Tilapia fish farming pilot project in Sahrawi refugee camps (Extension)

Following the construction and commissioning of the N’khaila fish farm in previous phases of the project, phase 3 focuses on the development of fish farming in the camps and the general empowerment of the structure. Five Tilapia grow-out micro-projects are being developed, with the main aim of popularizing fish farming in the Saharawi refugee camps.

To achieve this, training courses are organized by a consulting firm for the staff of the N’khaila fish farm. These enable the team’s technical knowledge to be further honed and the farm’s management capacities to be strengthened. Of the people benefiting from this training, 5 are receiving additional training to manage a fish farm in each of the camps. Technical improvements are also being made to the N’khaila farm to ensure its continued operation, such as equipping the farm with a system for heating the water in the incubation basins.

To ensure the production and distribution of tilapia to the camp communities, production at the N’khaila farm has been stepped up.Fingerlings are still incubated there, and broodstock are purchased to increase and renew the farm’s stock.Fish grow-out and pond maintenance are carried out by the farm team.Finally, the fish are harvested for sale or distribution.

In the meantime, the procedures for equipping the fish farm micro-projects with all the necessary equipment have been launched.

The aim of this final phase of the project is to make the fish farm self-sufficient, but to achieve this, the structure needs to reach a sufficient level of economic viability. Funding will therefore still be required over the next few years, in particular for the purchase of feed, equipment and tools.