2023 - Uganda | South Africa

Organisation Name - Innovative Youth with Action Uganda (IYAU)

Address - Plot 54, Old Mbale Road - Pamba – Opposite Soroti Municipal School at JCK apartment-Upper Floor

Telephone Number - +256 784893749

E-mail Address - projects@iyauganda.org

Website - www.iyauganda.org

Contact person - Mr. Apetu Joseph (Grants and Partnership Coordinator)

Legal status of the organization - Community Based Organisation

Location of the project - The project will be implemented in Uganda, Teso Sub region, Serere district, in the fisherfolk community of Kadungulu Sub county, which is approximately 400 km by road from the capital city Kampala.

Project Title - Sustainable integrated fish-vegetable production project

Total project budget - $12,123.7

Amount Requested from Next World Now - $10,000

Contribution from IYAU - $2,123.7

Submitted to - Next World Now Community Investments

About the Organisation - We believe sustainable development and transformation are essential to ensuring the creation of well-founded initiatives that empower poor, marginalised and vulnerable people to change their lives and their communities. We work to empower them with the tools and knowledge they need to allow them to overcome the many challenges they face and enable them to focus on creating innovative, sustainable business initiatives. It is these well-founded initiatives that create jobs and, in turn, ensure a lasting, more prosperous society. As the well-known adage has taught us, IYAU will help provide the hook, or access to it, that then empowers and allows the people to fish for themselves. We help to light a small spark that can grow into a larger fire, after we are gone.

Innovative Youth with Action Uganda (IYAU) is a non-profit indigenous charitable community-based organisation that promotes empowerment of poor, marginalised and vulnerable people for sustainable change. We do this through facilitating access to skills development, entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, income generation and job creation, education, HIV/AIDS services, orphan and vulnerable child care and support services, human rights advocacy, basic health care services, peace building, zero tolerance to gender based violence, and sustainable agricultural practices. We have comprehensive experience in the above areas to promote environment and climate change, women's empowerment, sustainable agriculture, innovative approaches to women and youth participation, thus creating opportunities for alternative sources of livelihood, and to contribute to social transformation in Uganda. Our initiatives continue to work towards meeting UN established Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).

IYAU was founded on the premise that it is critical to elevate poor, marginalised and vulnerable people’s needs and ambitions to take responsibility for their communities. All of the Organization’s work aims to contribute to a society that supports, encourages and embraces the self-assurance of poor, marginalised, vulnerable people and the communities they live in.

IYAU adopts a human-centred design and systems thinking when developing its programs by:

a)             Accounting for the input and feedback of beneficiaries and all key players through regular surveys and in-person interviews.

b)             Understanding the ecosystem, its key elements and relationships.

c)             Human behaviour study.

Summary

The project aims to sustainably enhance female-headed households' income generation capacity on sustainable integrated fish-vegetable production using solar-powered Aquaponics fish farming, and to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) 2. This will improve the nutrition security for 100 female-headed households in the Kadungulu sub-county, in the Serere district by providing households with an affordable and profitable Aquaponics system to generate nutrient-rich food and by developing sustainable business models to generate income. The project will further improve the nutrition, health, food security, land quality, and family cash access for 10 female-headed households living in extreme poverty every year in the fisherfolk community of Kadungulu sub-county in Serere district of Teso sub-region in North-Eastern Uganda.

The project will work with one agricultural engineer to train the beneficiaries on how to build a Climate-Smart Tank-Based Solar Powered Aquaponics system, whose year-round harvests of 20,000lbs of fish and 22,995 vegetables (tomatoes and spinach) will generate $20,675 per annum. The Climate-Smart Tank Based Solar Powered Aquaponics systems will be housed in a low-cost greenhouse (32x65 feet) and managed by the project steering committee composed of the beneficiaries and the Community Development Officer of Kadungulu Sub-county. The land for establishing the Climate-Smart Tank-Based Aquaponics System has already been provided by one of the project beneficiaries. Some of the fish and vegetables will be consumed by the beneficiary households, thus promoting healthy diets.

50% of the income generated (which equates to $10,337.5 per annum, equivalent to 38,248,750 Ugandan Shilling) shall be divided equally among the 10 female heads of households that will be organised into one self-help group. This translates into $861.5 per household per year, which further equates to $2.4 a day, which is an increase from $0.25 - $0.65 per day which they previously survived on. 30% of the income generated (which equates to $6,202.5 per annum, equivalent to 22,949,250 Ugandan Shilling) shall be used for the procurement of 10 new Aquaponics tanks and their accessories to be distributed to an additional 10 beneficiaries. The initial beneficiaries will train the 10 additional beneficiaries every year on how to build a climate-smart tank-based Aquaponics system monitored by the project staff. After a year, the initial beneficiaries will donate 200 fingerlings for a new Aquaponics fish farm. These deprived women were selected based on their level of vulnerability where many have engaged in sexual behaviour for fish as a means of survival and to put food on the table for their families. They will be organised into one self-help group and provided with a climate-smart tank-based Aquaponics system with fingerlings, which they will rear as a group after acquiring the necessary training from the initial beneficiaries and the project agricultural engineer. 10% of the income generated from the project (which equates to $2,067.5 per annum, equivalent to 7,649,750 Ugandan Shilling) shall be used to support 25 deprived orphans and vulnerable children (girls) through primary school to attain formal education via the provision of scholastic materials every year. For orphans and vulnerable children to progress well in their education, 10% of the income generated from the project shall be used to purchase school uniforms, books, pens, mathematical sets, bags, and shoes for 25 identified orphans and vulnerable children each year. 10% of $20,675 (which equates to $2,067.5, equivalent to 7,649,750 Ugandan Shilling) will be ploughed back into the project for the expansion of the initial Aquaponics fish farm which shall be used for the purchase of fish feeds, vegetable seeds, maintenance of solar equipment, and procurement of more climate-smart based tank Aquaponics systems. However, in order to reduce the cost of buying fish feeds, the project staff will train the beneficiaries on how to make fish feeds using locally available products like cassava and potato peelings among other resources. This cycle will continue until all of the selected beneficiaries for the project benefit from it. However, the project beneficiaries will be encouraged to identify more disadvantaged women and households to benefit from the project, even if the 100 selected fully benefit from it.

