Gishanda Fish Farm is a new sustainable socio-economic development project partnership between Akagera National Park managed by African Parks and FoodTechAfrica, a consortium of Dutch private companies, with the support of the Rwandan and the Netherlands Government.
Located 10km from the Akagera National Park’s main gate, the Gishanda Fish Farm was officially launched on Tuesday, 18 October 2022. Gishanda will accelerate aquaculture development in the Republic of Rwanda by introducing innovation and new skills in the aquaculture industry. The official ceremony was attended by Dr. Solange Uwituze who is the Deputy Director General of Animal Resources Development, the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Rwanda, Mr Matthijis Wolters, African Parks Regional Manager, Jes Gruner and Park Manager for Akagera National Park, Ladis Ndahiriwe. A number of government officials from both Rwanda and the Netherlands, community and partner organisations, whose support support has been instrumental were also in attendance.
Gishanda brings modern fish farming to the Eastern region of Rwanda. Utilising the latest Recirculating Aquaculture System and solar technology to sustainably farm and harvest fish, Gishanda will serve as a source of fingerlings and education to catalyze fish farming in the region. This Fish Farm will be a producer of quality tilapia fingerlings (juvenile fish), demonstrate catfish farming as an accessible protein production option for communities, as well as tilapia production for food: and serve as a model of circular agriculture with the farm effluent fertilizing an on-site organic vegetable farm.
Being the second fish farm of its kind in Rwanda, the project will not only provide employment opportunities for local community members, it will also become an important source of food and protein to supplement local nutritional deficits.
Dr. Gerardine Mukeshimana, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources for the Republic of Rwanda, said: “Gishanda Fish Farm, and the RAS system of sustainable farming, embodies many of the principles that will enable Rwanda to achieve its long-term vision for becoming an upper- middle-income country by 2035, and a high-income country by 2050. Sustainable agriculture, and particularly aquaculture, is an area of strategic focus to simultaneously address food security and to build the sector into a key national economic contributor. Gishanda Fish Farm’s role as a source of quality and education positions it well within this strategy.”
As a result of the Gishanda Fish Farm project, the local communities in Akagera have so far been the biggest beneficiaries in terms of training and skills development. During the construction, two villages received electricity, a school was supplied with clean running water; and local farmers were provided with low-cost rich effluent fertilizer.
Despite Rwanda’s verdant landscape, malnutrition is still an issue and can lead to bush meat poaching. The Gishanda Fish Farm is expected to produce up to 30 tonnes of 350-500g tilapia annually of which at least 10% will be supplied locally at reasonable rates to supplement the local community’s nutritional needs. In addition to the production of fully-grown tilapia, the Gishanda Fish Farm is expected to produce 1 – 1.5 million tilapia fingerlings annually, of which 110,000 will be retained for farm production. A high-quality strain of tilapia, the commercial sale of around one million fingerlings; will bolster the Rwandan aquaculture sector. The balance of 300,000 – 400,000 will be used to re-stock lakes in the region, generating locally viable sources of protein and economic growth on a national scale.
Ladis Ndahiriwe, Park Manager of Akagera National Park said: “It may seem an unusual move for a conservation organisation to be building and running a fish farm. However, our goal at African Parks is to leave a legacy of sustainability, for both communities and protected areas. This project addresses sustainable land use, biodiversity conservation and improving community lives.”
Training and upskilling are at the heart of the Gishanda project, which aspires to become a national learning hub for the aquaculture sector, partnering with education and government institutions as well as the private sector.
Three catfish demo ponds have been built on site to teach household level catfish farming to community members. Pond supplies (lining) and assistance will be provided to the community to develop catfish farming for nutritional and enterprise purposes.
Partnering with organic farming experts in Rwanda, the Gishanda project will also develop a demonstration vegetable farm to teach local farmers methods in sustainable agriculture. The farm will also be offered as a business to a selected community cooperative (the goal is for a women’s cooperative) who will benefit from hands-on technical, sales and financial training to develop a viable and sustainable business.
In 2019, FoodTechAfrica (FTA) developed and opened the first Rwandan RAS farm in Bugesera, Lakeside Fish Farm. The viability of this concept, both economically and technically, was successfully tested through the establishment of a grow-out tank at Lakeside fish farm and is now being applied at scale at the Gishanda Fish Farm. The RAS system allows for the production of high volumes of sustainably produced fish on a small land surface. Because of the re-use of water, it uses 10 times less water than traditional pond-based fish farming systems. FTA’s Wouter Van Vliet says “The confluence of partnerships and technology is a powerful tool for solving some of the most critical food supply issues. At FTA, we are proud of what this partnership has delivered and the ripple impacts it will have on the aquaculture sector.”
The effluent water from the system is highly concentrated in nutrients, making it very suitable as a fertilizer. The integration of solar power with this fish farming system also reduces energy costs and environmental impacts further. “The major goal was to create a system that could generate enough energy to power all of the equipment both during the day and at night. The quality of the system’s components was also given top priority, as uninterrupted power supply is critical,” said Frank Hoogers operational director at Independent Energy.
Beyond the companies’ support, the project was made possible by generous co-funding from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and SHV. SHV subsidiary Nutreco Middle East and Africa will act as a key sponsor and feeding partner for the aqua farming activities.
Matthijs Wolters, the Netherlands Ambassador to Rwanda said, “The Gishanda Fish Farm illustrates the sustainable impact of public-private partnerships and the long-term benefits for the growth of the aquaculture sector in Rwanda. Rwanda’s communities will benefit from the innovative circular economy model that the Gishanda Fish Farm embodies.”
Nutreco CEO Fulco van Lede said, “We are proud to announce today’s partnership with African Parks, and in particular our close collaboration with SHV. Together, we will put Nutreco’s purpose of Feeding the Future into place, in a region that requires more sustainable protein sources.”
Ricardo Kandelman, Executive Board Director at SHV, concluded: “Supporting and educating people to ensure a better future is a perfect fit with the SHV purpose – ‘Courage to care for generations to come’. Throughout our history of more than 125 years we have always cared for people and communities in all parts of the world in which we operate. We are proud that because of our support, this project can be realised. Teaming up with Nutreco makes it even more valuable as it clearly shows what SHV can do if we join forces within our family of companies.”