance as households attempt to meet subsistence needs, but plot fragmentation, drought and low investment have led to poor crop yields. Future development strategies need to enhance the sustainability of the resources of both lake and land, and possibly build upon traditional management methods and institutions.