The project therefore aims to enhance the ability of these households to acquire sustainable income streams through Aquaponics fish farming that will enable them to earn income and put a healthy and nutritious meal on the dinner table for their family. The project will improve their ability to acquire sustainable income streams through organizing themselves into one self-help group, build their capacity in Aquaponics fish farming, and link them to organised markets in order to enable them to sustainably run the venture and generate stable income.

Project Objective

·         To support 100 female headed household’s living in extreme poverty to become financially independent, self-supporting and resilient by creating sustainable livelihoods and enhancing their income generating capacity through Aquaponics fish farming.

·         To establish an effective Monitoring & Evaluation system for the successful implementation of the project.

What is the present local situation that the project seeks to address

Sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by gender inequality in the form of income, health, education, employment and human rights; suggesting that efforts aimed at reducing extreme poverty benefit males relatively more than females. According to the National Population and Housing Census 2014 for area-specific profile, Serere district has 10,566 households headed by females and 37,170 households headed by males.

In Serere District, poverty is concentrated in female-headed households, especially in rural areas. These households face numerous socio-economic challenges and are met with difficulties and inabilities to reach their well-being and social needs including health, education for their children, as well as domestic food requirements and other social needs, due to a lack of sustainable income generation and access to finance. Most of these households survive on one meal a day, less than $0.25 and have a small piece of land which they cultivate.

Food and agriculture production systems across the world are facing unprecedented challenges in the face of climate change. Without action, this will lead to unpredictable growing seasons, failed crops, loss of soil health, reduced biodiversity, and increased hunger and food insecurity.

 Small-scale subsistence farmers in Uganda are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change; increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and increased risk of drought lead to poorer harvests and reduced income. Women make up 76% of agricultural employment in Uganda-fulfilling vital roles in the management of natural resources and food production.

Despite their vital role in the global food system, women face disproportionate challenges compared to rural men; they are more likely to be food-insecure, lack access to land, resources and market information and tend to have less decision-making power.

The effects of climate change, in particular the acute drought conditions, are drastically affecting the food production base of rural women farmers in Serere, Uganda. The shortage of food is causing a spike in price, increasing the burden on local agriculture supply lines and causing many to go hungry. There is a growing need for new approaches to guaranteeing sufficient food supplies for the women and their communities in the Serere district, Teso sub-region, Uganda and to develop innovations in farming to protect the land and environment from further degradation. The combination of food insecurity and poverty has had a devastating effect on the rural women of the Serere district. Many women in the Serere district in Kadungulu Sub-county are engaging in prostitution (fish/food in return for sex) as a means of survival and to put food on the table for their children; a practice exposing them to the dangers of unplanned pregnancies and the scourge of HIV/AIDS. Sex for fish behaviour among fishing communities is where women engage in sexual intercourse with fishermen in exchange for fish. Desperate women in need will give in as long as they are getting anything in return, but most men lure them with fish.

It was during our community engagement meeting and vulnerability assessment that we conducted in September 2022 at Kadungulu Sub-county with female headed households, child mothers, widows, and single mothers who live in Kadungulu fishing community that the need for this project was identified. The development of this project will enable them to avoid the risks associated with sex for fish behaviour, earn their own income and put a healthy and nutritious meal on the dinner table for the family. A total of 100 deprived female heads of households, widows, and single mothers attended the community engagement meeting and the project has already selected 10 female heads of households to benefit from the pilot.

Subsequently, the project will support and empower ten deprived women each year who have already been selected. These women will receive one climate-tank based Aquaponics system with fish fingerlings via the 30% income generated from the project. Training will be provided by the project agricultural engineer and initial beneficiaries, on how they will construct and manage the system. The women will breed Tilapia and Catfish species as they are the best fish to raise in Aquaponics. These fish can adapt to their environment, can withstand less than ideal water conditions, are resistant to many pathogens and parasites, and can handle stress. Tilapia is a hardy fish, known to be quick to adapt to its environment and easy to breed; they also grow up to maturity faster than most other cultured fish - in the appropriate conditions they can grow up to 2.5Lbs in seven months. Tilapia and Catfish have a faster growth rate (about 6 - 9 months from fingerlings to harvest), can reproduce quickly, are highly consumed in the region and are great for eating. They also have an omnivorous diet (they don’t eat other fish), don’t require lots of dissolved oxygen and are top feeders. Breeders can assess their consumption quickly and adjust accordingly.

In order to address the above, IYAU has been looking into a number of ways to address the fish for sex behaviour and improve agricultural efficiency in the face of these climate challenges, and it has found that Aquaponics is one of the most promising options. Combining the culture of fish and plants in a closed-loop water-recycling system, allows for the year-round production of protein (fish) and vegetables. IYAU will focus on the use of multiple-grow bed, and semi-commercial fish-tank systems – a method resistant to fluctuations in the weather.

This pilot project therefore aims at enhancing female-headed household’s income generation capacity, through sustainable Aquaponics fish farming that will enable them to earn income and put a healthy and nutritious meal on the dinner table for their families.

How will the project address the situation

This project seeks to address the challenges faced by these women by piloting Aquaponics fish farming as income generation. The project will sustainably empower female headed households by generating sustainable incomes through Aquaponics fish farming, and to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) 2. IYAU has already identified beneficiaries through its community engagement meetings to benefit from this project. The project will work with one agricultural engineer to train these women in how to build and maintain a climate-smart tank based Aquaponics system that will guarantee the year-round production of proteins (fish) and vegetables.

