Fish are grown in the ponds during the dry season and can be caught to provide additional protein for local communities. The ponds can be enriched with manure. Meanwhile the land between the ponds is cultivated with seasonal crops. Pilot projects with finger ponds are being undertaken to assess their potential productivity, suitability and sustainability, taking into account natural and socio-economic aspects. Water that otherwise would run off or evaporate is now stored in these finger ponds during the dry periods. The annual inundation provides opportunities for aquaculture, fish cultivation and small-scale crop cultivation through irrigation.
===Suitable conditions===
*Wetlands or floodplains where water collects naturally.
*The local morphological situation dictates the specific requirements, costs and time needed for excavating the ponds.
|}
===Construction, operations and maintenance===
[[Image:finger pond stages1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A diagrammatic sequence in the construction of fingerponds. (a) The land/swamp interface at the height of the dry season when water tables are at their lowest. Drawing: INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS.]]
[[Image:finger pond stages2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A diagrammatic sequence in the construction of fingerponds. (b) The digging of the ponds and preparation of the
*Maintenance consists of cleaning or desilting the ponds by swabbing the pond bottom.
===Costs===
Depending on local situation and size of the ponds.
===Field experiences===
In 2005, a study of finger ponds by The Riparian people of East Africa aimed to:
For more information on the '''Fingerponds Project''': see [http://www.ihe.nl/Fingerponds UNESCO-IHE website].
===Manuals, videos, and links===
* Lots more links on finger ponds, at [http://www.wetlands.org/SearchResults/tabid/38/Default.aspx?Search=finger+ponds Wetlands.org].
* [http://www.ihe.nl/fingerponds IHE fingerponds]
* Roland Bailey, Rose Kaggwa, Julius Kipkemboi, and Hieromin Lamtane. [http://www.ihe.nl/Fingerponds/Publications/Fingerponds-an-agrofish-polyculture-experiment-in-East-Africa Fingerponds: An agrofish polyculture experiment in East Africa.]
===Acknowledgements===
* [http://www.ihe.nl/Fingerponds The Fingerponds Project]. UNESCO-IHE, 2001-2006.
* Patrick Denny, Julius Kipkenboi, Rose Kaggwa, and Hieromin Lamtane. [http://www.ihe.nl/Fingerponds/Publications/The-potential-of-Fingerpond-systems-to-increase-food-production-form-wetlands-in-Africa The Potential of Fingerpond Systems to Increase Food Production From Wetlands in Africa]. INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS, NEW DELHI. 2006.
