Harvested rain water keeps my fish ponds replenished every season

Ernest Olwangu a fish farmer at Mundaha village in Khwisero sub-county narrates how he has benefited from fish urging the government to assist him to acquire loan to boost his business. BY DUNCAN OCHOLLA

While heavy rains mean destruction for some farmers, for Ernest Olwangu every drop counts.

“It may be raining now in torrents and water going to waste, but few months down the line, it will be dry and that water will come in handy,” he says.

Olwangu, who hails from Mundaha village in Kakamega County, says he uses the water to irrigate his crops during the dry season and stock his fish pond. 

This he says, is purely conservation agriculture, which he has been practising for at least three years.

To start off, Olwangu spent Sh13,000 to dig and cement a fish pond measuring 6 metres long and 3 metres deep.

He erected two water reserve tanks with a capacity of 9,000 litres and has several other drums for storing extra litres. “I fill my fish pond with harvested rainwater particularly during dry spells. I water my crops with the same water after several weeks since it is fertilised and rich.”

His pond has a capacity of holding at least 800 fish and with proper management practices, Olwangu says he is able to harvest all the fish stocked in five months.

ORGANIC MANURE

“Usually, I sell my fish locally because there is overwhelming demand, and the returns supplement my income from other ventures,” he says.

Convinced that fish farming can do better even with improvised ponds, Olwangu is digging extra ponds on his two and half acre farm.

Several small square pits halfway filled with organic manure and crop residues are located all over the farm.

“I grow vegetables inside there, it is cheap and efficient,” says Olwangu.

This is the reason his tiny farm is evergreen. The farm is dotted with all manner of trees and traditional vegetables including the nightshade.

Olwangu also practises agro forestry and banana farming. The farmer was first supplied with fingerlings three years ago by Bio-Garden Innovations, an NGO that deals in organic farming.

From the fish pond, agro forestry, bananas as well as vegetables give Olwangu at least Sh21,000 in a bad month.

“I find it a lucrative venture given the fact that I received some training in conservation agriculture and fish farming, proceeds from farming help me educate my children,” he says.

Though standing, challenges abound. Erratic weather patterns, predators, pests and insects as well as diseases have been major challenges.

“Besides, one would require enough funds to keep afloat because sometimes natural calamities would strike,” he said.

Churchill Oriko, Khwisero sub-county Fisheries officer encourages other farmers to borrow Olwangu’s idea.

“People ought to borrow a leaf from him in promoting integrated farming,” he says. According to him, there are arrangements in place to ensure farmers are supplied with certified fingerlings.

To cut costs, Oriko says several farmers in Khwisero have been using the fertilised fish pond water as manure.

“They apply it on banana crop, potatoes, vegetables and even napier grass and the results are encouraging,” he says.

Like many other farmers in the area, Olwangu has also had challenges getting quality fingerlings.

But with plans in the pipeline to revive the Sh68 million modern fish processing plant in Kakamega, Olwangu and other fish farmers will not have to worry anymore.