The project will organise the beneficiaries into one self-help group each year. The self-help group members will be in-charge of management of the climate-smart tank based solar-powered Aquaponics systems which will be stocked with 4000 fingerlings of tilapia, 4000 fingerlings of catfish, along with 20 packets of tomato seeds and 20 packets of spinach seeds for the grow bed. They will be given start-up feeds which will cater for fish feeding for 9 months when they start harvesting. However, to reduce the cost of buying fish feed; the project staff will train the beneficiaries on how to make fish feeds’ using locally available products. The success of any fish farming business is greatly increased if the farmer produces his/her own feed.

Subsequently, the Climate-Smart Tank Based Solar Powered Aquaponics systems will be utilized as a sustainable community learning farm where interested farmers, community members, and students around the farms catchment area and beyond will have a unique hands-on opportunity to learn about Aquaponics, that they will later be encouraged to replicate in their households, schools, and communities. The project beneficiaries will achieve the required training in building and maintaining a climate-smart tank based Aquaponics system from the project agricultural engineer. They can then utilize their learning’s to train other community members who visit their farm on a daily basis.

This new project aims to empower and support 10 female-headed household’s living in extreme poverty in becoming resilient, self-sustaining entrepreneurs. This project aims to equip women living in poverty with entrepreneurship training through work on Aquaponics fish farming as a business that gives them the skills and confidence to transform their lives, and that of their families, through the creation of a self-sustaining business. The project will ensure that the COVID-19 standard operating procedures of preventing the spread of the novel corona virus are followed as per the WHO and Ministry of Health guidelines when implementing the project.

The project plans to implement the following activities;

●        Train 10 female heads of households on how to build and maintain a climate-smart based Solar Powered Aquaponics system, bio-security measures and fish health management, in fish breeding, feeding and feed making using locally available products.

●        Acquisition of solar power system (Solar water pump).

●        Acquisition and stocking of Aquaponics system with fish fingerlings (Tilapia and Catfish).

●        Procurement of tomato and spinach seeds.

●        The training of 10 female heads of households in harvesting and marketing of fish, good farm management practices, and business management and planning.

●        Hold 1 project inception meeting targeting 15 key stakeholders for project overview.

●        Hold quarterly project review meetings with the project staff, project steering committee, and beneficiaries.

●        Carry out monthly project monitoring and end-of-project evaluation to monitor and evaluate the outcomes, review experiences, successes and challenges in the project and identify mechanisms for sustainability.

Empowering women through entrepreneurship creates change for entire families and communities. The project will enable 10 female-headed households living in extreme poverty to develop their entrepreneurial skills, build their confidence and increase their financial independence creating an innovative, achievable, and scalable pathway out of poverty. Entrepreneurial education is a proven and sustainable solution to poverty. It nurtures human capital and helps people help themselves.

This will foster the sustainability and economic empowerment of these households’ thus empowering them to become self-reliant and self-supporting through the income earned from the sale of fish and vegetables, impacting the lives of their children, affording their education, nutritious meals, medical care, and safe housing.

The support will go a long way in enabling these households’ to become financially independent, empowering them to make sustainable contributions to their well-being and break the cycle of correlated poverty. Thus, supporting them to pay for their children's school fees, pay for medical bills, and reduce malnutrition as a result of improved family diet and nutrition.

The project is expected to:

·         Reduce malnutrition due to improved diet

·      Increase incomes and improve the economic status of female-headed households through business ownership, enabling them to pay medical bills, feed their families, and send their children to school (pay schools fees, purchase scholastic materials, pay for mid-day meals).

·     Increased investment and utilization of Aquaponics fish farming in the context of job creation and community nutrition. The Aquaponics system makes fish farming accessible for anyone who wants to earn an income or who wants to put a healthy and nutritious meal on the dinner table for their family.

·        Increased school attendance and academic performance of orphans and vulnerable children through the utilization of the 10% of the income generated from the project which shall be used for purchase of scholastic materials.

This project will empower and support female-headed households living in extreme poverty through economic development, education and confidence building, enabling them to become more resilient, determined and focused. These women will become entrepreneurs and increase their income by an average of 65%. For those living on less than $0.65 per day, they will experience a 4 times increase in their income. This is a transformational change that will impact the lives of their children, affording their education, meals, medical care, and safe housing. When we invest in women, they invest in their communities. By increasing their incomes through business ownership, women can feed their families and send their children to school.

How will the results or achievements of the project (Monitoring and Evaluation plan)

Monitoring will be done routinely by Innovative Youth with Action Uganda staff using field monitoring forms and weekly reports. Information will be collected on a monthly basis using designated questionnaires and field monitoring forms. Monthly, quarterly and annual reports will also be submitted to the Donor/ Funder in soft copy.

Internal monitoring will be done to ensure the collection and reporting of data on inputs and outputs. Data will be derived from quarterly expenditure and work data supplied by project participants (households) as well as from disbursement records and verification visits to activities. This will be supported on a project-wide basis by the funder who will monitor technical performance indicators and completion of activities and outcomes against project work plans.

Impact Evaluation will be carried out to assess the progress and impact of the project. Project beneficiaries will be asked to provide feedback to the project management team regarding positive aspects and any shortcomings in the project implementation. Anecdotes from the project beneficiaries about their experience and overall perceived benefits (e.g. improved child nutrition, food security, land quality and family income, etc.) will be compiled through informal interviews.

Semi-annual progress reports will be prepared and submitted to the funder, steering committee and partners. The reports will, inter alia, outline the activities undertaken, the achievements made, the constraints encountered and the lessons learned. Inception and Progress reports will be produced within 3 and 6 months of commencement of the project.

