Description of proposed project

iCareFish – Humane Fish Care From the Ground Up is Nigeria’s first direct-to-farmer fish welfare program. Nigeria is one of Africa’s largest aquaculture producers, with over 676 million fish slaughtered annually—most without humane handling or slaughter standards. Despite growing global attention to fish welfare, no program in Nigeria currently delivers scalable, field-level behavior change interventions through trusted aquaculture clusters.

Baseline Research and Identified Need

Prior to launching iCareFish, we conducted comprehensive baseline research across targeted aquaculture clusters in Delta, Edo, Kwara, and Lagos States. This research revealed critical welfare gaps, including widespread inhumane handling and slaughter practices, poor environmental conditions such as inadequate oxygenation and crowding, and a lack of farmer knowledge on welfare-friendly techniques.

Our baseline data confirmed an urgent need for targeted interventions to improve fish welfare, reduce mortality rates, and enhance farm productivity. This evidence underpins our project design and validates the direct-to-farmer, cluster-based model as a timely and necessary solution to transform welfare practices in Nigerian aquaculture.

Our Innovative Approach

iCareFish’s farmer-centered model builds fish welfare from the ground up by:

• Establishing trust with farmers

• Delivering culturally tailored, hands-on training

• Providing ongoing follow-up support

This ensures that knowledge doesn’t just get taught—it gets adopted and sustained. The program works through clusters of farms in Delta, Edo, Kwara, and Lagos States, leveraging existing networks for effective and scalable impact.

2025–26 SMART Goal (Pilot Phase)

By June 2026, iCareFish will:

• Deliver its engagement model in 5 aquaculture clusters

• Train 400+ fish farmers in welfare-aligned practices such as humane slaughter, enrichment, oxygenation, and improved feeding protocols

• Achieve ≥ 60% of farmers showing improved knowledge

• Achieve ≥ 40% adoption of at least one measurable welfare improvement, validated through observation and farmer reporting

2028 North Star Metric (Vision)

By 2028, iCareFish aims to:

• Reach 15+ farm clusters

• Enable at least 40% of trained farmers to sustain three or more fish-friendly practices for 6 months or longer through follow-up visits and farmer-led reporting

• Key practices include humane slaughter, reduced crowding, habitat enrichment, improved oxygenation, and controlled feeding/fasting to avoid suffering

Evidence and Learning

Our approach prioritizes trust and learning over compliance, using:

• Pre/post training assessments

• On-farm follow-ups at 3 and 6 months

• Quarterly learning sessions with farmers and staff

Why This Model Is Different

Unlike prior awareness campaigns relying on virtual outreach or one-off trainings, iCareFish delivers a hands-on, cluster-based model engaging farmers regularly through trusted local facilitators embedded in their communities. This approach fosters sustained behavior change by empowering farmers as active agents of welfare improvement, supported by continuous follow-up and practical problem-solving tailored to their specific challenges.

Local facilitators are selected for their cultural fit and knowledge of community dynamics, and trained to deliver tailored, practical welfare support. This trusted, embedded model ensures adoption and sustainability beyond the project’s life.

Environmental and Biodiversity Impact

Improving fish welfare contributes to healthier aquaculture ecosystems by reducing stress-related disease outbreaks, minimizing the need for harmful chemical treatments, and lessening negative impacts on surrounding biodiversity from poorly managed farms. Healthier farms mean healthier watersheds and support for local aquatic biodiversity, aligning with broader conservation goals.

Funding Need (2025–26 Pilot)

With funding, iCareFish will:

• Launch its model in 5 clusters using trusted local facilitators

• Equip teams with feedback-driven monitoring tools to track adoption and barriers

• Generate robust, field-tested evidence of behavior change essential for national scale-up

This is a rare opportunity to influence fish welfare norms across Nigeria and West Africa, preventing low-welfare practices from becoming entrenched as the sector grows.

Theory of Change (ToC) Summary

• Inputs: Funding, local facilitators, training materials, monitoring tools

• Activities: Cluster-based training workshops, direct farm visits, behavior change support, ongoing monitoring

• Outputs: Trained farmers, improved knowledge, adoption of welfare practices

• Outcomes: Reduced fish mortality, improved fish welfare, enhanced farmer livelihoods

• Impact: Scalable, sustainable shift toward humane aquaculture practices in Nigeria and beyond

Why are you qualified to work on this?

I am currently completing my PhD focused on fish welfare, combining rigorous scientific training with extensive practical experience in Nigerian aquaculture. My academic background includes an MSc in Fisheries, which provided strong foundations in aquaculture systems, fish biology, and management practices.

As Field Supervisor for a Gender-Sensitive Aquaculture Value Chain Analysis, I led direct engagement with fish farmers across clusters, gaining critical insights into socio-economic and gender factors shaping aquaculture. This role allowed me to design and implement inclusive, context-sensitive interventions that enhanced fish welfare and farm productivity.

I successfully led baseline research studies involving 188 active fish farms across three different clusters. This comprehensive data collection identified critical welfare gaps, directly informing the design and urgency of the iCareFish program.

I have successfully delivered community training programs focused on humane handling, environmental management, and best welfare practices. These trainings have reached hundreds of farmers, with follow-up monitoring indicating significant improvements in knowledge and adoption of welfare-friendly techniques.

My approach emphasizes culturally tailored, farmer-centered behavior change grounded in trust and practical support. I specialize in embedding training within existing social networks, ensuring farmers are empowered as active partners in improving welfare, rather than passive recipients of information.

I have the technical skills, leadership experience, and local knowledge to manage the complex coordination needed for iCareFish. I am confident in my ability to scale this program, generate rigorous evidence, and sustain meaningful fish welfare improvements at scale.

References:

Prof. Ekelemu, from Delta State University, my PhD supervisor, renowned fisheries expert, can attest to my fish welfare expertise and commitment.

Prof. Okonji, from University of Benin, mentor in community aquaculture research and training.

Dr. Ezike, from Enugu State University, collaborator on fish welfare and nutrition projects.

Beyond my technical qualifications, I am deeply passionate about improving fish welfare, a field that remains overlooked yet critical to sustainable aquaculture and food security. I am committed to creating practical, scalable solutions that benefit both fish and farming communities across Nigeria.

What would you do if not funded?

If iCareFish does not receive ACXG funding, the project will experience delays and limited scaling, reducing its potential impact. We may pursue a smaller pilot in one cluster with fewer farmers, but this will constrain behavior change, data collection, and learning opportunities essential for future growth.

Relying on fragmented funding increases risks of inconsistent follow-up and weaker farmer engagement, which could undermine sustained welfare improvements.

Immediate funding is critical to prevent low-welfare practices from becoming entrenched in Nigeria’s rapidly growing aquaculture sector. Without ACXG support, smaller-scale efforts will maintain momentum but cannot match the reach or impact planned.

How much money do you need?

Summary of What Could Be Done With This Funding Category Total ($) Summary of Use Personnel $5,285.71 Covers salaries for the Project Lead and two part-time M&E Officers who manage coordination, data collection, analysis, and reporting. Ensures dedicated staff to maintain program quality and oversight. Non-Personnel $20,000.00 Supports essential project execution costs including: culturally tailored training materials; transportation for cluster visits; workshop logistics; community outreach and communication; plus contingency for unforeseen expenses. Grand Total $25,285.71 Comprehensive budget enabling effective farmer engagement, behavior change monitoring, and scalable impact across multiple fish farm clusters in Nigeria.

Supporting documents

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yV3k4KUv6dJPeYLS0fgup621LpatAaqKuMF15WSSj64/edit?usp=sharing