Leonard Kavalo Banda is a famous fish farmer in Chipumulo area, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kampingo Sibande in Mzimba District.
The two ponds he dug in 2011 guarantee his family a decent livelihood many people can only covet.
The 69-year–old was trained under a project funded by the Japan Overseas Cooperative Association (Joca) to boost farmers’ self-reliance and community empowerment.
He started off with a five-litre bucket full of chambo (tilapia), betta and blue tang as fingerings, which he raised as a nursery.
Every day, the fish consume two bucketfuls of maize bran. He also poured goat and chicken droppings into the pond.
“After six months, I saw big fish in the ponds. This gave me hope of making big money,” says Banda, who was just happy to try his luck.
He remained relentless after early shocks, including low returns and floods that washed away over a tonne of fish.
Not even predatory birds with red beaks could deter him.
“I was in pain and I wept as my neighbours rushed downstream to collect free fish, but my wife encouraged me to carry on,” says Banda.
The decried flood affected 15 other fish farmers and many gave up while Banda and Brown Chisiye Mwale pushed on.
However, Banda now earns enough money to sustain and uplift his family.
Out of the fish, his family has bought pigs, built a brick house roofed with iron sheets and paid school fees for his grandchildren.
His half-hectare pond produces at least one tonne fish annually.
The family also grows cassava, sugarcane, bananas, pine and eucalyptus trees for sale to diversify its income sources.
“The proceeds from these enterprises help us buy maize bran for fish,” he says.
Banda gets the droppings from goats donated by the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia’s pass-on initiative.
The animal waste not only darkens water to conceal the fish from predatory birds, but also spur the growth of planktons, algae and other greenish plants that fish eat.
“My fish don’t go hungry when maize bran is scarce. The animal waste serves the purpose,” he says.
Banda’s exploits have caught the attention of Mzuzu University Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Science.
In an interview, Professor Fanuel Kapute said animal manure improves the growth of algae and other microscopic plants, “natural food for the fish”.
“That’s why the farmer says he is not worried when maize bran isn’t available. The natural food that grows in water when we apply manure or fertiliser is the best food for fish. It is more required by fish than madeya,” he said.
Kapute said birds cannot prey on the fish when the water turns greenish.
“This is natural protection,” he stated. “When it comes to fish feed, the best animal manure is fresh chicken droppings. The waste from pigs comes second and goats’ droppings third,” he said.
The scholar says cattle manure is the least effective.
Dr David Mbamba, formerly station manager at Mzuzu Aquaculture Centre, said the greenish colour created by thriving planktons also protects fish from monitor lizards.
Maize bran is poor-quality feed. However, most subsistence farmers use madeya because it is better than none. It is not viable for business purposes,” he said.