Based on the progress reports and feedback received from the community and beneficiaries, necessary adjustments to the project will be identified and recommended to the project steering committee for consideration. The final project evaluation and independent audit report of the project will be provided on project completion during month 12.

Information and updates regarding the progress of the project will be published on the organization’s website and social media pages. The report will feature aspects of the implementation process, the results and impact of the project on local communities and the general lessons learned.

When funding from Next World Now for the project comes to an end, an external evaluation firm will be consulted to do an independent evaluation and then share the report with all stakeholders. IYAU will provide biannual narrative and financial reports during the project and a final report 3 months after the end of the project.

IYAU will also commit to monitoring the project for 10 years when funding from the Next World Now comes to an end. Each year, 10 more deprived women will be selected to benefit from the project.

The monitoring and evaluation plan will be implemented through the following ways.

·         Availability of experienced monitoring and evaluation team as well as enough technical and financial resources in this part of the project for boosting learning and sustainability of the project

·         The use of weekly, monthly, quarterly, and final checklist to track performance of the project

·         Data collection using designated questionnaires, field monitoring forms and the prepared indicators

·         Production and evaluation meetings with farmers, customers, and stakeholders

Project Outcomes

●        Increased involvement of families of women living in extreme poverty in Aquaponics for food security and income generation.

●        Reduction in the number of women engaged in “sex for fish” due to the availability of fish protein and vegetables.

●        Improved child nutrition, food security, land quality and family income access.

●        Improved water efficiency and reuse of wastewater, along with innovative water capture and storage.

●        Increased demand and supply of fish.

●        Improved knowledge of Aquaponics amongst farmers living within the farm catchment area and beyond, which they will later replicate in their households and communities

●        Ensured food security, livelihood improvement, and climate change resilience.

●        Increased access to climate-smart agriculture.

●        Enhanced environmental sustainability due to the utilization of Aquaponics systems which saves swamps and the depletion of fish species from lakes.

Methodology

·         IYAU will organise production and community engagement meetings for project development with the intended beneficiaries and stakeholder in Kadungulu Sub county in Serere district and to further document the size of land to be used for establishment of Aquaponics fish farm.

·         IYAU will work with the intended beneficiaries to ensure that the productions are linked to fish processors, restaurants, daily markets, and available schools with school feeding programs in Serere District

·         IYAU will work along with other partners such as Serere Agricultural and Animal Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries in accessing their training programs and visibility of the project

Community engagement

IYAU conducted vulnerability assessment and community engagement meeting with the intended beneficiaries, community leaders, and the political leaders in developing this business plan especially in addressing the issue of increased cases of women engaging in sex for fish behaviour, location of land donated by one of the intended beneficiary, type of fish to be reared, production size, market strategy, and plan for sustainability of the project. The community engagement meeting started by sharing this opportunity, what Next World Now funds and as well as discussing the internal assessment and capacity of IYAU to implement this project.

Market strategy

 The initiative will reach families, hotels, restaurants, daily and weekly markets and local fish processing industries in Teso Sub region for marketing of the products. Families living within the farm catchment area will also come and buy fish and vegetables directly from the farm. IYAU will also work with schools in the region implementing the school feeding program and supply them with fish and vegetables.

What is the planned duration of the project and its beneficiaries

The project will be implemented for a period of twelve months, starting from the time that the funds are disbursed to the organizations’ account. However, the tentative project start date is September 2023 to August 2024. In the first year of the project pilot, it will directly support 10 female headed households including over 150 of their dependants. However, every year, 10 additional deprived women already identified through community engagement meetings and vulnerability assessment will be selected to benefit from the project and organised into one self-help group. They will receive the necessary training on how to build and manage the climate-tank based Aquaponics system which they will obtain from the initial beneficiaries of the project and be provided with a climate-smart tank based Aquaponics system from 30% of the income earned from the project. More than 1,500 community members will acquire the skills and knowledge on Aquaponics every year, by utilizing the Climate-Smart Tank Based Solar Powered Aquaponics system farm as sustainable community learning farms in which interested farmers, community members, and students around the farms catchment area and beyond will have a unique opportunity to gain hands on education in Aquaponics, which they will later be encouraged to replicate in their households, schools, and communities using locally available materials.

What is Aquaponics system and its benefits

Aquaponics is an innovative, sustainable food production system integrating aquaculture with hydroponic vegetal crops. Aquaponics has a key role to play in food provision and tackling global challenges such as water scarcity, food security, urbanization, and reductions in energy use and food miles. The circularity of the system saves water compared to rain-fed and irrigated agriculture and can be implemented on non-fertile lands as it is a soil-less growing technique.

Aquaponics is a sustainable method of food production combining aquaculture (raising aquatic animals) and hydroponics (cultivating plants in water).  In this circulating system, fish waste acts as a natural fertilizer for the plants, these plants then absorb those nutrients and return clean water to the fish.

The Aquaponics system consists of two parts:

A grow-bed where crops grow in a fertile sand-gravel mixture and a tank beneath the grow-bed for the fish. The two parts rely on and complement each other — The fish tank provides water and organic nutrients to the plants in the grow-bed, while the plants clean the water before it returns to the fish tank. Fish farmers can install the system inside of or next to their homes, saving space and making it easy for those with physical constraints to access and operate. An Aquaponics system saves water too, by recycling water between its two parts. It brings fresh fish right into the home. The Aquaponics system makes fish farming accessible for anyone who wants to earn an income or who wants to put a healthy and nutritious meal on the dinner table for their family.

