Pd/a Crsp Nineteenth Annual Technical Report

Research conducted by the PD/A CRSP at Sagana Fish Farm has begun to identify alternative management practices and technologies that may be suitable in the region, but it should not be assumed that results obtained under controlled experimental conditions at Sagana are directly transferable to farms in the area. On-farm testing is therefore a logical step in transferring research-based technologies to the farm. On-farm testing of various alternatives allows farmers to assess their costs and benefits under local conditions as well as to receive instruction and training in basic pond management skills. Such trials also allow project personnel to work with and train the fisheries extension officers who are involved in the trials at the various locations, thus complementing the training they receive through “regular” training activities. Thirty farmers were selected to participate in on-farm trials in four districts of Central Province and one district of Eastern Province, Kenya, in 1999 and 2000. A pre-trial workshop including farmers, extension agents, Kenyan and US CRSP personnel, and students working on research projects at Sagana was held in December 1999 to discuss and select management schemes for testing, to agree on how the trials would be conducted, and to plan for proper record keeping during the trial period. Fiftytwo ponds were stocked with monosex male tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), mixed-sex tilapia, and/or catfish (Clarias gariepinus) between January and March 2000. Stocking densities were 2 fish m-2 for tilapia, 0.2 fish m-2 for catfish stocked with tilapia, and 1 fish m-2 for catfish stocked alone. Management schemes tested included high, medium, and low management levels. Ponds were sampled for fish growth at fourto six-week intervals, and farmers kept records of input type and weight, input costs, pond water additions, fish mortality, and fish sampling data. A post-trial workshop was held in March 2001 to summarize and evaluate the results of the trials. As a result of their participation in these trials, farmers learned that improved management can indeed lead to increased production, something that they were not convinced of prior to the trials. The average increase in fish harvested during these trials was 330% (3.5 t ha-1, as compared with an estimate of just over 1 t ha-1 prior to the trials). Almost two-thirds of the ponds gave net revenues exceeding KSh 250,000 ha-1 yr-1; the average was KSh 310,832 ha-1 yr-1. Farmers also concluded that increasing the size of their ponds would further contribute to increases in production. Phase two of the trials—in the western region of Kenya—began with a visit to the six districts’ headquarters in December 2000. In May 2001, a pre-trial farmers workshop was held at the Bungoma Farmers Training Center to discuss and select management options suitable to the farmers. Ponds for the western region trials were stocked in May and June, and the first sampling visits were conducted in August. The trials are ongoing as of this report. As in the Central and Eastern Provinces, a post-trial workshop will be held to evaluate the results of these trials. NINETEENTH ANNUAL TECHNICAL REPORT 122 Research conducted by the PD/A CRSP at Sagana Fish Farm has begun to identify alternative management practices and technologies that may be suitable in the region, but it should not be assumed that results obtained under controlled experimental conditions at Sagana are directly transferable to farms in the area. On-farm testing is therefore a logical step in transferring research-based technologies to the farm. On-farm testing of various alternatives allows farmers to assess their costs and benefits under local conditions as well as to receive instruction and training in basic pond management skills. Conducting such trials also provides opportunities for project personnel to work with and train the fisheries extension officers who are involved in the trials at the various locations, thus complementing the training they receive through the Kenya Project’s training activity (“Aquaculture training for fisheries officers in Kenya,” 9ADR3). The specific objectives of this activity are to: 1) Collaborate with local fish farmers to test technologies developed through PD/A CRSP research at Sagana Fish Farm and elsewhere; 2) Demonstrate improved management techniques to extension officers and farmers; and 3) Teach simple methods for evaluating costs and benefits to farmers and extension agents. This progress report mainly addresses on-farm trials conducted in the Central and Eastern Provinces during the period of 1999 to 2001. It also introduces the second phase of the trials, now being conducted in the western region of Kenya. A final report on the entire activity will be compiled when the western region trials are completed later this year. METHODS AND MATERIALS Preparatory contacts with farmers in Central Province and organizing activities were begun well before the beginning of this reporting year, but the pre-trial workshop and the beginning of the trials themselves were delayed. However, contacts with potential participants were maintained, and pond visits and surveys were made during the month of November 1999. Each fisheries officer was asked to interview farmers wishing to participate in the trials and select ponds based on the following criteria: 1) The owners are interested in participating in the trials. 2) Pond surface areas are 100 m2 minimum and 1,000 m2 maximum. 3) The ponds are drainable. 4) The average water depth of each pond is 80 ± 10 cm. 5) The pond is not prone to flooding. 6) Seepage from the pond is less than 10 cm per week. For each district it was decided to select two focal points that, if possible, would be in areas having different climates or soil types. Each focal point had an extension agent assigned to it. By December 1999, 30 farmers with 52 ponds had been selected to participate, although some farmers needed to renovate some of their ponds prior to beginning the trials. A total of 20 fisheries officers and extension agents were also involved in the Central and Eastern on-farm trials.