A working fish farm can teach you things a classroom cannot. That was evident this week as a three-day WorldFish training under the Climate-Resilient Aquaculture Aquaculture Systems for Africa (CASA) concluded today at Jumbo Fish Farm, bringing together fish farmers from Kakamega County, WorldFish and Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) OFFICIAL trainers,

The sessions combined technical discussions with hands-on exposure to aquaculture systems, giving farmers the opportunity to connect new knowledge with the realities of production. The discussions also brought several important perspectives into focus:

* Youth and aquaculture: The Chief Officer for Agriculture, Kakamega County, emphasised the need to attract more young people into aquaculture through practical skills, technical knowledge and access to capital.

* Practical learning and collaboration: Dr. Emmanuel Mbaru, PhD from WorldFish appreciated the collaboration behind the training and highlighted the value of the facility as a practical environment for aquaculture learning.

* Fish health: Dr. Jacob Abwao from KMFRI encouraged farmers to remain alert to unusual fish behaviour and seek timely support from extension providers or nearby hatcheries.

* The farmer reality: Madam Damaris, a lead farmer, highlighted challenges facing many pond farmers, including limited capital for feed, inadequate feed availability and difficulty accessing reliable markets.

That is where the conversation moved from capacity to capital. During the training, farmers were introduced to the tripartite initiative bringing together The Aquaculture Consortium (TAC), African Guarantee Fund(AGF) and Equity Bank Limited, which is intended to connect capacity development with pathways to appropriate financing for farmers and MSMEs.

For the farmers in the room, the message was clear: training can strengthen what you know, but viable aquaculture businesses also need access to inputs, productive systems, markets and finance. Bringing that learning into a working farm helps make the connection between knowledge and practice more immediate and creates space for the conversations that need to continue long after the training ends.

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