Aquaponics is an integrated system of growing fish simultaneously with vegetables in the same unit. It can be based in backyards, inside homes, or green houses. It has a high potential to provide fish for both home consumption and for sale. It involves rearing fish and growing vegetables (for example cabbage, taro, tomatoes, and spinach) in the same growing medium (water). The fish are confined in a closed system with water re-circulating within. Fish excreta and nutrients are used and waste water is channeled to the filtering unit containing vegetables (grow beds) providing the required nutrients for fast growth to yield a completely organic product. These units serve both as vegetable growing facilities and water filtration to be re-use in fish growing. The plants use the nutrients from fish effluents thereby purifying the water to benefit the fish with zero waste to the environment and there is no need for exogenic fertilizer.

Watch these videos to see how the system works; https://youtu.be/Tq_voF2bzbM and https://youtu.be/V2CuEfwQ9Zc

Benefits of the Aquaponics systems

●        The advantage of this system is that production of fish is high, production costs and labour are minimal and there is no recess between one production cycle and another.

●        Instead of using toxic chemicals (fertilizers) to grow plants, Aquaponics and tank fish farming use nutritious fish effluents as plant nutrients.

●        It avoids environmental pollution because instead of discharging waste water, Aquaponics uses the plants and growing media to clean and reuse the water indefinitely. The only requirement for water is to replace the lost by evaporation.

●        There is potential for breeding juvenile fish for sale as stocking seed and bait in addition to ornamental fish like goldfish. It can be located indoors in a living room, kitchen or veranda.

●        Practicing these farming forms in the urban centres with high fish demand guarantees quick access to a better market and improved family nutrition. The incentives for increasing fish production in the urban centres include: the increasing demand for fish and reduced supply from traditional fisheries. 

●        Aquaponics systems operate with little environmental impact to produce high quality, hormone-free fish and organic vegetables, without the use of artificial fertilizers, harmful pesticides, and dangerous herbicides.

●        Aquaponics emphasizes water conservation. Generally, Aquaponics uses 90% less water than conventional vegetable gardens and 97% less water compared to standard aquaculture methods. Additionally, the re-circulating system keeps waste out of watersheds. This makes a big difference in places where access to water is limited.

●        Aquaponics is a versatile and adaptable method of sustainable farming. Systems can be built on just about any scale and designed to fit in almost any space.

●        Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth and is abundant in a healthy Aquaponics system. Nitrifying bacteria converts ammonia and ammonium (found in fish waste) into nitrates, a form of nitrogen that plants can use as fertilizer. 

Project Innovation

The project integrates fish rearing and horticultural crop farming in a closed-loop water recycling system referred to as Aquaponics farming. It is transformative in that it introduces integrated fish and horticultural crop farming to provide the much needed nutritional supplement and alternative incomes (if done commercially) in the  majority of rural, urban or peri-urban household settings. It is also a low-cost technology approach; and encourages rainwater harvesting and storage at the household level, where water can then be used for other domestic purposes and promotes water efficiency.

The technology involves growing horticultural crops such as spinach, green paper, tomatoes, among others in a permeable 10 - 15cm deep tray filled with a growth medium (for example husks or a loamy soil, gravel, etc.) and rearing fish in a 1.0 cubic metre water tank below the tray. Fish waste water is routinely introduced via the tray through irrigation; organics in the water decompose releasing nutrients that are taken by the crops and some are used by the fish in the tank. Water from the tank is recycled into the tray daily at given rates. Additional water may be added to replace that lost via evapo-transpiration processes.

Project Justification

●        The dwindling fish stocks in Lake Kyoga.

●        The Fisherfolk community has been restricted to a few fishermen registered by the government leaving out many, especially women, who used to venture in fish sales as a means of survival.

●        The combination of food insecurity and poverty has had a devastating effect on the rural women of the Serere district. Women are engaging in prostitution (fish for sex) as a means of survival and to put food on the table for their children - a practice exposing them to the dangers of unplanned pregnancies and the scourge of HIV/AIDS.

●        Declining fish eating culture because of high fish costs.

●        Increasing protein/nutrient deficiencies in diets.

●        Gender inequality in the form of income, health, education, employment and human rights. Deprived women especially widows, child brides, women with disabilities, Female headed households among others, face numerous socio-economic challenges and are confronted with difficulties and inabilities in meeting their social and livelihood needs including health, education for their children, as well as domestic food requirements and other social needs, due to lack of sustainable income generation and access to finance.

●        Declining water availability with changing climate.

●        Limited access to commercially viable farming land.

●        It is a low-cost technology that enhances rainwater harvesting, storage, and water use efficiency.

●        It can be done on small land, for example backyards, and produces high premium price horticultural crops.

●        Improving fishing culture - Fish is perceived to only grow naturally in lakes, swamps, or rivers. This needs to be demystified by household fish farming.

Advantages and challenges of Aquaponics

The advantage of Aquaponics over other fish farming systems such as rack cages in lakes and ponds is that fish is protected from vermin (for example snakes, birds, frogs, rodents) and other externalities including floods and theft. When managed properly, it is possible to harvest 98%-100% of the fish fingerlings introduced in to the system unlike other systems whose fish yields are usually less than 90% of stocked fingerlings.

IYAU recognizes the unique role of women in atypical Uganda household, given that they are traditionally responsible for fetching water and providing food for the health and nutrition of their families. Their activities directly affect the environment, as well as being disproportionally affected by food insecurity and climate changes. Women also tend to be more committed to rearing/growing crops and livestock compared to men. It is against this background that IYAU decided to meaningfully involve them in the project.

Challenges of Aquaponics

·         Continuous production means a farmer needs greater access to seedlings, fish feeds, fingerlings, water and knowledge about how to maintain and market the produce.

·         Dead fish: dead fish happen in an Aquaponics system sometimes, but if there is over one dead fish in your system, you need to check your system. The first you need to check is ammonia can kill your fish, so you need to check your ammonia levels regularly. However, if the problem continues you need to check all of your system’s components to make sure that there is plenty of oxygen in your water.

