Integrated food security and livelihood project aimed at building long term resiliency in the face of a changing climate – focus on fish farming, featuring recipient Jairos Smoko
In Mwanza district in southern Malawi, the Malawi Red Cross Society, with the support of the Finnish Red Cross, has been implementing an integrated food security and livelihood project in the three localities of Njanjama, Kunkhoma and Ng’odzo. Reaching 3,488 people, the project’s goals included increasing the knowledge and capacity of families on livelihoods; improving availability and accessibility to food at the household level, and improving the capacity of Red Cross staff in implementing and sustaining Red Cross activities. The five-year project had an estimated budget of 238,000 euros.
The project adopted a diversified approach and included activities such as bee keeping, fish farming, small scale irrigation, backyard gardens, and livestock production.
100 people were identified to take part in the fish farming activity. Twenty-six ponds were excavated and stocked with fish. Recipients were trained on fish farming management, and given supplies such as nets for fishing, and tools to excavate the ponds.
Recipients such as Jairos Smoko say the fish add nutrients to their diets, which is making them healthier. He sells surplus fish at the market for additional income to support his family, including paying school fees for his children, and purchasing materials needed for farming. The project is sustainable because community members are involved from the beginning and assume ownership and responsibility for maintaining the ponds.
TIMECODE:
0:00 – 0:05: Mango trees provided by Red Cross
0:05 – 0:13: Sun filtering through mango tree canopy
0:13 – 0:20: Pan shot of banana trees to maize crops with fish pond in background
0:20 – 0:26: Beneficiaries of fish pond walking down path towards pond
0:26 – 0:40: Beneficiaries of fish pond walking down path towards pond
0:40 – 0:44: Beneficiaries of fish pond walking down path towards pond (hand held camera)
0:44 – 0:51: Beneficiaries maintaining perimeter of pond
0:51 – 0:58: Fish pond chairman carrying net towards pond
0:58 – 1:04: Fish pond chairman carrying net towards pond
1:04 – 1:07: Beneficiaries using fishing net
1:07 – 1:10: Beneficiaries using fishing net
1:10 – 1:14: Beneficiaries using fishing net
1:14 – 1:17: Fish farming scheme chairman in water adjusting net
1:17 – 1:22: Fish farming scheme chairman in water adjusting net
1:22 – 1:24: Fish farming scheme chairman in water adjusting net
1:24 – 1:30: Beneficiaries around the pond, using fishing net
1:30 – 1:33: Beneficiaries around the pond, using fishing net
1:33 – 1:42: Fish farming scheme chairman in water adjusting net
1:42 – 1:56: Beneficiaries using fishing net
1:56 – 2:02: Fish farming scheme chairman in water adjusting net
2:02 – 2:07: Fish farming scheme chairman in water with net
2:07 – 2:13: Fish farming scheme chairman in water with net, example of how fish are caught
2:13 – 2:18: Fish in hand, example of how fish are caught
2:18 – 2:20: Close up of MRCS embroidered on vest
2:20 – 2:36: Pan across landscape, showing fish-pond
2:36 - ENDS