Spreading the news

Abstract

The best word to describe Nazmy Abdel Rahman Shafi is 'dynamic'. At 73 he runs, with his partner Mohammed Gouda, a successful fish farm in the Fayoum province of Egypt. Not only were these men the first to begin farming fish in this area, they were also the first to really grasp the benefits of efficient management. As self-taught aquaculturists, they recognised the opportunity offered by the establishment of a new WorldFish Center office in Egypt in 1995. So they volunteered to take part in an experiment on fish-farm management. They learned that you don't have to produce more fish to make more profit. You only have to be more efficient. By gaining a better understanding of how their ponds worked, they learned that they did not need to continuously fertilise their ponds or provide excess food. By providing just the right amount of everything and reducing wastage, they doubled their annual profits.