KENEMA FARMERS TO BENEFIT FROM FISH POND CONSTRUCTION The Agricultural Instructor in the Ministry Of Agriculture Forestry and Food Security in Bo district Gbessay Bojon have said in Kenema the people of the district will benefit from the construction of two fish ponds at Kpai in the Small-Bo chiefdom which will serve as an alternative source of lively hood for the community people especially members of the Kamboi North Forest Management Association The Facilitator Mr. .Gbessay Bojon said fish farming started in Sierra Leone in 1978in Makali in the Tonkolili district and since then it has proved profitable to the people of this country. Mr.Bojon said the project will construct two ponds for the farmers in strategic locations in the Kenema district which will serve as additional source of revenue for the farmers adding that there will be provision for more funding if the pilot phase proves successful.. He urged the farmers to manage the fish ponds properly so that they can realize bumper harvests at the end of project as any fish pond when carefully maintained will last for over thirty years. The facilitator said the government has paid great attention to aqua- culture and the ministry of Marine Resources has experimental station in BO along Baima road (Kortu gbuma section). It could be recalled that the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS) and other donor partners including the former US-AID funded project under Promoting Agriculture Governance and Environment (PAGE) through TETRA TECH- ARD trained community members from the Kambui North Forest Management Association to help mitigate the rampant activities that lead to the destruction of the Kambui forest as it serves as catchment for water supply to the entire city of kenema Speaking to the participant during the training, the Project Manager, Kambui North Forest Management Association Daniel Sarmu said the capacity building is designed to ensure continuity of the efforts of PAGE through TETRA TECH ARD and the government of SIERRA LEONE in protecting the forest. He said the ongoing project is funded by the UNDP Global Environment Facility known as Small Grant Program to STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT which requires the establishment of fish ponds and other farming activities that will divert the minds of the people from the indiscriminate use of the forest reserve. He said rampant logging ,charcoal burning ,gold and stone mining has caused the depletion of the forest to a very deteriorating state. Daniel SARMU said the aim of the training is to empower the community people so that they can protect the kambui forest and to put their effort and resources together for the successful implementation of the project The project manager said another component of the project will ensure that the community people nurse and plant high quality forest trees that will serve to re-forest the deforested communities Mr. SARMU encouraged participants to treat the project with the outmost care it deserves as they stand to gain more funding for the next phase of the project. A participant of the training Mariama Kemoh from Madina in Dodo Chiefdom said the training has enhanced their capacity in fish farming an that they will use the relevant information and skills acquired to educate other women folk. She said this was her first time to learn about fish farming while expressing optimism that the project will last long so other people can as well benefit
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 11:58:28 +0000
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