Day 11- Provides in Juapong and last check.

Pillows for sale in Juapong (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

After the final check in the morning with supervisors and the people proposed to help us in the sampling day, I had the afternoon free due to get the first provides for the accommodation in fish farm site. 

Funeral pillows on sale (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

I and Augustine, the responsible of logistic unit, went to Juapong. The main road is crowded by pillows: for sleeping and for rest in peace (pillow funeral).

 With weird luck I found also a shop where there are on sale such amazing coffins with very particular and artistic shapes!

Bare craft in Juapong (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

After some chores around the village, Augustine led me in the tiny and colorful market in Juapong: rich in flavours and colors and sellers everywhere. At the end of the day I finally came back home for have a rest.

House near Juapong village (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

Day 10- Mist in the forest and the fish farm.

 (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

The first morning in the fish farm was breathtaking: all the forest was hidden by the mist in the sound of crickets and engines reaching the farm talking or singing. In the early morning the quiet of forest was animated by the well-organized work rhythm in the different units: men sewing the nets, women processing tilapias, feeders feeding cages and drivers transporting.

Seeking the materials and for the sampling day were almost ready, while enjoying the fascinating environment of nature, hard work and people joining each other in group…

Day 9- Arrive to the lake.

The commercial tilapia farm on lake (credits: Emilie Devic).

And the time of moving to the fish-farm finally came: I picked up my things in the guest house and met Mary, the human resources representative in the fish farm, who kindly offered to give me a lift to there.

After the last village on the main highway the car took us to a red sand dirt road chocking in the forest traveled by bike drivers, fish-farm employees and farmers bringing their products to sell them.

Meeting the feeder Felix on floating cages (credits: Emilie Devic).

Once I reached my new stable accommodation I was finally able to unpacking my luggage after one week spent in travelling. In the afternoon I met the supervisors for starting to check what we needed for next days.

 After that the supervisors took me by boat to the floating cages with the tilapia fingerlings inside, meeting the feeders, and then the team of net sewing, processing and feed storage.

Day 8- Fish feed smell and “Gogomi” meeting.

Employers in fish-feed factory (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

Before the sunrise we left the guesthouse for reaching the fish-feed factory by tro-tro before eight o’clock.

Once we arrived there the great quality manager, Aiman led us to a tour of the feed-farm during production swallowed by the whirring of machine, strong smell and dusty powder of feeds.

Visit of the fish-feed factory (credits: Emilie Devic).

Finally the results of one and half harsh year were about to be grinded, cooked and extruded by machines: a very crucial moment in Emilie’s experience. 
She built up the pilot maggot farm from zero, trained the staff, inform local farmers and curious people and managed a stable production of dry maggots up to the required quantity for producing experimental diets.

Feed just extruded (credits: Emilie Devic).

Experimental feed (credits: Emilie Devic).

After the visit to the fish-feed production, I and Emilie went to Accra for being picked up from Evans, a Ghanaian farmer, for an important appointment. 

 (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

Evans made an appointment for a presentation of use of insects in animal nutrition as a sustainable source of protein to the Ghanaian minister of agriculture and food. 

Proteinsect  project presentation (credits: Nicole Pelusio).

We were warmly welcomed and have a pleasant informal chat with the minister, who looked very surprised and interested in developing further researches in his Country.

Once we reached the guest house, we went to sleep satisfied as much as stinky!