Nyeri County Govt Investing in social protection to secure equitable blue transformation in the fisheries sector

The County Government of Nyeri, through the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, in collaboration with the Aquaculture Business Development program (ABDP), today marked World Fisheries Day at Kaiyaba, Mathira West sub-county. The theme of this annual event, celebrated every 21st of November, was “Investing in social protection to secure equitable blue transformation in the fisheries sector.”

Kenya’s inland aquaculture sub-sector is growing rapidly in response to declining capture fisheries and increasing national demand for fish. To this end, ABDP is a program that has expanded the aquaculture value chain to increase the volume and value of fish. The 8-year program, jointly funded by the Government of Kenya and the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), has been implemented under two mutually related components; promoting the production of small aquaculture farmers and developing producer public-private partnerships (PPPP) along the value chain. Through the program, farmers are advised on site selection for ponds, pond construction, seed selection and stocking density, pond fertilization, fish health, record keeping, savings, financial literacy, and collective marketing, among other techniques for production based on the felt needs of the producer.

Agnes Wamuyu, the Program’s Fisheries Officer, noted that the objective of the celebration is to create a platform to bring aquaculture stakeholders together for interaction, knowledge, and skills exchange. She further highlighted that through ABDP; it has become possible to increase farmers’ income and promote the food security and nutrition status of their households.

“On this day, we acknowledge the key roles played by all fisheries sector stakeholders, especially the small-scale fish farmers, suppliers, value chain actors, and other relevant departments,” added Agnes.

Jessie Mbare Muriithi, a youth fish farmer from Kaiyaba, Mathira sub-county, who was the host for this event, is a propitious beneficiary, rearing over 2,250 table-size catfish.

“ I never worry about job hustling. Apart from being a grafter, this is part of my investment, and I’m grateful I am making a decent income from it. I want to thank the Fisheries directorate for the support, with pond liners and training that capacity build on fish rearing through ABDP,” added Mbare.

Pastor Ruth Muthoni, a fish farmer for the last three years, noted that there is a ready market for fish, making it a lucrative agribusiness. She thanked the County Government for its continued support to farmers by providing resources for fish farming, such as liners and fish feeds, and further training them on preparing and cooking the fish.

ABDP has supported 917 small-scale fish farmers with liners and fencing materials. The fisheries sector has since noted that several farmers have transitioned from level one to level 2 (producing more than 100kgs fish per cycle).

This year, Nyeri County shone nationally after the county delivered impressive results during the second annual Aquaculture Business Development Programme (ABDP) stakeholders review workshop, emerging third out of the 15 implementing counties after Meru and Kakamega during the review workshop.