Islanders Receive Chickens to Diversify Livelihoods, Aid Overfishing
The initiative, funded by a USAID sustainable fisheries project, introduces another income stream to supplement dwindling catches from Lake Malawi following years of overexploitation.
LIKOMA, Malawi— A Malawian conservation group distributed hundreds of chicks to island fishing communities this week, offering poultry farming as an alternative livelihood to reduce reliance on declining lake fish stocks, writes Rabecca Kaunda.
The 350 chicks worth K1.4 million were handed out Wednesday to 50 villagers in Likoma district’s Chamba village by All Saints Enterprise, executive director Sakai Msachi said.
The initiative, funded by a USAID sustainable fisheries project, introduces another income stream to supplement dwindling catches from Lake Malawi following years of overexploitation.
The diverse poultry breeds offer a protein-rich food source alongside potential profits for area families long dependent solely on fishing.
“The chicks will enable them to earn money from the sales of chickens and eggs while at the same time improving their nutritional status,” Msachi explained.
He said the enterprise aims to ultimately buy chickens reared by locals to support its conservation mission.
One of the beneficiaries, Cecilia Komakoma said the project would give fish populations space to replenish while decreasing incentives for illegal fine net use, which devastatingly affects juvenile stock.
"Once these chicks are fully grown, people from other villages will be coming to us to buy chickens and eggs at the same time while minimising the dependence on fisheries resources," she predicted.
Officials indicated similar initiatives may expand to other island villages as All Saints pushes livelihood diversification under a project called Restoring Fisheries for Sustainable Livelihoods along Lake Malawi (REFRESH).