“One-step at a time”: Adopting fish Farming technologies as a smart farming initiative among smallholder farmers in Oyam district, Uganda

Abstract

Recent trends indicate that the level of environmental degradation and its impact on climate change is almost irrevocable; the global society has decided that issues of climate change become central to every strategy, policy framework, programmes and intervention. Before this, a number of academics projected that we would reach this level given that human numbers appeared to outgrow all other resources and human needs such as food, housing, public facilities and transportation. As yet, farming, which cannot be stopped due to the need to feed the growing human population, demands a far different trend so that humanity continue surviving. Smart technologies, in every aspect, including farming has thus become the buzzword and nations have no choice but to adopt available technologies. Our paper discusses one of these innovative technologies, fish farming, outside of the traditional freshwaters in lakes, rivers and oceans. We focus on fish farming technologies as a strategy to enhancing smart farming, which is recognised as a frontrunner in offering farmers and humanity a choice to contribute to sustainable development. We conclude that there are many innovative ventures in smart farming but fish farming technologies in terms of construction design of the fish pond, water quality management in the fish pond, feeding of the fish, and marketing of the harvested fish, appear to offer a wider hope. Nonetheless, low-income households will have to keep relying on fish from freshwaters.