Near East Foundation - Fascination With Fish Farming...Fresh Funding Infusion Needed

Hajem Haleseh, Near East Foundation country director in Jordan, is THE national authority on fish farming in his country. When he gets going on his favorite subject... well...frankly...it can become too much of a good thing.

But it IS interesting. For example, did you know that the female tilapia fish keeps eggs in her mouth for four or five days, where they grow before being released into the water and rising to the surface? Not incidentally, Hajem also mentions it was Tilapia from the Jordan River that Jesus used in his miracle of the five loaves and two fishes...however, these days NEF gets its Tilapia from Egypt. And Jordan needs culture change when it comes to fish, he adds, because of the big gap between how much fish Jordanians eat (2.62 kilos per capita) and the World Health Organization's recommended 14 kilos--30.8 pounds. "Before...we never ate fish," is his simple declaration.

GETTING SERIOUS

For potentially thousands of farmers of the Jordan Valley, fish farming could be very serious business: increasing their incomes, enhancing nutrition and their country's food security, and very importantly, contributing to wise water management--in an area that is one of the 10 poorest in the world when it comes to this precious resource. NEF came to these conclusions after collecting data while conducting the only study ever done on fish farming in Jordan. Not incidentally, Hajem holds a master of science degree in fish farming engineering from Romania.

While fish farming may look simple enough and low tech...so you need a pond with water and some fish and feed them three times a day just like people, proper fish farming requires meeting three basic conditions. Not incidentally, the Jordan Valley qualifies nicely. Temperatures are such that farmers can grow summer crops like fruit trees, bananas, tomatoes and other vegetables in a growing season that extends both into the spring and the fall. In fact, this is the only place on earth where crops can be grown in winter without greenhousing. Also the water level cannot go below one meter, otherwise fish ponds become too warm and kill the fish. The area again meets the standard since the government provides irrigation water to farmers twice a week from reservoirs they maintain. And perhaps most important, you have to have a well-managed farm and know such basic as how to calculate weight and measure growth to determine how much to feed the fish among other issues, which means receiving counseling and training like what NEF has been providing to farmers in the Jordan Valley since 1989.

NEF HISTORY

Actually NEF's first fish farming activity took place in the oasis of Azraq back in 1986, and based on that success, another dozen sites were identified. Medium-scale commercial operators were attracted by the opportunity to diversity their cropping away from an over-reliance on vegetables, plus fish were healthy for consumers and the government eager to encourage local production, reducing dependency on foreign imports. Tilapia, which prefer a warmer climate, were selected to provide experience with a single type of fish.

In 1989 NEF moved its fish farming experiment into the Jordan Valley, working with very poor, small farmers this time and with what was there. Nine received fingerlings, fish feed and technical assistance, including training about proper fish care and fish feeding and how to monitor pond health by checking water temperature, oxygen and algae levels. Demonstrating their commitment, the farmers literally "bought into" the program by contributing their own money to help cover fish feed costs. In 2001, 10 new farmers joined; in 2002, yet another 50 more. In addition, NEF managed two demonstration farms in Gor Al-Fasi to stimulate interest and lend credibility to fish farming in the area as well as train an additional four fish farming engineers from the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture.

WIN WIN SITUATION

That gradual, careful build up provided a firm foundation and in March 2004, 56 new farms joined through a grant from the Jordanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation with support from the US Agency for International Development. Again, fish farmers made an investment in the program, contributing a 60 percent share of expenses with NEF providing the rest. There was no resistance, no difficulties. In a textbook example of good water management, all farmers used the fertilizer-rich, fish pond water to irrigate their crops twice a week.

In this very poor area, farmers increased their annual incomes by a significant-for-them 10-15 percent. Their fish ponds yielded 500 kl of fish, others with double ponds, even 700-800 kl--that's about 23 tons of fish from 56 ponds, both food for families and neighbors as well as income. (This particular area has as many as 600 ponds--and that much more potential fish production.)

Further, NEF introduced a local businessman, Ziad Atalla, to a new opportunity, so if the farmers did not have a market for their surplus--he bought their fresh fish wholesale, then sold them in Amman. NEF even convinced the same businessman to revive an old fish farm, which provided fingerlings, feed, even distribution--from the now-named Farah Fish Farm. An enterprising entrepreneur, he also developed an adjacent and soon flourishing fish food restaurant; so successful, he is planning yet another fish farming/fish restaurant combination a drive away. In short, EVERYTHING about this program is local.

FUNDING NEEDED

But now for the first time, farmers are continuing on their own, picking up the entire tab because Near East Foundation no longer has funding for this particular program, an investment of 19 years. There are about 1,750 farmers in the southern Jordan Valley--which extends for 200-plus kl with variable temperature changes up to 15 degrees--with even more farms in the north. The next stage was to involve yet more farmers, potentially thousands, even go national; as well as diversity fish species, including carp and mullet; and extend marketing to other large Jordanian cities than the capital Amman.

Forced to stop because of security issues with the Intifada in 2000, NEF also wants to return and revive fish farming in economically-beleaguered Gaza in the Palestinian National Authority. The water pumps are idle, but "in good condition," Hajem emphasizes with evident eagerness, and when the airport reopens...Gaza will be just one hour away. Clearly Hajem's fascination with fish farming persists.

In its routine, in-house, expertise sharing, NEF also sees good fish farming potential in Sudan, and has a proposal seeking funding for a project in Al Shagara, about 9 km south of the capital Khartoum. In cooperation with the Fisheries Employees Production Association, NEF wants to establish demonstration fish-farms for production and training purposes, and at a later stage duplicate this experiment in other areas of the country and with private businesses.