Nqobile Bhebhe [email protected]
SMALL-SCALE aquaculture is emerging as a viable pathway for rural wealth creation, but poor water management and disease outbreaks threaten to undermine the profitability of fish farming, a private-sector stakeholder has warned.
Ms Rudo Maponga, a fish farmer in Masvingo said the Environmental and Biosecurity Guidelines for Small-Scale Fish Farmers in Zimbabwe would help transform rural fish farming from a subsistence activity into commercially sustainable enterprises capable of creating jobs and strengthening food security.
Speaking at the launch of the guidelines, Ms Maponga said small-scale aquaculture had significant potential to support household incomes and contribute to economic growth, particularly through farming cluster models that enable producers to work collectively.
“For a long time, small-scale aquaculture in our rural communities has been viewed just as a way to survive-a way to put a little extra protein on the table. But for those of us on the ground, working the ponds every day, we see a much bigger picture.
“Through our cluster models, we are proving that fish farming is a direct pathway from subsistence to wealth. We see commercial enterprises that can sustain families, through job security and food security, to build our economy.”
However, she said farmers continued to face production challenges, including high feed costs and difficulties in accessing quality fingerlings, while poor environmental management and inadequate biosecurity were further eroding their returns.
” But the journey from a rural pond to a profitable business is hard. As small-scale farmers, we know the heavy burden of buying expensive feed and the struggle of finding good, quality fingerlings.
“After all this, there is a hidden thief stealing our profits: dirty water and disease. When we run our ponds without good environmental or biosecurity rules, our fish are forced to swim in water loaded with invisible pathogens and low oxygen.”
Ms Maponga said poor water quality and disease could significantly reduce the efficiency of feed utilisation, resulting in slower fish growth, delayed harvesting and increased production costs.
“When a fish is fighting a dirty environment, its body works overtime just to stay alive. That means the expensive feed we pour into our ponds is not turning into muscle and growth.
” It is burned up fighting disease. Our fish stay small, our harvest takes longer, and our money disappears. We end up blaming the feed or the fingerlings, when the real enemy is poor biosecurity and bad water management.”
The guidelines are expected to provide farmers with practical measures to safeguard their fish stocks, protect their investments and improve productivity.
Ms Maponga said the guidelines should be viewed as a business tool rather than simply a regulatory requirement, particularly as Government and development partners scale up initiatives to expand fish production among rural communities.
“That is why today is such a milestone. These Environmental and Biosecurity Guidelines are not just government rules. They are our shield. They are al practical roadmap to making money.
“As we expand initiatives like the “1 Fish! $1!” campaign and distribute hundreds of thousands of fingerlings to rural farmers, those fish can only survive if we protect them.”
She said simple measures such as using footbaths, maintaining daily production records and managing water safely could help farmers prevent disease outbreaks and reduce losses.
“By using simple tools-like stepping into a footbath, keeping a daily record, and managing our water safely-we protect our hard work. We are learning that preventing disease is much. cheaper and easier than trying to cure a sick pond.”
The importance of coordinated biosecurity practices is particularly pronounced in farming clusters, where disease outbreaks in one pond could spread to neighbouring operations.
Ms Maponga said a common national framework would enable farmers to adopt consistent practices, protect their collective investments and expand their participation in commercial markets.
“In our farming clusters, we have learned a hard truth: disease does not respect fences. A sick fish in another cluster member’s pond today is a sick fish in my pond tomorrow. We are only as strong as our weakest pond.
“Having a national, standardized framework means we can grow together, share our resources, and expand our markets safely.”
Zimbabwe is seeking to grow its aquaculture industry, with small-scale producers playing an important role in increasing domestic fish supply, creating rural employment and improving nutrition.
However, the sector’s growth will depend not only on access to fingerlings and feed, but also on farmers’ capacity to maintain healthy production environments and protect fish stocks against disease.
Ms Maponga said farmers were ready to implement the guidelines, which she described as an important foundation for sustainable growth in the sector.
” We are ready to take these guidelines from the boardroom straight to our ponds. Let’s protect our fish, let’s build our wealth, and let’s continue to feed Zimbabwe.”
