Post by account_disabled on Mar 13, 2024 0:48:33 GMT -5
With financial support from Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), this initiative integrates large-scale aquaculture with pigsties and poultry. The beauty of this circular system is that the animal manure serves as a valuable fertilizer for the fish, while the fish provide income and sustenance for the community. To make the model even more self-sufficient, our teams will help establish a feed mill in the area and train farmers on rice, soybean, and maize cultivation to produce animal feed locally. The project also helps participants establish and develop micro-enterprises. This includes ones that handle the processing of agricultural and non-timber forest products, as well as other business opportunities for women and young people. There are already 22 micro-enterprises in process (e.g., fish processing and conservation, palm oil processing, food flour manufacturing (maize), sewing, and more.
Overall, we aim to support a total of 300 farmers to integrate fish farming in 12 rural associations within the Monkoto Corridor. After receiving comprehensive training at the training school, farmers will then have the tools to establish this model in their own communities—causing a cascade of positive change toward more sustainable livelihoods. Aquaculture’s ripple effect in the Congo Basin At BYB Directory this point in the pilot phase, approximately 50 households in the community have undergone training and started practicing more sustainable agriculture. They report that they are now able to diversify their crops and cultivate their fields in a more satisfying and sustainable way. The long-term objective is to have these community leaders train their counterparts, with a goal of reaching 3,600 farming households in the Congo Basin.
With any new ventures, training and ongoing support are crucial. That’s why the training school for fish farming and breeding will continue to provide food for the community and to supply farmers’ ponds. After training, the Rainforest Alliance will provide participants with seeds, the tools needed to work their own fields, and technical supervision from the project staff experts. Before joining this project, Benzi Ekuma was a small-scale farmer producing crops and livestock in the Monkoto Corridor. After completing training, he devoted his farm to the development of new activities, like more sustainable pig and fish farming. “I am very happy about what we are learning and how we are developing our work through this initiative,” he said. “We will make sure to put this into practice to use our land in a way that doesn’t destroy the forest.
Overall, we aim to support a total of 300 farmers to integrate fish farming in 12 rural associations within the Monkoto Corridor. After receiving comprehensive training at the training school, farmers will then have the tools to establish this model in their own communities—causing a cascade of positive change toward more sustainable livelihoods. Aquaculture’s ripple effect in the Congo Basin At BYB Directory this point in the pilot phase, approximately 50 households in the community have undergone training and started practicing more sustainable agriculture. They report that they are now able to diversify their crops and cultivate their fields in a more satisfying and sustainable way. The long-term objective is to have these community leaders train their counterparts, with a goal of reaching 3,600 farming households in the Congo Basin.
With any new ventures, training and ongoing support are crucial. That’s why the training school for fish farming and breeding will continue to provide food for the community and to supply farmers’ ponds. After training, the Rainforest Alliance will provide participants with seeds, the tools needed to work their own fields, and technical supervision from the project staff experts. Before joining this project, Benzi Ekuma was a small-scale farmer producing crops and livestock in the Monkoto Corridor. After completing training, he devoted his farm to the development of new activities, like more sustainable pig and fish farming. “I am very happy about what we are learning and how we are developing our work through this initiative,” he said. “We will make sure to put this into practice to use our land in a way that doesn’t destroy the forest.