Assessing The Socio-Economic Impacts Of Pond Fish Farming On Local Communities In Tororo District, Uganda
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Date
2025
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Busitema University
Abstract
This study assessed the socio-economic impact of pond fish farming in Tororo district. It evaluated the current status, the socio-economic effects of pond fish farming on local
communities and suggesting strategies for enhancing the sustainability of pond fish farming in Tororo District, Eastern Uganda. The study used a descriptive design, and a mixture of quantitative and qualitative approaches,data was collected from 97 pond fish farmers using structured questionnaire, interview guides for technical persons and three focus group discussions, and field observations. The data was coded and entered in Microsoft Excel version 18, then imported into Statistical Programme for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 21 for descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics analysis was summarized using frequencies, tables and pie charts. The inferential statistics was summarized using pearson chi-square test at 5 percent confidence interval.The findings indicated that pond fish farming is predominantly practiced by smallholder farmers with limited resources, but it has a positive impact on livelihoods, particularly in employment creation, food security, and income generation. Despite these benefits, farmers face major challenges such as high input costs, water scarcity, inadequate access to quality feeds and fingerlings, and limited knowledge of existing policies and bylaws. The majority of respondents reported slight improvements in their standards of living and expressed a willingness to join farmer cooperatives for shared growth. Support from local governments, MAAIF, and NGOs exists but remains insufficient. The analysis of these challenges using the chi square test indicated that high cost of inputs, water scarcity and low fish prices were statistically significant at a =0.05. Furthermore, the chi square test indicated that sources of support to pond fish farming namely local government, and MAAIF were statistically significant at a =0.05. Also, the strategies for support were subjected to the chi square test and fish feeds and fingerlings were the most significant at a =0.05. In-addition, funding and incentives including credit, subsidies, and grants and training in technical skills such as feed formulation and water management were statistically significant at a =0.05.The study concluded that with targeted institutional support, legal literacy, and infrastructure investment, pond fish farming in Tororo can significantly contribute to rural development and food systems resilience. Key strategies proposed to enhance sustainability included increasing access to credit, subsidizing inputs, strengthening extension services, promoting legal awareness, and improving market access.
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Zinunula, Joel. (2025). Assessing The Socio-Economic Impacts Of Pond Fish Farming On Local Communities In Tororo District, Uganda