By Brighton Tchongwe
KASUNGU-(MaraviPost)-In the remote area of Kasungu District, approximately 76 kilometers from the district center, the Visoyo Somba Group from Zara Village, led by Chairperson Carlos Longwe, expressed appreciation to Norwegian Church Aid and Dan Church Aid for supporting their fish farming project.
The group has successfully constructed two fish ponds, currently housing about 10,000 fish.
Longwe shared that the group began fish farming last year with 40 members, receiving 2,500 fish species from Vipsya Fisheries.
They have since transferred about 3,000 fish to another pond.
The group plans to sell larger fish for 4,000 kwacha and smaller fish for 1,000 kwacha, anticipating total earnings of 5.5 million kwacha. They are currently negotiating with restaurant and hotel owners to start selling by the end of the month in Kasungu District.
“We are very excited about our two fish ponds. We expect to earn more than 5.5 million kwacha from fish farming twice a year, which is significantly better than maize harvesting, especially considering the risks of floods and droughts. We plan to add more ponds and acquire goats for manure to ensure that every member has at least one goat,” said Longwe.
Another beneficiary, Host Farmer Sekerani Butao from the Takumana Incubator in Traditional Authority Wimbe, about 94 kilometers from Kasungu District, revealed that the group’s vision is to help every member develop their family through the Takumana Incubator.
“We have learned a lot from the Takumana Incubator, enabling our families to access vegetables and tomatoes. We want every member to have a goat to sell for their needs, such as school fees.
However, there is a scarcity of water, and members often walk long distances to find water for their gardens. We appeal to development partners for assistance with potable water to increase our garden yields and profits,” said Butao.
During a media tour highlighting success stories of farmers in Kasungu District, Senior Group Kasiya from Traditional Authority Wimbe expressed gratitude for the Project, which has helped the community profit from the Takumana Incubator and encouraged others in the district to embrace the project.
In his remarks, Robin Pemba, the Kasungu Agronomist for Norwegian Church Aid and DanChurchAid, said that the project aims to enhance access to inclusive and well-functioning markets for 5,640 smallholder farmers, improving their income and resilience.
Pemba explained that the initiative focuses on increasing the production and productivity of horticultural crops through micro drip irrigation, promoting diversification among smallholder farmers by venturing into aquaculture, apiculture, and value addition while linking them to well-functioning markets.
The project is being implemented in partnership with Thanthwe Farms and Kwithu Kitchen across two Extension Planning Areas (EPAs): Chamama in Kasungu and Euthini in Mzimba. Pemba noted that Thanthwe Farms and Kwithu Kitchen serve as offtakers for the crops and honey produced in the project, respectively.
“We are collaborating with Thanthwe Farms, the main offtakers for all horticultural crops grown in the project, and Kwithu Kitchen, which primarily purchases honey. This project aims to transform farmers’ lives by encouraging them to treat farming as a business and sell their crops locally,” said Pemba.
Currently, Kwithu Kitchen has purchased a total of 3,043 kilograms of honey from beekeeping farmers, generating over 9 million kwacha.
Additionally, Thanthwe Farms has bought 27,000 kilograms of high-value crops, resulting in over 34 million kwacha for the farmers.
The project has also engaged 3,780 farmers across 252 incubators, yielding sales of over 36.3 million kwacha.
These farmers have adopted micro-drip irrigation kits, and six micro greenhouses were installed in 2024, bringing the total to ten.
Furthermore, the project has involved 181 farmers in aquaculture production, enhancing their knowledge and skills in group management. It has successfully facilitated the registration of two cooperatives under the Ministry of Trade: Chatuta in Kasungu and Mzambazi in Mzimba.
The project is being implemented in both districts with financial support from Norwegian Church Aid and DanChurchAid under the Government of Flanders.
