Fish production practices of smallholder farmers in western Kenya

Abstract

To be successful, initiatives to improve smallholder fish production should directly address the needs and objectives of the farmers while promoting national use of available fish genetic resources. This study aimed at providing a better understanding of smallholder fish farming systems, the fish types reared, general management, constraints and needs of fish farmers in western Kenya, and discusses their relevance to the improvement of fish farming. A cross-sectional survey employing sets of structured and semi-structured questionnaires, focused group discussions and participant observation were used to collect information from 102 farmers in three selected Counties. On a scale of most to least important, most farmers ranked cattle as first, followed by fish, goats/ sheep, poultry and bee keeping, respectively. Fish were kept mainly for sale whenever cash was needed and for household consumption. Farmers owning Oreochromis niloticus fish were predominant (56.8%) relative to those owning mixed species (Clarias gariepinus, Oreochromis esculentus and Oreochromis variabilis) at 37.3%. Some farmers (5.9%) had no information on the specific species they owned and confused the other Tilapiines with O. niloticus. A range of traits; mothering ability, growth rate, size, survival, hatchability, feed conversion efficiency, adaptability and resistance to parasites were considered equally important and were ranked very highly by the fish farmers. Growth and size ranked as the most important traits. Most farmers purchased their foundation (66.7%) and replacement (61.8%) stocks. No farmer across the Counties reported any incidence of disease outbreak. However, about 93.1% of the farmers reported a strong parasite problem. Predators also seriously affected farmers, where birds (88.2%) and frogs (71.6%) had a major effect. Lack of feeds, finances, skills and fingerlings were ranked, in ascending order, as the most important problems. Generally, initiatives to improve management practices are an overriding priority in smallholder fish production. Improved management will lead to increased productivity in the short-term and foster participation of farmers in the development of long-term fish improvement strategies