Why aquaculture is gaining ground among farmers in Zimbabwe

In many rural parts of Zimbabwe, farming has become increasingly unpredictable. Repeated droughts and changing weather patterns have made it harder for small-scale farmers to rely on traditional crops alone.

In Chimanimani, a district in Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands, small-scale farmer Olinda Tuso is responding to these challenges with a modest fish-pond project behind her home. The pond provides both household nutrition and a steady source of income.

Chimanimani is known for its mountainous landscape, but low-lying areas have not been spared from recurring droughts over the past five years, worsened by climate change. Against this backdrop, Tuso’s 10-by-10-metre pond has become a reliable alternative to rain-fed farming through tilapia production. The fish Tilapia belongs to the African cichlid family and is known for its high protein content.

“I started fish farming in October 2023 with 1000 fingerlings,” Tuso said. “By harvest time in March, fish-eating birds and other predators had reduced their numbers. We managed to harvest 800, mainly for consumption and sale.” After that first setback, she restocked her pond and covered it with a net to protect the fish.

A viable livelihood option

Tuso’s experience mirrors a broader trend across Zimbabwe to scale up sustainable aquaculture. Backed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) vision for a resilient and inclusive sector, the country aims to generate $ 1 billion in aquaculture revenue by 2026, with a strong focus on Nile tilapia.

The strategy is particularly relevant in arid regions such as Matabeleland South, a province in the country’s south where climate shifts have made traditional crop farming increasingly difficult. Shupikai Sibanda, Provincial Director of the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) in Matabeleland South, says aquaculture has become one of the few viable livelihoodoptions for many communities.

“We are grateful for this FAO initiative,” Sibanda said. “This project complements our efforts to establish village business units and individual fishponds and to use existing dams.” So far, she says, three dams and 10 fishponds have been stocked, with plans to expand next year.

“Farmers need knowledge”

Yet infrastructure alone is not enough. Sokonia Kaitano, vice-chairperson of the Zimbabwe Fish Producers Association, cautions that many farmers start fishponds without fully understanding the species they are farming.

“Farmers need knowledge to turn a wild species into a controlled environment,” Kaitano said. Nile tilapia, he explained, is a tropical fish that thrives in warm conditions, making pond design and water quality critical for success. “When farmers understand the biological needs of the species and how to design a controlled habitat”, he adds, “aquaculture can become a truly climate-resilient source of income for rural communities.”

A glimpse of how that can look like can be seen in Chimanimani, where this knowledge has already begun to pay off for Olinda Tuso. By protecting her pond and adjusting her practices, she has turned a small patch of water into a reliable source of food and income.

Lungelo Ndhlovu is a freelance journalist based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
ndlovu.lungelo@gmail.com