Organic Aqua

Background

My name is Mpho Khati and ?I am a 13yr old girl who just started my high school and I am an aspiring farmer wanting to start my own aquaculture [tilapia & catfish breeding] and organic fresh produce farm in ensuring that I contribute toward the lack of food security and providing for the less fortunate communities with what i will be producing and also sell in produce markets and stores in order to grow my farm and create jobs. My interest in farming was created through my dad’s passion for the environment and agriculture and my school projects about the environment that led to me wanting to start such a farm that will enable me to grow healthy organic produce for people’s consumption of healthy food and the fishes that I will breed as a healthy alternate form of protein that will help reduce over-fishing in the ocean to balance the aquatic life and supplying food at a reasonable cost that can be afforded by everyone in our societies.

Objective/Vision

The research I did that led me to introduction of urban farming that is a result of wanting to start my own home farm with not many teens doing and the vision being to provide homes with organic food that will help in improving their health and saving the environment free of pollutants and use of chemicals.

Financial needs

My farm will use a recirculated aquaculture system that contributes to the safeguarding on the environment by saving water as our country has been having shortage of water and I will be using solar systems to power the farm as i grow the farm and will also want to use a borehole to save costs as well which is where future funds will be needed to have the farm operating well. I will be growing the produce in our home using grow beds and large kids pools where the fishes will be bred in as I live in an urban area and using the space until we can be able to find land where the farm can operate on in the future. I have realized that agriculture is very important to our communities having food on their table and that with farms that are ran well they last for many years not only contributing to the economy by creating jobs but also providing food that is bought by all of us to have meals on our tables and that food is very important for our growth as humans making farming very important to all of us.

The main aim currently is to raise funds to acquire what will be needed in starting my farm with my father helping with some of the funds but that will not be enough, leading to me needing more funds from people to invest as the funds will go towards getting the fingerlings, fish feed, purchase air pumps, mini-solar panels and large movable kids pools where the fish will be bred in and also grow mediums for the vegetables. It will take me 6-months to grow the fish to full size ready to be sold to the market and households where the money from the sales will help in getting other equipment for my farm and to also get people to help me with running it when I am focusing on my school work during the day.

My campaign’s goal is to raise funds to start my farm will make it possible for me to start on it in producing fishes and fresh produce for our communities and need your kind contributions to make my dream a reality with the future plan being to also breed chickens and having chickens to lay eggs.