Valuating Value for Money (VFM) For Fish Farming in District Mansehra Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Paksitan

Abstract

This study was carried out with the aim to estimate Value for Money (VFM) Analysis of fish farming in District Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. This research study was conducted under WWF’s “Water Resource Accountability in Pakistan” (WRAP) project for the reference to establishment of community based fish farming.  WRAP is being implemented by WWF Pakistan with the support of the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) of the Government of United Kingdom (UK), which aims to Scaleup Nature based Solutions (NbS) for Improving Integrated Water Resources Management and Enhanced Water Security in Pakistan. Results of the study revealed that the VFM analysis of Fish farming demonstrates its commendable financial efficiency and effectiveness in achieving the defined objectives. With economic expenditure, cost-effective interventions, and inclusive practices, fish pond construction contributes to sustainable water resource management and climate resilience. The study also highlighted that fishing is an important sub-sector of agriculture that contributes significantly to Pakistan's economy and food security. The fisheries sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan has significant potential for development and investment with a diverse aquatic ecosystem that supports a range of fish species. Therefore, this research endeavor is expected to guide the policy makers, development sector aid agencies and implementing partners in putting in-place a system for developing an on-going and integrated mechanism for assessing the key VFM metrics which helps to generate the evidence base for it and adds to the overall efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and impact of the intervention.