·         Water temperature: different fish thrive in different temperatures, so it is important to choose fish species that will thrive in your location and climate. Another important thing to consider also is selecting the location for your fish tank. If you have an outdoor Aquaponics system, make sure that your fish tank is not exposed to the sun for most of the day. Too much sun can decrease the oxygen level in your water that can harm the fish. There are several tips in monitoring the water quality of your Aquaponics system and knowing these will be a big help in maintaining your system.

·         Contaminated water: using water that may not be clean is a big risk in Aquaponics. So be sure to use clean water in your system like rain water and potable pH neutral well water. If your water is treated with chlorine, it must be removed before it can be used in the system. You can remove the chlorine by allowing the water to be used to sit out for 24-48 hours before using it. Chlorine gas will dissipate during the resting time, leaving clean and de-chlorinated water.  

·         Too many fish in the tank: too many fish will overcrowd your fish tank and make your system less efficient. It is advisable not to fill your fish tank and keep stocking density low if you are starting your system. With low stocking density, you can easily manage your Aquaponics system and avoid any stock and collapse. Too many fish will release lots of fish wastes that will be more than what the plants can filter. A good rule of thumb is to keep one fish per every eight gallons of water. Anyway, you always have the option to add fish later when you see that your system needs more fish. So, it’s a waste to overstock fish and lose them to death or have to take them out.

Sustainability

The long-term sustainability of the project is underpinned in: (a) participatory approaches and training of beneficiaries on Aquaponics; (b) utilization of female heads of households to oversee and organize project activities and deliver outputs and evaluate impact through identification and training of additional  beneficiaries hence transferring and sharing knowledge; (c) active participation by beneficiaries in ensuring long term management of their Aquaponics system through expansion; (d) beneficiaries forming and constituting themselves into investment clubs and self-help groups; (e) the initial beneficiaries will be encouraged to provide one deprived female headed households with an Aquaponics system from part of the income realized from the Aquaponics system (f) we shall ensure that we work with these beneficiaries for over 10 years until they realize their full independence.

Reporting and sustainability of the project

·         IYAU and the intended beneficiaries will report on regular basis by means of narrative reports, payment vouchers, receipts, pictorials, attendance lists, including purchase and sales records. All records will be kept from the beginning of the project for reporting purposes and tracking progress of the project. IYAU will select a Project Manager who will work with group leaders and members of the project cycle.

·         Sharing of reports to partners for more collaborations in efforts of expanding productions and marketing in the future

projects@iyauganda.org    12:52 AM (10 hours ago)

INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT FOR SUSTAINABLE INTEGRATED FISH-VEGETABLE PRODUCTION COVERING THE MONTHS OF OCTOBER 2023 TO MARCH 2024

SUBMITTED TO

NEXT WORLD NOW COMMUNITY INVESTMENT

BY

RESILIENT VILLAGES UGANDA (REVU)

FORMERLY

INNOVATIVE YOUTH WITH ACTION UGANDA (IYAU)

INTRODUCTION

We believe sustainable development and transformation are essential to ensuring the creation of well-founded initiatives that empower impoverished women and girls to change their lives and their communities. We work in partnership with communities at village level to empower them with the tools and knowledge they need to allow them to overcome the many challenges they face and also enable them to focus on creating innovative, sustainable community led and driven development initiatives. It is these well-founded initiatives that empower them to become economically secure and, in turn, ensure a lasting, more prosperous society. As the well-known adage has taught us, REVU will help provide the hook, or access to it, that then empowers and allows the people to fish for themselves. We help to light a small spark that can grow into a large fire that burns on its own, after we are gone. We invest in women to build their own futures, offering a supportive hand-up instead of a handout: No endless aid or dependency, here. Through this approach, we create transformation in communities, bolstering children’s health and education along the way. 

Resilient Villages Uganda (REVU) is a grassroots non-profit charitable community-based organisation that promotes empowerment of impoverished women and girls for sustainable change. We do this through facilitating access to education, health and nutrition, women rights and gender equality, and women’s microfinance programs, to build resilient livelihoods. We have comprehensive experience in these areas, and we believe that families and communities benefit when women and girls are educated, engaged and economically secure. All our work aim to close the opportunity gap for women and girls, thus creating opportunities for alternative sources of livelihood, and to contribute to social transformation in Uganda. Our initiatives continue to work towards meeting UN established Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).

REVU was previously known as Innovative Youth with Action Uganda (IYAU) until December 2023 when the General Assembly together with the Executive Committee in consultation with different stakeholders resolved to rebrand the name to “Resilient Villages Uganda” to best represent the organisations geographical coverage and activities. REVU was founded on the premise that it is critical to elevate impoverished women and girl’s needs and ambitions to take responsibility for their communities. REVU’s ultimate goal is to engage the communities in developing an empowered and socio-economic society through the creation of secure sustainable community-based development initiatives that benefit women and girls. We work via community partnerships at village level to co-create programs that are appropriate for them and the environment in which they live. We are diverse in approach and singularly focused on developing the lives of women and girls who are marginalised and vulnerable due to extreme poverty. All of the Organization’s work aims to contribute to a society that embraces, supports, and encourages the self-assurance of impoverished women and girls and the communities they live in.

In September 2023 Resilient Villages Uganda formerly  Innovative Youth with Action Uganda received the first tranche grant of $5,00 equivalent to 18,250,000 Uganda shillings from Next World Now community investment for implementation of “Sustainable integrated fish-vegetable production project” in Kadungulu Sub County in Serere District for a period of 12 months. The grant support enabled us to construct concrete fish tanks for breeding 4,000 fries of catfish fingerlings, procure 850kg of fish feeds, and purchase 4,000 fries of catfish fingerlings.

