Disseminate improved fish rearing technologies
The aquaculture annual production in Kenya had stagnated at around 1,000 tonnes but through consistent on-farm research, capacity building of farmers and the economic stimulus efforts the production has grown to 1,500 tonnes by 2015. This is still below the demand for white meat in Kenya. Among the key challenges is poor pond management, breeding and feeding. Despite the challenges above, opportunities exist for increased fish production through improved production systems, increased investment in processing, value addition, efficient distribution systems and expanded market access to regional and international markets. The project proposes to upscale improved pond management, access to inputs, value addition and market linkages to improve production and agribusiness to meet the growing demand. The following activities are proposed:
- Production of dissemination materials
- Hold stakeholders workshop to agree and formalize on roles of partners to promote improved technological packages
- Conduct benchmark/baseline survey,
- Capacity building of partners and Trainers of Trainers (TOTs) on up and out scaling of improved technologies
- Enhance access of fish farmers to production inputs
- Upscale strategies for proper use of feed ingredients and containing pollution and complying with food safety/SPS requirements
- Capacity build fish folk through field schools and farmer exchange learning
- Establish community-based information, communication, mentorship and innovation platforms for fish farming
- Enhance market and marketing opportunities/linkages for fish and fish products
- Enhance value addition in the fish value chain
For more information please visit the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) website
Manuals
- Aquaculture Manuals.
Research Areas
Develop technologies for improving productivity of aquaculture
The aquaculture annual production in Kenya had stagnated at around 1,000 tonnes but through consistent on-farm research, capacity building of farmers and the economic stimulus efforts the production has grown to 1,500 tonnes by 2015. The department of Fisheries is promoting aquaculture as means to eradicate poverty and hope to increase the annual production to about 12,000 tonnes in the next three years. Farmed fish has become important in the recent past few years and aquaculture has become a source of healthy animal protein in many parts of Kenya. It has spread to parts of the Rift valley, Central and Eastern provinces which were not fish producing areas. Small-scale commercial fish farmers earning KES 450,000 per acre of water surface have mushroomed in different parts of the country. Despite this growth this sub-sector has been constrained by the availability of quality and high cost of feeds and lack of quality fingerings. We propose to work in collaboration with the Maseno University, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KEMFRI as a coapplicant will undertake the entire aquaculture activities in this Action through a direct award. ), and Department of Fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation to develop and commercialize high quality fish feed and work out a system to supply quality fingerings to farmers. Focus will be on
- Containing pollution and complying with food safety/SPS requirements
- Breeding to increase supply of quality fingerlings.
- Fish nutrition and low cost feed formulation
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