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Maendeleo Vijijini
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On the left side of the guesthouse overlooking the Safaricom
Stadium Kasarani at the Sports View Hotel sits a tiny farm that hosts
sukuma wiki (collard green) and indigenous vegetables.
The
garden is also home to two structures that look like huge basins
standing about 10 inches from the ground, both constructed of wood.
The
‘basins’ are ponds, the creation of Dr Joseph Muga, who is
revolutionising the small-scale fish industry with the structures.
Dr
Muga, a soil scientist, says he stumbled upon the idea of rearing fish
in wooden ponds after scouring the internet for a technology that
farmers can use to keep fish.
“I started searching for
an alternative to earthen ponds several years ago after floods swept
away fish in my eight earthen ponds in my home in Butula, Busia. I
restocked but thieves later gave me a hard time,” recalls Dr Muga, who
picked the wooden ponds idea, and modified it, making the ponds
lockable.
Later, he made a portable version of the lockable ponds.
“The
ponds vary in size depending on a client’s taste. Like that at Kasarani
measures 3 by 4 metres and carries 900 fingerlings.”
Besides
wood, the ponds are made of a strong black polythene material that
holds the water to avoid spillage and wire mesh for the cover.
Maintaining wooden pond
Dr Muga says the polythene can stay for up to five years if properly maintained.
“If
the polythene is exposed to the sun, it becomes weaker and begins to
leak. In that case, it could serve for only six months. So the farmer
should always ensure his pond has water all the time.”
The ponds have an inlet, which brings in fresh water, and an outlet that can be directed to the vegetable garden.
“Fish
droppings are like manure from cows, therefore, they are good for
providing nutrients to the crops,” says Dr Muga, who also runs an NGO
called Rural Development through Social Appropriation of Technologies
International.
One can keep in the wooden ponds both
fingerlings and big fish. The movable pond, according to Dr Muga, suits
urban farmers. The pond is similar to the lockable one only that it can
easily be dismantled and moved from one point to another.
“The
movable pond is bolted on a wooden reinforcement, therefore, if the
farmer wants to use the space for any activity, he simply transfers the
fish into a container, drains the water and unbolts the pond. The farmer
can later assemble it once he’s done,” he explains, noting the pond is
ideal where a farmer has limited space and goes for about Sh60,000.
Process of cleaning a fish pond
Wheels can be fitted on the pond to make portability faster and easier.
One
can keep both tilapia and catfish, but a farmer must be cautious not to
stock too many fingerlings in a pond because the fish must have
adequate space.
“The process of cleaning the ponds is
called flashing. Clean water runs into the pond through the inlet pipe
while dirty water is automatically forced out via the outlet pipe.
Flashing happens every time water is allowed into the pond, this could
three times a week,” says Dr Muga, as he advices farmers to feed fish
more on dried vegetables because they float over the water pond.
Rearing
fish in earthen ponds, according to the soil scientist, is susceptible
to climate change factors such as torrential rains which affect the
fish.
“With wooden ponds, such shortcomings are eliminated because they are above the ground.”
Ultra violet treatment
Prof Charles Ngugi, a fisheries expert, says the technology is good for those who have limited land.
However,
he warns that smaller ponds are susceptible to fungal diseases because
the fish will be brushing themselves on each other if the stocking
density is high.
The government’s recommended stocking rate is four fish per square metre for all kinds of species.
According to him, the polythene liner can stay for over five years if it is treated against ultra violet (UV) rays damage.
“UV
treatment is done by manufacturers themselves and not the farmer,
therefore, it’s for the farmer to choose whether to use UV treated liner
or not. UV treated liner are costly though,” Prof Ngugi explains.
He
advises farmers to change pond water once in two weeks. “Once the water
becomes too green, the farmer should change it because that indicates
high presence of algae, which competes with the fish for oxygen uptake.”
If
the algae stays for long, ammonia builds up resulting to death of fish.
“The benefit of rearing fish in the wooden ponds is that the smaller
number of fish are grown in a smaller unit thus ensuring high profit
return.”
NMG/SEEDSOFGOLD
NMG/SEEDSOFGOLD
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