Marsabit County Embraces Fish Farming as Climate Adaptation Strategy

Strategic Insights -

Marsabit County, Kenya, a region plagued by recurrent droughts, floods, and climate-related disasters, has turned to fish farming as a means of adapting to the changing environment. The initiative, led by the World Food Programme (WFP), aims to enhance food security and resilience among local pastoralist communities, who have traditionally relied on livestock keeping. The project has seen the establishment of fish farms in the arid areas of North Horr, Moyale, and Saku constituencies, with over 100 farmers now engaged in the venture.

Key Takeaways:

  • The WFP sponsored the generation of the county strategic plan (CSP) to engineer the development of sustainable solutions to address the effects of climate change in Marsabit County.
  • The World Food Programme (WFP) entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and a plan of operation (PoO) with the county government to achieve this endeavour, where the two entities work together in both the investment and implementation of the planned activities.
  • A 40-member-strong self-help group, the Chalbi rural development initiative run by both men and women fish farmers, is running successful ponds that are stocked with 500 fish of the tilapia species, with members saving a fraction of the sales for table banking.
  • Local communities who are predominantly keepers of livestock that include camels, cattle, sheep and goats never had fish in their menu, as their culture prohibited them from consuming fish, but are now embracing fish farming as an alternative source of livelihood.
  • The adoption of aquaculture is purely a climate adaptation and an alternative source of livelihood for pastoralists in the arid areas of the county.
  • The initiative has seen the establishment of fish farms in the very arid areas of North Horr, Moyale and Saku constituencies, where eating and trading in fish has become unbroken.
  • The main sources of water to farm fish in the region are boreholes, springs and shallow wells, though the Fisheries Officer says it can be boosted through rainwater harvesting.
  • The project has also seen the capacity building in terms of training at the Sagana-based National Aquaculture Research Development and Training Centre (NARDTC) has been facilitated for various farmers who in turn pass the knowledge gained to others.
  • The number of fish farmers having increased from 15 people to more than 100 in the past three years, and was projected to grow given that upcoming farmers could now buy finger rings from the established farmers.

Statistics:

  • Over 100 farmers are now engaged in fish farming in Marsabit County, with the number expected to grow.
  • The World Food Programme (WFP) has sponsored the generation of the county strategic plan (CSP) to engineer the development of sustainable solutions to address the effects of climate change in Marsabit County.
  • A 40-member-strong self-help group, the Chalbi rural development initiative, is running successful ponds that are stocked with 500 fish of the tilapia species.
  • Members of the group save a fraction of the sales for table banking, which they use as a revolving kitty.
  • The project has seen the establishment of fish farms in the very arid areas of North Horr, Moyale and Saku constituencies.
  • Over 100 fish farmers have been trained at the Sagana-based National Aquaculture Research Development and Training Centre (NARDTC) in the past three years.
  • The number of fish farmers is expected to grow as more farmers are trained and capacity built.

Sources:

  • Kenya News Agency (KNA)
  • World Food Programme (WFP)
  • Marsabit County Government
  • Chalbi rural development initiative
  • National Aquaculture Research Development and Training Centre (NARDTC)