Fish Food: Tilapia farming as an innovative enabler

When we talk about social innovations to deliver basic human needs, probably the most obvious topic is providing substantial nutrition to those with meager financial assets. In many developing countries, malnutrition and food insecurity are widespread and tend to catalyze other social problems, such as disease, or inability to work due to fatigue. Further complicating the issue is the fact that many developing countries are resource poor--either naturally, or due to poor resource management--and the ability to produce a sufficient nutritious food supply is often lacking.

In recent years, aquaculture (as opposed to agriculture) has grown in popularity as a way to bring food security to resource poor nations. The most common form of aquaculture has been the establishment of tilapia farms in villages and communities across the globe. Tilapia farming is simple, cost effective and provides both good nutrition as well as economic opportunities to the families that run the farm.

Construction of a tilapia farm

The basics of tilapia farming are as follows: a small farmer, or perhaps an entire community, constructs a series of basic small ponds (about 200-300 square meters) that are connected by small canals. The ponds are simply dug out of earthen ground and require little to no investment, other than labor and basic tools. They are then stocked with tilapia fingerlings, which cost about $1.30/kg. Tilapia are hardy fish that reproduce quickly, which makes maintaining an ample supply relatively easy. Feeding the fish can be reasonably inexpensive as well, as farmers can just add compost and manure to a pond to fertilize the water, which produces plankton for the tilapia to eat. The fertilized water can also be supplemented by a variety of feeding options for the fish--such as rice bran, table scraps, and green leaves--that require little additional cost.

The ponds can be stocked with approximately 3-5fingerlings per square meter, meaning a 500 square meter project can provide 2500 fish or so. It takes about 4-6 weeks for the fish to grow to consumption size, at which point they are ready to be eaten or taken to the market to be sold. The income generated from the fish can help cover operating costs of the pond and allow the farmer to sustain and perhaps even grow his venture.

Many non-profits and aid groups have supported tilapia farms in various countries as a way to provide sustainable food and income at a low cost. A financial analysis of a tilapia farm project in Mozambique found that a 500 square meter pond, stocked with 2500 fingerling, would have a cost of $950 USD and would generate $3000 USD in revenue (for one production of tilapia). Extending the project for multiple cycles is extremely feasible and, unlike traditional agriculture, does not drain natural resources. In fact, tilapia farms can enhance traditional farming methods by providing new sources of fertilization.

Tilapia farming, at its core, represents the notion that a social innovation does not have to be wholly new. Farming is most certainly not a new concept, and neither is the act of raising fish to sell. However, taking that act and applying it in a way that enables it to bring social change to many populations that struggle to find adequate nutrition is a model of innovation that has proven quite successful.

Sources:
1. http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.echocommunity.org/resource/collection/E66CDFDB-0A0D-4DDE-8AB1-74D9D8C3EDD4/Fish_Farming.pdf
2. http://www.unuftp.is/static/fellows/document/alda08prfa.pdf