The project aims to sustainably enhance female-headed households' income generation capacity on sustainable integrated fish-vegetable production using solar-powered Aquaponics fish farming, and to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) 2. This will improve the nutrition security for 100 female-headed households in the Kadungulu sub-county, in the Serere district by providing households with an affordable and profitable Aquaponics system to generate nutrient-rich food and by developing sustainable business models to generate income. The project will further improve the nutrition, health, food security, land quality, and family cash access for 10 female-headed households living in extreme poverty every year in the fisherfolk community of Kadungulu sub-county in Serere district of Teso sub-region in North-Eastern Uganda.

The project worked with the Serere District Fishers Officers, National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) technical staff, and one agricultural engineer from Nicho Ventures limited to train the beneficiaries on how to build concrete fish ponds for raising catfish, whose year-round harvests of 20,000lbs of fish will generate $10,675 per annum.

The project contracted Jobcom Energy Services Uganda Limited to procure and install the solar water pump and its accessories, unfortunately they procured a weak solar system which could not run the system the whole night. They were told to re-procure a strong solar system which they delayed to deliver and there contract was terminated. This prompted us to allocate the funds for procurement of 4,000 fries of catfish fingerlings and 850kg of fish feeds. A good solar company will be identified to supply a strong solar system which can be utilized the whole night when the second tranche is realised.  

Four concrete fish tanks used to breed 4,000 Catfish

The activities which have been implemented until 26th March, 2024

l   Hold one project inception meeting targeting 15 key stakeholders for project overview

The project held one project inception meeting with 15 key stakeholders at Kadungulu Sub county headquarters for project overview. In attendance were the the District Fisheries officer, the Sub County Chief, the Sub county Community Development Officers, the Sub County Agricultural Officer, Local Council three chairperson, NARO technical staff and the Sub County councillors.  The project Manager took the key stakeholders through the project overview and it was surprising that most of them knew about the project because they were involved in the initiation of the project idea. The District Fisheries officer and the NARO technical team advised the project to use concrete tanks for raising of catfish fingerlings because they are more durable and with regular maintenance, they can last for many years.

l   Construction of concrete fish ponds for raising catfish fingerlings

Nicho ventures Limited was contracted to construct the concrete fish ponds as advised by the District Fisheries officer and National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) technical staff. Two big concrete fish ponds (10x20 feet) roughly 150 square feet and two small concrete fish ponds (5x10 feet) were constructed by Nicho Ventures Limited in the months of October 2023 to November 2024.  These concrete ponds were constructed to enable the beneficiaries separate the catfish which grow very fast from the small ones. The cat fish which grows very fast is transferred to the next pond to avoid them feed on the young one and also enable the small fingerlings to grow.  Fingerlings are raised from small ponds and those which grow big are transferred to the medium size pond, and the big pond respectively to avoid the big ones from feeding on the small ones. The project procured 100 bags of cement, 1,250 concrete blocks, 7 trips of river sand, and 2 trips of aggregate which were used for construction of the fish ponds. Plastic tanks which are already procured by Nicho Ventures will be used for raising of Tilapia when the second tranche is realised. Water from the concrete fish tanks is changed every three weeks  to control ammonia. The agricultural engineer trained the beneficiaries hands-on on how to construct a concrete fish pond. The project will procure 10 climate smart tanks for breeding of Tilapia fingerlings which are recommended to be raised in tanks or ground ponds. This will be procured when the second tranche. Is realised. We contracted Nicho Ventures to procure the fish tanks and green house which they have already done, but they will only supply when the funds for the second tranche are realised.  The video of catfish playing and eating from the concrete pond can be viewed from here : https://youtube.com/watch?v=65wHm4gTDtM&feature=shared 

l   Procurement of Africa Catfish fingerlings

4,000 fries of African Catfish fingerlings were procured from Nicho Ventures farm located in Soroti City which were delivered in good order to Kadungulu Sub County in Serere District where the fish farm is located. Fingerlings were placed in the small fish ponds and those which grow bigger than others are transferred to the medium size fish pond. Fish is feed twice daily, at specific time (usually 10:00 am and 5:00pm) at specific feeding spots. Beneficiaries sometimes use chicken and pig droppings locally available feedstuff to feed the fish in order to reduce the cost of buying fish feed. We expect to start harvesting the fish in the month of June 2024. We haven’t realised any dead fish currently.

l   Procurement  of fish feeds

850 kgs of fish feed was procured by Nicho Ventures and delivered to the project farm in good order. The fish feed included starter fish feed 40%, Grower fish feed 35%, and Finisher fish feed which is 30%. The fish feed was purchased from Koudijs which has the best quality fish feed that lead to high efficiencies.

Lessons learnt

The idea of involving the local community from inception of the project is yielding results. This is because the local people feel a part of the project and recognize the project as their own hence their efforts and contribution as seen. The most effective and sustainable solutions to problems faced by local communities, particularly livelihood related issues are best generated and engineered by local people themselves. Therefore, a thorough empowerment of local people with the needed skill-set to develop businesses/strengthen their local trade is needed in the long term to be able to sustain the local demand that will be generated by Aquaponics fish farming in the long run. We also learnt that fish can grow rapidly in concrete fish tanks.

Challenges

There is need to procure a chain link fence and solar lights to help protect the fish ponds from night thieves. Currently, the beneficiaries replace water by draining it out and replacing with clean ones after every 3 weeks which looks hectic. We hope to procure solar water pump and its accessories when the second tranche is realised to enable the water re-circulate.

Conclusion

The project has so for made some significant progress towards achieving its set objectives and goal. The project is also being utilized as a sustainable community learning farm where interested farmers, community members, and students around the farms catchment area and beyond have a unique hands-on opportunity to learn about concrete pond fish farming. The project team as part of initial discussions aims at leveraging on this project to attract more funds to support the community of Kadungulu Sub County.

