WAIT FOR 10 SECONDS
3. Availability of needed inputs • Are fertilizers and lime available at reasonable cost? • Are fingerlings available at a reasonable cost? • Are fish feeds available for purchase, or are suitable ingredients available so the farmer can produce his own? 4. Personnel • Hire qualified people as farm staff. Raising fish requires specific knowledge acquired only through training. However, training is not the only criterion to use when selecting workers: Look for workers who understand farming and are dedicated to a successful operation. 5. Access to Technical Advice • Be sure good technical advice is readily available. Local extension agents or trained consultants are good possibilities. Remember: technical advice can be expensive and is sometimes wrong. Doublecheck advice received with a qualified individual (meaning they have produced a few tons of fish before) who is sincerely interested in your success. Good consultants admit when they don’t know the needed information. • Consider both criticism and compliments very carefully: The best advice may come in the form of criticism, and compliments can be misleading. • Horticulture and animal husbandry consultants may know about business planning for agriculture but probably do not know enough about fish farming to give proper technical advice. 6. Competition • Know who your competitors are and how much they sell their fish for. Consider whether you will be able to match their price and quality or even outsell them by producing a better product or selling at a lower price. • If fish demand is high, cooperating with nearby fish producers to market the fish might be a possibility. The presence of several fish farmers in an area may make it possible for inputs to be obtained less expensively by forming a purchasing block (cooperative or group). 7. Legal issues Consider whether or not there are any legal issues that will affect your ability to culture fish at this site. Would any of the following prevent you from going into fish farming: Land Use Act? Water Act? Environmental Management and Coordination Act? Others? Moving on .If your site is suitable for pond construction with respect to land, soil, and water, and if you are satisfied that other selection criteria have been met, you can go ahead with planning. Fish Culture into Your Farm Introduction In addition to producing fish to eat or sell, there are other advantages to growing fish. Adding fish farming to other farm enterprises can make your overall operation more efficient and more profitable. This comes about by sharing space, inputs, byproducts, and labor associated with other crops, and especially by using or re-using materials available on the farm. Factors to consider Some considerations of integrating fish culture into overall farm activities include: • How much are you willing to invest in the project? • How much time will be spent on fish production compared to other farm activities? • Will growing fish enhance your food supply (when stocking fish for domestic use) or increase your income? Or are you engaging in the activity just because your neighbours have a similar project? Methods Once satisfied that a site is suitable for building a pond and that growing fish will be a profitable endeavour, here are some possible ways to integrate fish farming into your overall farm operation for greater efficiency and profitability: • and materials will flow in a logical, smooth manner. For example, try to position crop, livestock, and fish units so that byproducts from one unit can easily be moved to another (One possible layout is shown in Figure 1.2-2). Also, if fishponds are positioned uphill from land crops it may be possible to use fertile pond water to irrigate your other crops by gravity. Figure 1.2-2. Illustration of a logical farm layout. Main Road Supply Storage Produce Storage Livestock Unit Fish Pond Garden Water Supply Canal Service Road Drainage Canal Manures Fertile Water Fertilizer/Feeds • Try byproducts from some farm activities as inputs for other activities. For example, animal manures may double as fertilizers for many crops, including fish. • Use grasses cut as part of routine weeding or maintenance in your fertilization scheme. Some kinds of grasses can be used as feeds for animals, as well as for some species of fish. Most grasses can also be incorporated into composts, which make excellent fertilizers for many crops—including fish. • Farms with chickens may consider building chicken houses over ponds, so chicken droppings and uneaten feed fall directly into the pond and serve as a fertilizer and food. About 1 chicken per 2 m2 of pond surface area usually gives good results. • Similarly, operations with pigs might build pigsties close to ponds so manure can be easily washed into the pond to fertilize it. In this case, be sure you can control the amount going into the pond so it is not overfertilized. Use about one pig per 166 m2 of pond surface area. • Other animals integrated with fish culture have included cattle, goats, sheep, ducks, geese, and rabbits.
