Can smallholder fish ponds in Africa be climate smart?

Olek Kaminski

Olek Kaminski

Fish ponds do more than just provide income and food - they also provide a critical component to climate smart farming - water!

Aleksander (Olek) Kaminski, a researcher at the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling discusses the potential benefits of incorporating fish farming into household livelihood strategies with Professor David Little.

Using the wetland to store water

Using the wetland to store water

The podcast discusses the income and food security benefits of having a pond by also looking beyond just the fish and seeing the pond as a strategic component of a larger food system, one that is interconnected with terrestrial crops and livestock; but also as a potential tool against climate shocks - begging the question: does having a pond on your farm make you more climate smart?

Pond dykes used for additional cropping

Pond dykes used for additional cropping

For further information on this topic, please consult the following references:

Harnessing the diversity of small-scale actors is key to the future of aquatic food systems (Rebecca Short et.al, 2021) https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00363-0

Environmental performance of blue foods (Jessica A. Gephart et. al. 2021) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03889-2

Aquatic foods to nourish nations (Christopher D. Golden et. al. 2021) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03917-1