Medium size catfish eating fish feed from the concrete tank

next steps

The following are key next steps for the project;

l  Procurement of 10 Aquaponics fish tanks and its accessories  for breeding of Tilapia each tank at 400,000 = 4,000,000

l  Procurement of solar water pump and its accessories = 7,000,000

l  Procurement of 4,000 fries of Tilapia fingerlings = 2,000,000

FINANCIALS

l  Procurement of Africa catfish fingerlings  4,000 fries @5,000 = 2,000,000

l  Procurement of fish feeds 850kgs @5,000,000 = 4,250,000

l  Construction of concrete fish ponds  = 12,000,000

1. Cement - 100 bags @36,000 = 3,600,000

2. River sand - 7 trips @100,000 = 700,000

3. Concrete blocks - 1,250 blocks @4,000 = 5,000,000

4. Aggregate - 2 trips @870,000 = 1,740,000

5. Labour = 960,000

Grand Total                                                             = 18,250,000

Community members who visited the fish farm learning about fish farming hands-on

 Regarding the name change to Resilient Villages Uganda, besides the

name difference, has any of the focus of the mission changed (it seems

the focus is similar to the original mission) from your description?  Has

there been any staff changes as well?

The focus of the mission has not changed but Resilient Villages Uganda is

committed to accessing and providing opportunities to improve the lives of

impoverished women and girls. There have been some changes of the Executive

Committee and staff. Joseph Apetu has been promoted as the Team

Leader/Executive Director of Resilient Villages Uganda and Agnes Kabonesa

former Executive Director of Innovative Youth with Action Uganda took up

another job somewhere as remained as an advisor for Resilient Villages Uganda.

Regarding the progress to date - what production data can you provide

for the outcome of the 4000 fries of catfish fingerlings?  What is the

output in terms of weight gain, survival, ready for harvest, harvested,

etc?

Production to Date

Nicho ventures Limited supplied 4,000 healthier fingerlings of catfish each

weighing 50g which are all still alive to date. It takes 90 days for catfish to reach

1kg. They currently weigh 2kg and we expect to start harvesting and selling them

in the month of June,July,and August when they reach the weight of 4-5kg

respectively. Catfish starts reproduction at 12 months, where they will be moved

to shallow waters to lay eggs. The larva of the catfish is able to develop within 72

hours after fertilization. We expect to retain some 1,000 mature catfish to be used

for reproduction. Catfish can survive in poor conditions especially during the dry

season. They can feed on different feeds reducing on the cost of feeding for the

farmer. They have a short maturity period, and they can easily survive as

compared to the rest at the young stage.

Bus

NextWorldNow 2023 Grant

 Business Plan – USD 9 120

Project Objectives:

To create an on-site Sewing Centre with a learning and earning environment where we will:

1.  Train >500 elderly women over time to use sewing machines (150 in the next 12 months)

2.  Enable these trained grannies to replenish their stock of crafts efficiently and faster to increase their income

3.  Avail the sewing machines freely for community use into the future, so that

1.  New grannies can continue to be trained as they join us

2.  Existing grannies can continue supplementing their income in this way

4.  Use the vast amount of fabric that is continually donated to us and turn that into a sustainable source of income for the grannies via sewing project

5.  Restore dignity to our beneficiaries by actively working towards self-sufficiency

Project outcome

Our desired outcome is to have a fully functioning self-contained training and earning environment where our community of grannies can improve their own livelihood far into the future, making extra income sustainable and the grannies more self-sufficient.

It is also our longer term intention that eventually (once sufficient grannies are trained) we can create an online platform which will broaden their target audience and thereby further increase income, in the future. (Currently they sell privately, and to any visitors to our Centre, and some at local markets.)

Project description and action plan

Proposed use of funds:

1.      Purchase a 40ft shipping container to be erected on our own premises in Khayelitsha.

2.      Adapt the container for use as a Training and Sewing Centre (to house 11 sewing stations), and also a storage facility for the vast amounts of fabric donated on an ongoing basis to GAPA for use by the grandmothers.

3.      Purchase sewing tables, cupboards, and other storage equipment for use.

4.      Train and upskill >500 grandmothers to use the machines and increase their output of crafts to increase their income (we already have an on-site craft trainer)

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Monitoring & Evaluation (to confirm outcomes)

·         Ongoing registers of all the women who attend the training

·         Certificates confirming Training completion

·         A Daily Roster for use of the machines after training, where the trained and upskilled grannies can book timeslots to use the Centre to manufacture items for sale

·         Sales figures to monitor increased (personal) income

Implementation & Timeline

 September 2023:    Purchase container from initial 50% of funding disbursed

October 2023:          Supplier to complete refurbishment and deliver to our premises

November 2023:     Purchase sewing tables, cupboards, other storage and equipment, from remainder of 35% disbursement, after balance of container purchase paid

Dec 23/Jan 24:        4 week hiatus over Dec/Jan holidays

Mid Jan 2024:          Commencement of training of grandmothers by our on-site skills trainer, alongside of use by them of the sewing machines to immediately start creating increased income

Sept 2024:               Receipt of 15% disbursement

December 2024:     Completion of training of initial 150 grannies and Centre used thereafter as a permanent training facility and ongoing use by our community of elderly women into the future

Draft Budget.

1. Purchase of 40 FT Shipping Container including                       

refurbishment into a Sewing work space/storage         ZAR  154 000   USD 8 410              

2. Additional Shelving/Work tables/Storage                        ZAR   13  000   USD    710

3. Income of Craft trainer for 12m @ ZAR6k pm               ZAR   72 000 USD 3 930

4. Donated materials                                                              NIL               NIL

TOTAL                                                                                 ZAR 239 000   USD 13 050

Less GAPA contribution                                                         ZAR   72 000 USD   3 930

GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED                                     ZAR 167 000 USD   9 120

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