Something fishy going on

This smiler looks after several fishponds as part of the wider project that I am now working on.

We are handling some of the forest protection and conservation-related livelihoods work but this is just a small component of a wider USD 57-million programme funded by the US government that also looks at food security, adequate nutrition, sustainable agriculture and social inclusion.

Supporting fishponds falls under the aquaculture component, and we were checking it out today so I could get a feel for how the whole programme fits together. The programme supports start-up activities including helping to dig ponds, stock with fry and provide feed and other supplies. Then it helps link fishpond owners with markets. Raising and selling fish is a relatively lucrative activity for householders, based on returns per unit area.

We visited this guy's family farm next, where there were more fishponds, various livestock and about a dozen crops growing in a small area, in a perfect agro-forestry demonstration site. Yet it wasn't an official site of the programme - the owners are just awesome, and they gave us some green oranges.