Islamic Relief is delivering a co-dependent fish and vegetable farm project in Malawi.
Fishpond water is high in nutrients that plants need, and vegetable deposits and waste can be used to feed fish. Increasingly, farmers across the globe are creating co-dependent irrigation systems that allow both fish and plant to benefit from one another.
Islamic Relief is introducing this system to 500 farmers in Malawi, to enable them to expand their work and increase their yield and profit while reducing feeding and water costs and wastage.
In the two-year project, which began in 2013, we are training and equipping farmers in villages in the districts of Nyambi and Machinga to farm fish and vegetables concurrently.
We are focussing on communities to which we have already brought water supplies, enabling them to get the best use out of an existing water source.
Improving health and nutrition
The project also aims to improve the health of communities, by teaching them to sustainably farm both fish and vegetables to feed their families.
Working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Islamic Relief has selected breeds of fish and varieties of vegetables that will benefit one another. We are also working with local community leaders and fisheries to ensure that both the processes and the farm produce is suited to the local environment.
Participating villages have identified sites for fish ponds and vegetable gardens and elected local leaders to guide the project.