Tanzania, June 16 -- Mbamba Bay. Every fishing season on Lake Nyasa brings a familiar contradiction: abundant sardine catches, but heavy post-harvest losses that reduce incomes before fish reach the market.

Fishers along the Mbamba Bay shoreline land large volumes of sardines, popularly known as dagaa, yet a significant share never makes it to consumers. The challenge is not demand, but limited preservation capacity after landing.

"We often catch more sardines than we can process," says fisherman and canoe owner Mr Bruno Haule. "When drying space runs out, some spoil before we preserve them. In some cases, we are forced to throw them away."

During peak seasons, when catches surge, inadequate drying facilities worsen losses and directly...