Can Ghana’s pond farmers match the productivity of their counterparts on Lake Volta? (The Fish Site) 

The Fish Site published an article on the ‘Accelerating Aquaculture Development in Ghana Through Sustainable Nile Tilapia Seed Production’ project which began in 2019. The project’s main aim was to ensure that the small-scale farms scattered across Ghana would have access to quality fry, thereby improving their harvests and the profitability of their farms. The institutions which collaborated to implement the project were the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and other NGOs. Senior research fellow Catherine Ragasa, project leader, and senior research fellow, said that “the main issue we sought to address was the lack of quality tilapia seed material across the numerous fish farms scattered all over Ghana. The farms on the Volta Lake that were producing over 90 percent of annual aquaculture production had access to relatively good quality material, but that could not be said of the numerous pond farmers. So, we set out to train hatchery owners and provide them with good-quality stock. We also trained the farmers who were recipients of the new material, to ensure that they had the appropriate skills for making the project viable. “This has been a massive undertaking. We interacted with over 700 farmers across seven regions, and I have no doubt that the impact of the project will be far-reaching. You will soon see the production of pond farmers approaching, if not exceeding, the levels of production on the Volta Lake. Of course, that means a major contribution to national protein consumption and food security and job creation. I am really excited about the expected impact on the profitability of small-scale farming, and the livelihood of people involved in small-scale fish farming. There is solid evidence of good work done.”