Climate Change Messenger visits Franklin Ndzi Nformi aka Ta Shey Frank
UN Food Systems Summit will be convened this September to help drive progress toward reaching the global Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Transforming food systems that contribute in mitigating the ongoing health, climate and biodiversity crises is what is mostly needed to restore the Earth.
Talk about sustainable Inland fish farming and landscape restoration, the first name that comes to mind is Franklin Ndzi Nformi. Ta Shey Frank as he is fondly called is the President of Nkambe Central Fish Farmers Simplified Cooperative. His being elected President of Fish Farmers was not by error. Anyone who has had the opportunity to visit him in his fish farms surely goes back home more impressed than when he was coming.
Although his activities as a fish farmers are legendary, few people have a full understanding of just how perfect a farmer he actually is. It’s not about how much money you put in, but how much of yourself you put in. Franklin Ndzi Nformi is a man with a huge, huge gifted art of restoring nature.
I remember when he told me he was putting in place a standard fish pond and frankly speaking I took it for a joke. Today, Ta Shey Frank is a formidable farmer. He has transformed the area into a veritable greenery with the regeneration of native trees, fruit trees, banana/plantain trees etc.
Within half an hour at his farms, I was marveled and taken away by what I saw. Six fishponds with the biggest having over 5000 fingerlings of 4 months.
“I want to make it possible for ordinary people to go to eat fish and at affordable price, just like it’s now possible for me to train more youths to be like me,” he explained in his quiet voice. " I think LIFIDEP has done much to the benefit of fish farmers in Nkambe Central and our dream is to produce fingerlings".
I was totally speechless and just pumped him with question after question. I am very enthusiastic when it comes to young men engaging in exemplary farming and restoration. He told me that he started as a passion and now fish farming has become veritable source of income. " In our cooperative, we are 50 active members and we have members that only depend on the fish ponds to earn a living including women. Inland fish farming pays" he added.
From all indications, Shey Frank has followed the trials and triumphs of his remarkable venture to develop a fish venture. From his integrated agroforestry maize farm, he provides green jobs to some youths. Ecotourism could be the next giant leap for Franklin's fish ventures. The two giant bokarous built from natural china bamboo and grass speak by itself .In fact an eldorado in the making
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