This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English AgricultureReport.
Aquaculture can supply protein-rich foods by simple methods andlow-cost equipment. Aquaculture is the production of food fromanimals and plants that live in water.
One popular environment for aquaculture is a small pondsurrounded by land, away from the ocean. Fish such as carp andtilapia are produced in this way.
Twenty-five percent of the pond should be deeper than everywhereelse. Auburn University Professor David Bayne says the deepest areasshould be no more than two meters deep. Everywhere else should be noless than one meter deep.
You can plant grass on the bottom. But remove all trees andbushes from the bottom and sides, in order to keep the level ofoxygen high enough for the fish.
You should also remove all rocks. And you should remove all treeswithin nine meters of the edge of the pond. This is so leaves willnot fall in. Leaves can use up a lot of the oxygen.
You can feed the fish many kinds of foods. These include cassava,sweet potatoes, banana and maize. Other foods include coffee andwastes from fruit-processing factories. Feed the fish only as muchas they can eat in one day.
Aquaculture requires good quality water, and you must know howmuch is available at all times.
One way to make a pond is to build a dam along a waterway in asmall valley. Another way is to build up dirt all the way around anarea above ground. If you dig a hole, it will be hard to drain.
Professor Bayne says you should put a pipe at the bottom of thedeepest part of the pond. This pipe goes through the dam or the dirtand comes out at the surface. The pipe should be big enough to emptythe pond in what Professor Bayne calls a reasonably short period oftime.
You can harvest the fish by letting some of the water escape fromthe pipe. Then the larger fish can be caught by hand or with nets.There should be enough water left for the fish that remain in thepond. Fish can also be harvested with nets from the top of the pond.
You can harvest the fish at any time, but it is best done in coolweather. If necessary, the pond can also be dried out at this timeto fix any problems.
You can get more information about aquaculture from Volunteers inTechnical Assistance. This group is on the Web www.vita.org.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by GaryGarriott. This is Gwen Outen.