In only a few short months, the women’s cooperative garden of Mbantou Croissement is enjoying their FIRST fish harvest!
The Mbantou Croissement Garden was established in 2018 and has a storied history of firsts:
Andando’s first garden in the northern Podor region of Senegal
The first of our gardens in the region to reach 1 million CFA in savings (approx. $1,700 USD) and enter into our 50/50 cost sharing agreement
One of the first two gardens in the Podor region to add aquaculture to their garden
And finally the first of our new aquaculture gardens to harvest their fish!
Due to their continued success and dedication, and thanks to a generous grant from Tomberg Family Philanthropies, Mbantou Croissement installed an integrated aquaculture set-up in their garden in 2024.
Construction workers forming the basin walls for the Mbantou Croissement Garden fish tanks.
We learned a lot since our initial aquaculture pilot program in 2021! Using feedback from the women and our local horticultural technicians, we implemented a new basin design that facilitates a self-sustaining rotation of fish production and breeding.
The fish basin at Mbantou Croissement includes steps that make it easier for the women to monitor fish health as well as harvest mature fish and transfer juvenile fish.
While the women waited for the basins to be completed, they participated in hands-on training at the Andando Keur Soce Training Center. This included both technical lessons on water quality testing, and feeding schedules over the course of production, as well practical hands-on field visits to our existing aquaculture gardens where they could practice harvesting, sorting, and transferring fish.
Aquaculture training at Andando’s Keur Soce Training Center.
After completing their training and receiving all the equipment and supplies they needed, the women of Mbantou Croissement were ready, and eager to get started.
The women of Mbantou Croissement proudly showing their equipment and supplies. They are ready to start fish farming!
In November, they received their starter set of fish fingerlings from Senegal’s Aquaculture Authority. Equipped with the knowledge, skills, resources, and support they needed for success, the women courageously took on the new challenge of growing fish in northern Senegal, on the edge of the Sahara Desert.
Releasing tilapia fingerlings into the fish basins.
Just last week, they celebrated their FIRST fish harvest! Along with vegetables grown in the garden, they enjoyed a delicious meal of “yassa jënn” (rice and fish with onion sauce and vegetables) using all locally sourced ingredients! This really is “Fish to Table.”
A successful first fish harvest! The women clean the fish to make a delicious meal featuring vegetables from their garden.
Why is this important?
Aquaculture is a fantastic addition to our agroforestry model. Each of our pilot gardens have reported a dramatic increase in their harvest yields and profits - and all of this with a ZERO net increase in water use! That means they are growing more nutritionally dense crops, yielding higher volumes, benefiting from fresh quality fish, and increasing their household revenue without changing their water consumption!
Want to be part of the solution?
There are MANY ways you can support more projects like this in Senegal.
