Low-income communities in Uganda face interconnected climate, economic, health, environmental, and food insecurity crises, which have been exacerbated recently by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing supply chain disruptions. The greater adoption of aquaponics systems can help alleviate these stressors.
Sample Uganda Aquaculture Association launched the ADMIRE (Aquaponics Technology Distribution for Multiple Integrated Resiliencies and Empowerment) Project to deploy lease-to-own and direct-sale aquaponics kits that enable farmers to produce a greater variety of fresh food with few transportation or storage costs. The ADMIRE Project’s kits are designed to be eco-friendly and minimize waste, and can be setup in backyards or other commonly available spaces, to provide vital food supplies to low-resource urban communities. Each kit uses off-the-shelf local materials and a modular design, making it relatively inexpensive and therefore more accessible. The basic module of a fish tank and grow-bed occupies the space of one compact car, and can meet the nutritional needs of a family of four as well as provide additional fish and produce that can be sold to generate household income. The expandable modular design allows farmers to scale up their system as their income allows, thereby incrementally increasing revenue potential. Larger aquaponics systems can also be established and operated as a commercial enterprise.
The ADMIRE Project’s kits are distributed through Uganda’s savings & credit cooperatives (SACCOs), through which farmers who are short on cash can acquire a kit without any collateral. In Uganda, most market gardening is currently done by women, so the ADMIRE Project ensures that women are fully involved as mobilizers, planners, and end-users (i.e. as producers and entrepreneurs). With Sample Uganda Aquaculture Association retaining a low profit margin for each kit, revenue generated from the lease and direct sale of each kit helps maintain affordability among its low-resource clients. In addition, community members are offered training and education on how to build and maintain their aquaponics systems, as well as ongoing resources and troubleshooting support.
Sample Uganda Aquaculture Association is democratizing access to aquaponics systems in the central region of Uganda (including areas such as Kampala, Wakiso, and Mukono), and plans to expand the ADMIRE Project’s reach to other regions of the country.