Aquaculture: A Step Towards Climate Resilience
In response to the precedent negative impacts of Climate Change, farmers have resolved and shifted to commercial fish farming as a way to sustain their households. When properly invested, fish farming has changed the lives of many as they are now able to sustain their families. Aquaculture has transformed quite a number of livelihoods as they are able to get into contract fish
farming meaning their produce has a ready market. However, despite the trade having lucrative returns on investment, some farmers still find it expensive to venture in the new climate resilient farming as they have no access to water sources. On average, drilling a 40metre borehole in Zimbabwe cost between us$1,000 – us$1,500 thus making it difficult for an ordinary subsistent communal farmer to raise such an amount at once. Above drilling a borehole, noting that rural electrification has not been widely effective across all ends, an additional cost of equipping the borehole with a solar powered borehole
pump will be required at an estimated cost of us$1,500. Other costs that include construction of the fish ponds makes it further financially straining to an extent that many farmers cannot manage the start-up costs.
As the impacts of Climate Change continue to hit Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector, farmers bemoan the prolonged dry spells and short rain seasons making it difficult for most farmers to adjust to the new rainfall patterns thus seeing a growing trend in the uptake and adaptation of the fish farming business. By: Tinashe Muzanamombe
