It is time to restock ACF’s fish pond after last season’s successful harvest. At the end of 2023 ACF embarked on a new project to build a fish pond and raise fish for profit.
At first, fish farming was a challenge for ACF’s members as none of them had experience caring for fish. But with some training and hands-on learning it proved to be one of ACF’s most popular projects last year. The ACF team was pleasantly surprised at the size and amount of fish they produced in the last 10 months.
After an exciting day netting and draining the fish pond; the fish were weighed and sold. All the action at the fish farm caught the surrounding village’s attention with many onlookers coming to see what was happening at the farm. Fresh fish in Namadzi is rare and the entire harvest was sold in a day.
The pond is also used as a water reservoir for ACF’s garden. Water has been an ongoing problem at the farm, due to broken pipes and power cuts. Often we had to rely on water tanks on tractors to water our garden, seedlings and animals. This large water reservoir makes the farm self-sustainable and provides a constant supply of water. Also the extra nutrients from the fish waste creates natural fertilizer for our vegetable garden and seedlings.
An ACF goal is to support circular agriculture. To do this ACF built a chicken coop for layers that is integrated with our fish pond. The chicken coop was built over one side of the fish pond. This allows chicken manure and feed waste to fall into the pond and provide food for the fish, forming a mutually beneficial relationship.
This week ACF’s members are restarting with 3000 fingerlings and hope to build on the knowledge they have gain in fish farming the last year.
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