Rwanda, a small country in Africa, has experienced declines in per capita food production. Fish culture is one part of a many-stranded effort to increase food production and food security by intensifying the use of land resources to produce a much-needed protein crop. Beginning in 1983, the Rwanda National Fish Culture Project has assisted farmers with the upgrading of their fish ponds and identified and provided a species suitable for the high elevation, cool water environment. Average annual production among participants has been raised from 300 kilograms to 1,550 kilograms per hectare. New technologies like fish culture must conform with the environment and activities of the farming system. Thus, rural extension is relevant in providing technological assistance to farmers. Data were obtained from 186 Rwandan farmers throughout the nation who had active ponds for 2 years and who received extension services during that period. Responses to the survey suggest a relatively uniform expectation for continuing fish culture, even though many factors affecting the sustainability of aquaculture as a farm enterprise are related to infrastructure beyond farmer control. A great deal of spontaneous emulation is occurring outside the project. Neighbors and relatives are constructing fish ponds, often without technical assistance. One threat to the evolution of fish culture is improperly constructed ponds. These ponds are too small, leaky, or have improper water temperatures, shortcomings that will undermine the success achieved by project participants. The paper discusses the necessary corrective or technical assistance to these emulators to avoid unnecessary failures. (ALL)