First six aqua shops open in western Kenya!

Farm Africa and partners welcome the opening of six new aqua shops in Nyando and Samia districts in Western Kenya as part of a scheme to encourage farmers to become involved in small-scale fish farming to spread livelihood improvements in Kenya.

The new shops will provide technical advice and all the necessary materials to set up and maintain healthy and productive fish ponds and lakes.

Wild fish stocks in Kenya’s lakes are dwindling, mainly due to overfishing and pollution.  As the demand for fish outstrips supply, prices of fish are rising. Small-scale fish farming helps to increase the supply of fish and provides farmers with another way to earn an income and feed their families. 

The new aqua shops will compliment the work of Kenyan Fish Farming Enterprise and Productivity Programme which will encourage growth in the aquaculture sector and grow public private partnerships.

Farm Africa is working in partnership with Natural Resources International; the University of Stirling and Imani Development to deliver the pilot scheme and improve livelihoods.

Farm Africa is working with the UK Department for International Development Research into Use Programme to deliver this pilot which, it is hoped, could provide a model for franchised outlets for farmers wishing to take up fish farming to improve their livelihoods.

The aqua shops concept was first trialed in India and Vietnam where it subsequently went on  to significantly benefit aquaculture development in a number of rural and periurban locations in each country. This initiative aims to bring similar benefits to the lives of Kenya’s farmers.