Talapia Africa chickens, pigs Two different spellings are valid I think. Tilapia Africa chickens, pigs ---------------------- sent: 25 May 02 Subject: Farming fish (Tilapia) I got some interesting information in a fish store yesterday. The old man who ran the place said that in some of the poor parts of Africa that they feed corn to chickens that are caged so that the droppings fall into a pig cage. The pig?s droppings fall through wire mesh into a pond that becomes food for Tilapia fish. The fish, pigs, chickens are all farmed in this manner. The pond is used to irrigate the corn crop. In the following I have attempted to find more information on this. If anyone else has information please post it. Agriculture food and nutrition for Africa - A resource book for Teachers of agriculture http://www.fao.org/docrep/w0078e/w0078e00.htm#TopOfPage http://www.fao.org/docrep/w0078e/w0078e06.htm#P4641_298753 Tilapia aurea http://www.ksuaquaculture.org/fish.tilapia.htm Biodiversity and Conservation: A Hypertext Book by Peter J. Bryant http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/bio65/lec07/b65lec07.htm Tilapia (whole) fresh/live/frozen available wholesale We have tilapia available to retailers and wholesalers grown to one to one-and-a-half pounds. The fish are available whole only. Live or frozen. The fish are blue with a red crest, and are delicious. We can offer very competitive prices, consistent and on-schedule delivery, great customer service, and a wonderful product. Please contact me with any questions. (954) 520-5463 jeremy@webguild.com Thanks, Jeremy Davis http://cherrysnapper.com/bbs/messages/360.html http://cherrysnapper.com/bbs/index.sht An Interesting Travel report. Most of the people living in the rural areas of Congo are subsistence farmers. Also, like CAR, in much of Congo the main staple food is cassava or plantain bananas. ??. By 1990 there were over 2,000 fishponds producing fish. Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is the fish of choice for fish farming in the Congo. As in CAR, the more experienced farmers also were encouraged to grow local catfish (Clarius gariepinus) in a “polyculture” with tilapia . http://www.ksuaquaculture.org/AfricaWeek3.htm ------------------------------ most of the people living in the rural areas of Congo are subsistence farmers. Also, like CAR, in much of Congo the main staple food is cassava or plantain bananas. Many different types of vegetables and fruits are eaten. During this time of year there is a native fruit called nsafu that is abundant in villages throughout much of the country. The fruit is oval shaped and purple in color when ripe. It has a skin like a plum, but with a soft, greenish avocado like flesh underneath and a large, smooth seed in the middle. The nsafu is boiled, often eaten with salt or sometimes with sugar, and it is sometimes served on a stick (like a lollipop). It is not sweet and can be a little sour and/or bitter if not ripe. While there is not a lot of cattle here as in CAR, goats, chickens, ducks, pigs are the typical livestock. And, of course, some fish is also raised. Hunting and fishing still provide significant amounts of protein, especially in the northern part of the country. Congo?s history of fish farming parallels closely that of CAR. Fish farming fits well with the farming practices in the Congo and provides both an important source of nutrition, particularly protein, and income. During the 1970’s and 1980’s, with the assistance of FAO/PNUD, fish farming was encouraged, especially in the southern part of Congo. By 1990 there were over 2,000 fish ponds producing fish. Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is the fish of choice for fish farming in the Congo. As in CAR, the more experienced farmers also were encouraged to grow local catfish (Clarius gariepinus) in a “polyculture” with tilapia. This was feasible during a time when catfish fingerlings were being produced at the large government fish station (Djoumouna) located just outside of Brazzaville. Good quality supplemental fish feeds could be purchased fairly easily including by-products from wheat milling, peanut oil extraction and beer brewing. Available agricultural by-products were also used to develop a low-cost pig ration and the association of pork production and fish production increased profitability of fish farming even more. Though the demand for fish is still high, presently, there are not a lot of fish ponds in production in the Congo. Principle among the reasons for this situation is the fact that during the 1990?s, the Republic of Congo suffered a period of civil unrest and instability. Many people, especially in the southern part of the country, had to leave their homes to find safer places to stay, often far from their villages and farming activities. In their absence, the fish ponds were often emptied of water and the fish harvested. Today the country is, thankfully, at peace and the government is working to put itself and the economy back together. Most people have returned to there homes, but are still a bit wary about re-investing the time and effort into their fish ponds. A few people that I had an opportunity to visit are just now stocking their first ponds with fish and many more are putting their ponds back into shape. Unfortunately, some people are not finding it easy to get started again as they have to deal with things like the loss of their tools, a shortage of fingerlings, dams and dikes that have been destroyed often leaving ponds without access to water, and theft. As usual, in the first days after my arrival in Brazzaville, I met with Republic of Congo and FAO officials. I developed my work plan which has included both researching the FAO archives and making trips around Brazzaville and into the countryside. The first fish ponds I visited were those at the large national fish station at Djoumouna, just outside Brazzaville. The fish station was abandoned during the troubles and most of the buildings were damaged and most of the records lost. With the help of a small grant from the Italian Embassy, a couple fingerling production ponds and the canal system is being put back into shape. Other ponds, some new and others abandoned, belonging to private individuals were also visited in and around Brazzaville. This past Wednesday, 09 January, we packed up the 4 wheel-drive and headed up-country towards Mindouli, a city about 180 miles west of Brazzaville. During the 4 days on the road, I met with local government officials, fish farming extension agents, and visited fish farmers and their ponds. The area visited, in particular, was deeply impacted during the recent civil unrest. There were still visible signs of a terrible, troubled time. As an example, when I visited here years ago I traveled on an asphalted road and it took us about 4 hours to get to Mindouli. Today, the asphalt has all but disappeared and it took us 6 hours to get just half the distance. Although the road was rugged and the trip rough, it was good to see that people are starting to get their lives back to normal and despite the difficulties and many hardships they are presently faced with. There?s still a lot of interest in fish farming and the people I spoke with understood clearly the benefits. It?ll take some time and a lot of work, but people here, and in Africa in general, are hard working and very resilient. They will be back on their feet and fish farms will be back on the map. All for now, Gordon http://www.ksuaquaculture.org/AfricaWeek3.htm