Employment-intensive fish farming creates green jobs in Uganda

© ILO

© ILO

Isingiro, UGANDA (ILO News) – In Ruhimbo village, Isingiro District, a wetland that once offered limited livelihood opportunities is now supporting a growing community enterprise.

At the site of the Ruhimbo-Kiteredde Fish Farming Group, members move between ponds, feeding fish, repairing embankments and preparing new ponds for expansion. The sound of water splashing as fish rise to the surface mingles with the conversations of members working together.

The transformation is part of an employment-intensive nature-based solutions initiative implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the PROSPECTS programme, in collaboration with Isingiro District Local Government. By combining labour-based work with practical skills development, the initiative is helping communities generate income while protecting the natural environment.

“Our group has 80 members – 37 men and 43 women,” said Nakaana Aziizi, Chairperson of the Ruhimbo-Kiteredde Fish Farming Group. “We joined the Employment-Intensive Nature-Based Solutions programme following community appraisal meetings with district officials and local leaders. During these meetings, we identified fish farming as the enterprise best suited to our area. We have wetlands, and demand for fish is growing in Isingiro.”

The group, whose members are all Ugandans from the host community, constructed the fishponds using the ILO’s Employment-Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP) approach. Rather than relying on heavy machinery, members excavated the ponds using local tools.

An artisan engaged and trained by the ILO PROSPECTS programme mentored the group in labour-based fishpond construction. Technical staff from the Isingiro District Fisheries and Environment Departments, who had also received training through the programme, provided additional guidance on employment-intensive nature-based solutions.

“After constructing the first ponds, we realised that we had acquired the skills ourselves,” said Nakaana. “We did not stop there. We continued excavating more ponds without external support.”

From short-term employment to a long-term enterprise

The Ruhimbo-Kiteredde Fish Farming Group has since constructed ten additional fishponds using the skills acquired through the project. These skills have also opened new business opportunities.

“So far, we have secured four contracts worth UGX 4 million (approximately US $1100) to construct fishponds for other communities,” Nakaana said.

We are no longer just fish farmers – we are also fishpond constructors.

Nakaana Aziizi, Chairperson of the Ruhimbo-Kiteredde Fish Farming Group

During the initial construction phase, the group’s 80 members completed 7,200 workdays over three months. Participants earned UGX 7,500 (US $2) per workday, providing them with immediate income before they transitioned to operating a sustainable aquaculture enterprise.

The group expects each stocked pond to generate at least UGX 7 million (approximately US $1900) at the end of a six-month production cycle. Demand remains strong, as declining fish stocks in Lake Nakivale have reduced local supply while markets, restaurants and households continue to seek fish. Members expect the income from the ponds to help sustain the enterprise beyond the initial labour-intensive public works phase.

For Nicholus Abomugisha, District Fisheries Officer for Isingiro District, the initiative demonstrates how nature-based solutions can support livelihoods while protecting the environment.

“Fish farming is one of Uganda’s recommended nature-based enterprises for wetlands,” he said. “It allows communities to earn a living while protecting the ecosystem instead of degrading it.”

He said the project’s strength lies in using short-term public employment as an entry point for skills development and enterprise creation.

“The community initially earned wages while constructing the ponds and gained practical construction skills,” Abomugisha said. “Those skills have now become another source of income through fishpond construction contracts, while the ponds provide a long-term livelihood through aquaculture.”

Building skills, confidence and cooperation

For group members, the project has brought changes beyond increased income. It has also strengthened their confidence in their own abilities.

“The biggest thing this project has given me is a skill that I can use anywhere,” said Nasasira Levis, a young member of the group. “Fishpond construction is something I knew nothing about before. Today, our group is already being hired to construct ponds for other people.”

For Ninsiima Hilda, another young member, working together has strengthened relationships within the community.

“Before this project, many of us hardly interacted. Working side by side brought us together,” she said.

We learned from one another, especially from the older members, and became a stronger community.

Ninsiima Hilda, a young member of the Ruhimbo-Kiteredde Fish Farming Group

Hilda said the wages she earned during pond construction helped her family meet immediate household needs, including paying school fees and purchasing basic necessities.

The group now plans to improve security at the site, expand production and continue working with the district authorities to develop the enterprise.

“We want to develop the enterprise further and continue working closely with the district to expand our business,” Nakaana said.

Isingiro District Local Government is also supporting the group in establishing a fish farming cooperative. The cooperative is expected to strengthen collective marketing, improve access to finance and increase members’ bargaining power. Plans are also under way to provide cold-chain storage facilities to improve fish preservation and expand market access.

Creating green jobs through nature-based solutions

Before the project, parts of the wetland were used for crop cultivation and livestock grazing, contributing to environmental degradation.

“By promoting fish farming as a nature-based solution, the project has demonstrated that wetlands can generate sustainable livelihoods while conserving ecosystems and reducing pressure from environmentally harmful land uses,” Abomugisha said.

Across Isingiro District, the ILO PROSPECTS programme has supported 1,272 refugees and host-community members through initiatives including riverbank restoration, agroforestry, institutional greening, aquaculture, and soil and water conservation.

While the Ruhimbo-Kiteredde group is composed entirely of Ugandan host-community members, the programme also supports three other fish farming groups in the district with a combined membership of 240 people, mainly refugees of different nationalities. Together, these initiatives demonstrate how employment-intensive nature-based solutions can respond to the livelihood needs of both refugees and host communities.

“The objective of the intervention is to create decent employment opportunities for refugees and host communities through labour-intensive nature-based solutions that restore degraded ecosystems, strengthen climate resilience and promote sustainable livelihoods using the EIIP approach,” said Evans Lwanga, Chief Technical Advisor with ILO PROSPECTS in Uganda.

Beyond creating short-term employment, these investments are helping communities develop more resilient livelihoods while restoring the natural environment.

Recognising the results, Isingiro District Local Government is integrating EIIP approaches into its District Development Plan as a strategy for environmental restoration and green job creation.

PROSPECTS is a partnership led by the Government of the Netherlands and implemented by the International Finance Corporation, the ILO, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Bank. It seeks to improve the lives of forcibly displaced people and host communities by expanding access to protection, education and decent work.