Small-scale milkfish (Chanos chanos) farming in Kenya: An overview of the trends and dynamics of production

Abstract

<jats:p>A number of donor-funded projects by NGOs, government departments and faith-based organizations have piloted milkfish farming along the coast of Kenya at different scales with the aim of addressing poverty and food security at the community level. This paper provides an overview of the history of milkfish farming, organisation of operations, funding, farmers trends, and production dynamics, using both secondary and primary data. Primary data were obtained from quantitative and qualitative assessments covering 26 community milkfish farming groups, while secondary data were obtained from the grey literature and donor-funded project reports. Additional primary data were obtained through 9 key informant interviews covering three coastal Counties, and focus group discussions (8-10 members) at all the community milkfish farms. The study established that milkfish farming could be traced back to the early 1980’s as a by-product of the prawn farming intervention by FAO, and later in other private farms that practised prawn farming. Community/village based small-scale milkfish farming was initiated about two decades ago using organised community groups (OCGs) as the entry point. The number of OCGs undertaking milkfish farming fluctuated with availability of donor funds and increased significantly between 2007 and 2015 with an increase in earthen pond farming area from 0.9ha to 6.8ha over this period. However, the scale of production remained low. Annual milkfish production increased from less than 50kg in 2005 to a maximum of 3.2 tons in 2015. Milkfish farming has not attained production levels that can address poverty and food security issues; a fact that was associated with the lack of reliable milkfish seed for stocking culture facilities. Harvests from existing farms are sold at the farm gate and in nearby market centres with a few communities venturing into opening fish shop outlets to sell their produce. </jats:p>

The contribution of milkfish (Chanos chanos) pond farming to socio-economics and coastal community livelihoods for a sustainable blue economy

“…The low milk sh production in the studied area is related to lack of or low education level. In this study, majority of the milk sh farmers had no formal education and only a handful completed primary education, similar to results obtained for milk sh farmers in Kenya (Mirera 2019). Education is key for small-scale farmers to acquire farming knowledge and skills in order to improve farming and enhance productivity (Haimene 2018).…”

“…The ndings from the present study indicated that milk sh farmers produced 307 kg/m 2 per production cycle equivalent to 458 kg/ha, which is lower than a production ranging from 700 to 1,500 kg/ha (Sumagaysay-Chavoso 2003), and 839 kg/ha (Sumagaysay and Borlongan 1995) reported in Philippines and 525 kg/ha recorded in Indonesia (Limi and Dewi 2023). However, the obtained yield is higher than 0.45 kg/m 2 reported for milk sh farming in Kenya (Mirera 2019). The low milk sh production in the studied area is related to lack of or low education level.…”

“…The results on socio-economic bene ts further showed that, majority of milk sh farmers sold their sh in retail, whole sale and on-farm. Similarly, milk sh farmers sold their sh through wholesale and retail in Taiwan (Su et al 2002) and Philippines (Salayo 2006;Roxas et al 2017) and at the farm gate or in local outlet shops in Kenya (Mirera 2019). The existence of various market options for the produced milk sh in the study area indicate market availability, suggesting that the domestic markets, absorb most of the harvested sh (Bagarinao 1998).…”

Histological Observation Of Milkfish Organs With Stunting Phenomenon

“…Ikan Bandeng (Chanos chanos) merupakan ikan bernilai ekonomis penting yang telah banyak dibudidayakan diberbagai negara seperti Indonesia (Sulistijowati andMile 2016), Filipina (Santander-de Leon et al 2015), Taiwan (Chiang et al 2004), India (Lalramchhani et al 2019), Srilangka (Vasava et al 2018), Kenya (Mirera, 2019), Tanzania (Mwangamilo dan Jiddawi, 2003), dan Kepulauan Solomon (Blythe et al 2017). Ikan Bandeng banyak dikonsumsi karena mempunyai nilai gizi yang tinggi (Malle et al 2019).…”

Influence of environmental conditions on the distribution of burrows of the mud crab, Scylla serrata, in a fringing mangrove ecosystem

“…Recently, the environmental authorities of the West-Indian Ocean have developed conservation programs focused on the restoration of mangrove ecosystems and regulation of crabs' fisheries to ensure the resource sustainability (e.g. Mirera et al 2017a). In this context, improving knowledge of crabs' ecology is essential to better understand population dynamics and, in turn, to efficiently guide restoration and preservation plans.…”