Ponds

Natural ponds provide a good water resource for both domestic and agricultural water supply.

However, some ponds are used for waste disposal and sewage, therefore remediation would be necessary before considering to use it for fresh water or agricultural use. Aquaculture is also an excellent use of ponds to provide both food security and economic security, as the fish can be sold.

Farm ponds can provide for a number of benefits that can help smallholders in their quest for development. They provide for water storage, can be used to rear fish and other aquatic organisms like crustaceans, molluscs and plants, be integrated with other farm enterprises and improve and vary farm family diets. Further and importantly farm ponds can contribute to income and employment.

Field experiences

In India and elsewhere larger dams or bunds were traditionally built to create ponds or ‘tanks’ to store water. Water seeps from these ponds into fields of crops and every so often the pond is de-silted and the silt used as a fertiliser. Although there has been a decline in these ponds, there are some places where they are being revived.

Reference manuals, videos, and links

• Duckweed based bio-remediation of village ponds: An ecologically and economically viable integrated approach for rural development through aquaculture.

Acknowledgements

• Miller, James W. Farm ponds for water, fish and livelihoods. FAO, 2009.
• Climate Change and Water Resources.