A favorable climate
The tropical climate of the Zambezi Valley has poor soils. This gives exceptional quality warm water, perfect for efficient farming tilapia.
Existing tilapia species
Chicoa’s tilapia (O. niloctus) is already found in Cahora Bassa, offering a significant advantage over two other major water bodies in the region: Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi.
Lake position
Chicoa is in the uppermost location of the Cahora Bassa gorge, minimising the disease risk since future development will either be in the open lake (and therefore greatly diluted) or downstream.
The on-water sites are a perfect depth with excellent water exchange characteristics.
Topography
The steep land around the farm means excellent shelter from wind and waves, and allow cages to be close to shore, improving management and security while saving fuel.