Fish farming rebounds in MND-C

Courtesy Photo | Workers at the Euphrates Fish Farm transfer fingerlings May 10. (Photo/Elaine Eliah,...... read more read more

Courtesy Photo | Workers at the Euphrates Fish Farm transfer fingerlings May 10. (Photo/Elaine Eliah, USAID Inma Agribusiness Project)  see less | View Image Page

IRAQ

05.17.2008

Courtesy Story

Multi-National Division-Central

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By Greg Dubin
Multi-National Division – Center Public Affairs Office

MULTIN-NATIONAL DIVISION – CENTER, Iraq – The tumultuous era for fish farming in Iraq is beginning to wane, as Task Force Marne Soldiers facilitate a massive rebirth of this once prosperous industry.

The history of "aquaculture" in Iraq dates back thousands of years. Yet, since the 1980's, the country's fish farming industry has been declining.

Prior to the recent conflict, more than 2,000 fish farms operated in the country. Due to their profitability, the government took over many of the farms and gave them to Saddam Hussein's family members.

With the overthrow of Hussein's regime, the farms were returned to the Iraqi people. This transition from state-owned to private enterprise has required substantial coordination and assistance from TF Marne.

Before the industry's decline, carp was the number one source of meat protein in Iraq. Most Iraqi meals contain at least one meat source and fish is generally less expensive than poultry, beef or lamb.

The demand for fish in the country is high. Markets in Baghdad typically run out of fish long before closing time.

The majority of the Iraqi fish farms raise several species of carp: common, silver and grass. Carp is a hearty and tasty fish, which can survive in Iraq's rather harsh climate.

The fish farming revitalization program aims to improve quality of life for the Iraqi people, as well as propagate the economic stability essential to an effective counterinsurgency strategy.

"Once we help jump-start the agricultural economy, people will go to work every day, make money, and put food on the table. That's going to keep them off the street, where they would be influenced by nefarious characters and manipulated into committing acts of violence," said Lt. Col. Bruce Baker, an economist with the civil affairs team, G9 section, 3rd Infantry Division.

Throughout Multi-National Division – Center, Soldiers performed surveys of existing farms and identified factors that would help them succeed. They noted the industry required primarily water, feed, transportation and social organization.

In February, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), conducted a comprehensive assessment of fish farms in their area of operation. They determined that with proper support, the local industry could create up to 10,000 new jobs.

To become operational, fish farms first needed a reliable source of clean water. Task Force Marne oversaw numerous projects to clean and repair dilapidated canals and water pumps.

One of the largest of such projects was the construction of the Euphrates Fish Farm Pumping Station. Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Inf. Div., cooperated with U.S. Agency for International Development's Inma Agribusiness Program to revitalize the pump that supplies water to most of the farms in the area.

At a cost of $600,000, this contribution will likely employ more than 5,000 people, whereas the previous facility employed 250. The pump station established the infrastructure to support hundreds of local fish farms.

"Repairing the Euphrates Pump Station has really been the catalyst for fish farming in the region," Baker said.

Under the guidance of TF Marne and embedded provincial reconstruction tears, farmers established farming, business and other social organizations. Democratically electing their leadership, these new collectives combined efforts to overcome common challenges by leveraging their economic and political power.

The 4th BCT helped facilitate an association of more than 60 fish farmers in the Buharat and Abu Lukah areas. The attendees elected board members from each village, to ensure equal representation for the area's farmers.

The association pooled resources to purchase fish feed, fingerlings and lobbied the government of Iraq for funds.

The initial costs for building an individual fish farm are relatively low. The landscape in the area contains thousands of small ponds and marshland pools that are already suitable for raising fish. Additionally, fingerlings are not very expensive.

However, for those who found these costs prohibitive, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commanding general of MND-C, authorized the use of Commander's Emergency Reconstruction Program funds to provide startup capital in the form of microgrants.

In the 4th BCT battle space alone, 65 fish farmers have received more than $59,000 in microgrants.

The 2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div., provided $2,500 microgrants to help 19 fish farms. These investments remove at least a year's worth of overhead costs for struggling farmers.

The majority of these microgrants are distributed through local farmers unions and associations.

In order to stock the growing number of fish farms, the capacity of the region's hatcheries had to increase. Hatcheries breed fish to produce eggs. The eggs are hatched into fingerlings, which get distributed to fish farms to be raised and eventually sold in markets.

As part of a community stability project, Soldiers of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team and ePRT members visited carp hatcheries and identified areas where they could assist.

Aside from equipment, the hatchery owners said they needed pituitary hormone, which makes the females produce more eggs. Various projects are underway throughout MND-C to provide hatcheries with these ingredients for success.

To safely transport the fingerlings to fish farms in the region, Iraqi engineers at the Iskandariyah Industrial Complex designed special live-haul tanks. These tanks will carry fingerlings to growing ponds and these same fish to market as "market-sized" adults. Task Force Marne invested $384,000 in the development of the tanks.

"We see it as an investment in the business and economic future of agriculture in Iraq," Baker said.

Other TF Marne initiatives aim to increase and improve feed supply to fish farms.

Due to cost and unavailability, many farmers had resorted to feeding wheat to their fish. However, carp require a rich, high-protein diet in order to grow large and healthy. To date, TF Marne CERP funds have contributed nearly $75,000 to improve feed mills.

Baker estimates that these efforts have helped at least 300 fish farms become operational, many of which are family-run and some employ hundreds of workers.

Thanks to the supply of water, feed, startup capital, equipment and networks, these farmers are now able to make a decent living and provide the country with an affordable source of nutrition.

Investing in the fish farming industry benefits fish farm owners and generates a trickle-down effect, infusing many sectors across the region's economy.

Hatcheries, feed mills, fertilizer plants and pump stations provide jobs to thousands of workers. Incubators, canals and ponds all require labor to clean and maintain them. Truck drivers transport fish to markets, where retailers profit from selling them to Iraqi families and restaurants.

"We have a whole value chain now that didn't exist five months ago," Baker said. "The lateral network is really too big to quantify the vast impact it has had on the region. We're proud of our association with our implementing partner, USAID, and we're equally proud of what our Soldiers are achieving alongside Iraqi fish farmers and their families. We are all investing in the successful future of Iraq."