Senghore feeding the fish in one of his ponds |
The Gambia
continues to face escalating food and nutrition deficits, according to
the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). As
in most African countries, improved agriculture practices ensure food
security, while agriculture itself is a prime source of income
generation and poverty reduction for many rural households living below
the poverty line.
Aquaculture, or
fish-farming, is another source of employment that contributes to food
security and nutrition. The Food and Agriculture Sector Development
Project (FASDEP) in The Gambia, which was financed by the Global
Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) Trust Funds with
implementation supervised by the African Development Bank (AfDB), is
geared towards contributing to improved nutritional standards in rural
areas, creating employment and generating supplementary income in rural
communities, through fish pond farming schemes. Zacharia Senghore, the
"captain of fishermen", as he is called locally in The Gambia, is one
dedicated fish farmer, who owns seven consecutive monoculture tilapia
fish ponds, each measuring 200 square metres, in the village of Lamin.
Senghore was
inspired by a documentary film of others implementing a fish-farming
project. "I said if others did it, I know that I can also do it," he
said. Determined, he started by building his own fish ponds benefiting
from the freshwater flows of the Gambia River and feeding fish by
himself. Later, he called on his son Malick, 22. Unfortunately after few
months he noticed that the fish started dying, and he was not able to
identify the reasons. "Later on, every three days one fingerling died in
the grow-out ponds. I asked myself what have I done wrong?"
Nonetheless,
Senghore persisted and was able to seek assistance from FASDEP. He was
introduced to the project after he wrote a letter to the Government
requesting support. Soon he was contacted by the National Agricultural
Research Institute (NARI), which was involved in the selection of
associations and communities to benefit from the project. The result:
With FASDEP's support, Senghore benefited from the construction of two
of his seven ponds. Support from the project was a breakthrough for
Senghore: "I didn't have experience. FASDEP showed me how to feed fish,
constructed two ponds and gave me 1,500 tilapia fingerlings and fish
nets," he said. .
Apart from
individuals, FASDEP largely supports community-based pond fish-farming.
Since 2015, FASDEP has supported the construction and provision of
start-up gear for 45 fish ponds: 40 of which were community-based, three
for schools, and two for individuals. Overall, the project will support
200 ponds. For each of the 45 fish ponds, the beneficiaries were
provided with 1,500 tilapia fingerlings, foodstuff (999 one-kilogram
bags), 20 nets for harvesting mature fish, 20 scoop nets, 15 fishing
ropes, 1,200 floats, eight spools and lead weights (120 kg). The
expected yields from one fish pond of 20 square metres, with an average
mortality of 10%, a growth period of six months, and an average harvest
weight of 500 grams per fish, is 675 kilograms of tilapia. With current
market prices, this would bring about US $217 profit per fish pond,
taking into account construction and maintenance costs.
Training for sustainability
Several
communities and associations in The Gambia have expressed interest in
fish-farming through applications to the office of the Regional Director
for Agriculture in their regions. FASDEP prioritized training and
capacity building for farmers who lack knowledge of pond management,
maintenance and technical processes related to fish-farming.
Training
farmers in aquaculture activities aims not only to strengthen their
capacities, improve their productivity and income, but also to transfer
knowledge for the sustainability of aquaculture activities. Senghore is a
case in point. "This year, I was invited to the training by FASDEP. I
left my son here, when I came back I told him, the training I got there,
we will try to apply here, but next time if there is any training you
will go and learn," he said. The training targeted 35 farmers from
villages with constructed fish ponds in Lower River, Central River and
the West Coast regions of The Gambia. The overall objective of the
training was to build the capacity of fish-farming committee members on
feed preparation, management and production of fingerlings, water
quality, fish health and diseases, record-keeping and all issues related
to pond harvesting.
Lamin Fish Pond of Mr Senghore
Senghore's fish
ponds are well-known in his village. "People come to see me. It was a
dream and I am happy because my job is being recognized." His fish are
now mature and ready for harvest. With the support of FASDEP, Senghore
will now be able to harvest every month, and make a living for his
family from the seven fish ponds he owns. He still needs to be supported
by the project to expand, build more ponds and maintain a good
environment for the fish (water quality, adequate size of ponds for
targeted fish size, techniques, etc.). This will help him to increase
profitability, enhance effectiveness and sustainability of his business.
"By expanding ponds, we will create employment for others," he said.
Senghore has
overcome a number of challenges and with the support of FASDEP. He is
building a better life for himself and his son Malick. "The only person
supporting me is my son. We usually come here at 6 in the morning until 7
in the evening. Sometimes I spend the night here. He didn't have the
chance to go to the university. I said: 'Come, here is your
university,'" said Senghore.
Senghore has a
strong belief that his son will be able to continue working, learning
and investing in aquaculture activities: "Tomorrow, when people come, my
son will be the person who takes care of them, because now I am an old
man and he is young."
Success, but also challenges
In spite of the
progress made in aquaculture activities, the project beneficiaries are
concerned about a number of challenges, including the poor harvest of
fish due to uneasily recognized mortalities; poor stocking, as many of
the fish that die do not actually come up to the surface; and of the
vulnerability of fingerlings to predators in the grow-out ponds.
Thirty five
kilograms of tilapia was harvested in Pakaliba village with an average
weight of 300 grams, while in Baro Kunda and Sutukung villages, the
average weight was 280 grams. One hundred and fifteen kilograms of fish
was recorded in the school of Janjanbureh, with the average weight of
250 grams. For better harvest, farmers still need the support of FASDEP
to protect their fish from wild animals (lizards, water birds, clawless
otters, etc.), through fencing of their fish ponds. The beneficiaries
were expecting improved income and benefits from the second harvest
planned for November 2016.
After three years
of implementation, the project has come up with recommendations to
increase the income of fish farmers and enhance food security. The
project intends to work out strategies to enhance profitability of the
constructed fish ponds, which could be achieved through improved
technical backstopping, supervision and market linkages. The experience
with FASDEP also shows that the large number of people in the
associations is considered an impediment to the growth of income, the
management of the fish ponds and the project's sustainability. For the
remaining period of the project, FASDEP will be targeting associations
with few members and/or committed individuals with experience in
aquaculture. The success will be then easy to scale up and expand to
other villages within The Gambia.
Good step in the right direction
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