Champion

Opemipo Oyebadejo, who's a senior farmer and fish expert at Orisha Farms, aims to expand the cage-based farming of tilapia and catfish in Nigeria. by Laïla ...

I believe aquaculture has significant potential to reduce food insecurity, increase employment and build the economy of Nigeria. To be profitable there would need to be an increase in the selling price of fish or the introduction of subsidies by the Nigerian government. I hope to have my own farm that can be used as a training site for all those young women interested in aquaculture. We have a higher cost of feed and an increase in the cost of cage materials. It's rewarding to know that somewhere in the world, a group of people care about women in the aquaculture field and that aquaculture is more than just a way of solving hunger and other socio-economic problems. On an average day, I get to the farm at 6.30, check the water quality parameters and supervise feeding by 9.30, followed by a break at noon before another round of feeding and water quality checks. Meanwhile in the dry season, from March to June, we can have high water salinity in Lagos Lagoon, which prevents us from stocking and could hinder our year-round production cycle. At the end of the day I do record keeping. Cage culture has been hampered by the lack of infrastructure near suitable water bodies and because people are not aware of the technology. We run a cage culture system that has the nursery and grow-out phases. I am a fish expert, senior farmer and co-founder of the cage culture production team. I felt it was a sign that I am on the right career path.