Fish4Kenya trains farmers annually, with 40 farmers having been trained over the last four years and over 100 in total since the project started. Within rural Kenya this is often one of the few economic drivers and Fish4Kenya has managed to build a sustainable group of fish farmers and a well respected project in the area. Hussein, the project manager in Kenya is the key coordinator and keeps the group informed, working together and provides the technical and logistical support on the ground.
General duties to keep the fish farmers organized and producing fish involves ordering and delivering the fingerlings (baby fish) and feed. A special mandatory training program delivered by Hussein takes 4-5 days in the classroom in fish farming techniques and business management plus field training in pond management and support with stocking and feed. The farmers then have to do their part as they build their ponds, manage their fish and raise the fish for market.
Community Benefits
There are many benefits to this program including providing people with protein, a source of income, a source of pride and a sense of accomplishment. This program is special in that it provides training and support that can lead to a better life for people/families. It does however, require people to take initiative and work at it—essentially it is giving people a boost to become fish farmers.
Sustainability - this program is designed in a manner that provides the initial training, fingerlings and fish feed to get the farm established. Once the farmer goes through the program they are set up for the future and can reinvest some of their earnings (from selling fish) into future operations. Our seed funding has set the table for a sustainable business that requires limited support. We do keep in touch and offer technical support if needed but the whole idea is for them to take ownership and run it as their business.
Women - in Kenya, men are often the main income earner; however, many of our farmers are women and the program gives them some independence and opportunity to buy things for themselves. As one farmer put it "As a mother, through farming I can buy basic things without relying on my husband self independence in some things".
Other quotes from participants that reflect the importance of the program are presented below.
"Fish4kenya has empowered me economically through fish farming. It has helped me to pay fees for my children by selling fish"
“Fish4kenya helps us as a group to understand importance of working together as a group and helping one another in pond construction, harvesting and selling of the fish"
“Fish4kenya has helped in training planting knowledge in me on how to farm it was my 1st training in my life"
General duties to keep the fish farmers organized and producing fish involves ordering and delivering the fingerlings (baby fish) and feed. A special mandatory training program delivered by Hussein takes 4-5 days in the classroom in fish farming techniques and business management plus field training in pond management and support with stocking and feed. The farmers then have to do their part as they build their ponds, manage their fish and raise the fish for market.
Community Benefits
There are many benefits to this program including providing people with protein, a source of income, a source of pride and a sense of accomplishment. This program is special in that it provides training and support that can lead to a better life for people/families. It does however, require people to take initiative and work at it—essentially it is giving people a boost to become fish farmers.
Sustainability - this program is designed in a manner that provides the initial training, fingerlings and fish feed to get the farm established. Once the farmer goes through the program they are set up for the future and can reinvest some of their earnings (from selling fish) into future operations. Our seed funding has set the table for a sustainable business that requires limited support. We do keep in touch and offer technical support if needed but the whole idea is for them to take ownership and run it as their business.
Women - in Kenya, men are often the main income earner; however, many of our farmers are women and the program gives them some independence and opportunity to buy things for themselves. As one farmer put it "As a mother, through farming I can buy basic things without relying on my husband self independence in some things".
Other quotes from participants that reflect the importance of the program are presented below.
"Fish4kenya has empowered me economically through fish farming. It has helped me to pay fees for my children by selling fish"
“Fish4kenya helps us as a group to understand importance of working together as a group and helping one another in pond construction, harvesting and selling of the fish"
“Fish4kenya has helped in training planting knowledge in me on how to farm it was my 1st training in my life"