Aquaculture is gaining popularity among youths in Chimanimani district owing to its huge financial and dietary benefits, as well as economic potential.
Heaven Mashingaidze (22) is one of the dedicated young farmers who has been practicing aquaculture. He says he expects to reap more benefits from the project.
Heaven's interest in fish farming grew because he found it easy and rewarding in many ways.
“Aquaculture is very easy and requires minimum supervision. I use chicken droppings as feed for the fish and the water from the (fish) ponds is used in irrigation because it is rich in nutrients. The entire ecosystem here is dependent on the sustainability of each and every component. Nothing is wasted,” says Heavens.
Heaven adds that fish farming is very critical in transforming landscapes and the ecosystem.
“Fish farming always has a positive impact on the surrounding areas. It acts as a habitat for predators that prey on other pests. For example, plants grow around the fish pond and they get water from the fish ponds which keeps them in good health,” he says.
Tilapia is the most popular breed of fish reared in Chimanimani districts. Heavens says this is because tilapia adapts easily to the environment and has cheaper production costs.
“I keep tilapia bream because they are easier to rear and they are highly adaptive to organic foods. Normally these fish are harvested within six months. In order to maximize production on the farm, I recycle the water from the pond and use it to water our gardens so that crops get more nutrients,” he says.
Blessing Chamudondo (51), Programmes Manager at Participatory Organic Research Extension and Training (PORET) Centre in Chimanimani District in Manicaland Province says his organization is supporting land regeneration activities and the fish farming project is a pilot project.
“We are promoting land regeneration activities through offering young farmers training and technical support on their agroecology enterprises. We recently started constructing fish ponds at the center so that farmers can learn,” says Blessing.
Heavens, however, decries the low participation of young people in agriculture. He blames this on the unfavorable conditions which makes farming as a business next to impossible. This includes climate change, poor infrastructure and investment at local and national levels.
“Many young people are impatient because farming does not give them quick gains. One needs to be consistent, committed and patient. I encourage more young people to take up this initiative because it is an honest way of making a living,” he says.
Victor Bangira (46) a veterinary extension officer working with PORET says young people like Heavens are keen on starting farming projects and are benefiting from training coordinated by PORET.
“These projects keep young people occupied and in turn they get income. In Wards 2 and 3, we have facilitated training specifically targeting young people and there is close to 15 percent youth participation in all the programmes we do,” he says.
Heavens hopes to see more young people benefiting from trainings offered by PORET.
Comments