Fish and strawberries

Aquaponic garden

According to the Ministry of Agriculture Aquaculture Department, Eswatini is a 100% net importer of fish and fish-related products. Also, above 50% of the Eswatini population lives in poverty. The aim of the project is to realise and impart knowledge and skill so that households in Eswatini are able to produce balanced food within limited space and using sustainable practices.

Aquaponics is a relatively new farming practice in Eswatini but with great potential to address food security at household level. The aim of the project is to demonstrate the potential aquaponics has in addressing such issues. Being potentially the first aquaponics garden in Eswatini, we hope to impart knowledge benefitting the public at large. This, we hope, will also help Eswatini produce its own farmed fish instead of relying on 100% importation of fish and any related fish products.

The main objectives of the project in the first year are:
1. To set up the greenhouse that will house the aquaponic garden.
2. Oversee the installation of the solar system that will be responsible for providing the required energy.
3. To include fish tanks, biofilter and filtration system.
4. Set up grow beds for planting strawberries.
5. Maintain and run the garden to realise its potential to be self-sustainable
6. Marketing of produce using social media platforms and face-to-face engagements with potential customers.
7. Carry out sales of strawberry fruits, tilapia fish and strawberry seedlings.

The aquaponics project is a pilot project to analyse the potential of the approach. It is located within the Ezulwini urban garden run by our other partner organisation PELUM (see What must, how should, how can an umbrella organization for the promotion of agroecology look like?). This is the perfect location for sharing the experience of developing an aquaponic system with other stakeholders in the agriculture sector, other PELUM members (NGOs) and the wider public.

Project site

Ezulwini (Map)

Beneficiaries

Direct beneficiaries:
18 PELUM member organisations and their extension officers: around 11 women and 25 men.

Project costs and assistance by sahee

The entire project costs are CHF 12’000.–. The project is fully financed by sahee.

sahee stays in regular contact with the project leaders, monitors the activities and visits the project on site once a year.

Duration of assistance

1st of April 2025 to 31st of March 2026

Local counterpart

Psycho Social Release