Fish Farming in the Plateau Region of Togo, West Africa by Peace Corps Volunteer Pamela Riley Miklavcic
Fish Farming in the Plateau Region of Togo, West Africa
by
Pamela Riley Miklavcic
These photographs document my work, during 1987 - 1989, as a freshwater fisheries extension agent for the United States Peace Corps. Based in the village of Omoutchi, between Atakpame and Badou in Togo, I worked with farmers in approximately ten surrounding villages to construct gravity-fed fish ponds and then raise and harvest a tasty, fast-growing , hearty fish known as tilapia nilotica. This new food source served to enhance the consumption of protein in Togo's plateau region and also provided families with an excellent way to generate additional household income.
Constructing a pond, part 1:
Digging begins - using the clay based soil excavated from the interior to build up the pond's walls. All digging is done by hand!!!!
The walls are now complete, gently sloped to avoid accidents and make harvesting easier.
Dams are frequently built to raise the rain-induced water level.
Here a channel is being dug - to transport water from the dam to the pond.
Bamboo is prepared for use as overflow pipes and as the sides of an in-pond compost heap.
Constructing the compost heap.
The pond is now filled and ready for stocking. The first stocking is done with fingerlings from a neighboring pond, sometimes several kilometers away (In this instance, the fingerlings are transported from one home to another on the back of a motorcycle...).
