Fish and food security: sustainable intensification of aquaculture

Michael Phillips Regional Consultation on Strategy and Action Plan for Sustainable Intensification of Aquaculture in Asia-Pacific Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, Bangkok. 27-28 November 2014

Outline

• Fish and food security • Sustainable intensification

of aquaculture • Future actions

Wealth and population growth are major drivers for animal source food consumption, including fish

Fish is key for food and nutrition security: .. particularly in Asia

Fish is a special food - essential for nutrition

Fish demand is growing .. along with other animal sources foods

source: Hall et al. (2011) Year

Prod

uctio

n (m

illion

tonn

es)

20

40

60

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030

80

100

120

Pig

Chicken

Fish

Production targets (national data)

Production forecast (this study)

•Baseline scenario

•Technological advances in aquaculture

•Ecological collapse of fisheries

• Global consumption remains at1996 levels (15.6 kg/y)

• Global consumption rises to 22.5 kg/y

FAO (2004)Wijkstrom (2003)

IFPRI (2003)Ye (1999)

Future fish demand (2007-2015)

source: FAO - Cai (2011)

Aquaculture production must more than double by 2050 to satisfy projected fish demand Million tons

• Sources: Production data 1961–2010: FAO (2014a), FAO (2014b). Aquaculture production projections 2011–2050: Authors’ calculations assuming a linear growth rate of 2 Mt per year.

Projected aquaculture production Southeast Asia is a hotspot for future fish demand

• 7 million to 15 million tonnes

Future need

Sustainable intensification of aquaculture

Sustainable intensification (CGIAR, 2013)

• ‘Producing more food with less negative impact’ 1. .. increases in food production are necessary but not

sufficient. – measures to sustainably intensify food production must be

situated within a wider framework for action on food and nutrition security. Social and economic issues, and equity are important

2. .. Focus on existing land rather than new land 3. Sustainable intensification is emphatically not synonymous with

business-as-usual. – It is about farming in ways that emphasise resource efficiency and

nutrient recycling, that harness the best of traditional and ‘modern’ knowledge..

http://ccafs.cgiar.org/sustainable-intensification-tool-sustainable-food-system-toolbox#.VHaY6IuUdKc

Farmed fish convert feed to food efficiently Percent or “units of edible output per 100 units of feed input”

• Sources: Terrestrial animal products: Wirsenius et al. (2010), Wirsenius (2000). Finfish and shrimp: WRI analysis based on USDA (2013), NRC (2011), Tacon and Metian (2008), Wirsenius (2000), and FAO (1989).

• Note: “Edible output” refers to the calorie and protein content of bone-free carcass.

But aquaculture also creates environmental impacts and is facing resource constraints

Image: ©2013 Google Earth, DigitalGlobe.

• Land • Water • Energy • Feed • Fish diseases • Fish escapes

Sustainable intensification and aquaculture growth …

Photo: WorldFish/Sakil.

Increasing farmed fish production per unit of:

• Land • Water • Feed • Energy

Minimizing:

• Water pollution • Fish diseases • Fish escapes

Life cycle analysis approach

Environmental impacts - a summary

source: Hall et al. 2011

…business as usual doubles impacts of aquaculture by 2030

source: Rockström et al, 2009

Aquaculture impact categories

Eutrophication

Freshwater use

Land use

Ecotoxicity

Biodiversity

Climate change

Energy use

Biotic depletion source: Rockstrom et al. 2009

Our planetary boundaries

Equity and inclusive growth….

• 70% of our planets 1.4 billion poor live in rural areas • Rural smallholders neglected in much private

aquaculture investment (and limited success by public?)

• Social, economic and environmental sustainability

Large

Medium

Small

Putting sustainable intensification into practice

“Blue Frontiers” interventions • Innovation • Regulations and policy • Technologies and management • Monitoring and compliance • Consumers and markets

source: Hall et al. 2011

(1) Technologies and efficiencies

• Feeds • Genetics • Systems

management • Species

Significant scope for improvement in environmental performance

.. within species groups

… and between species groups

The closest thing to a free lunch?

Photo: SantiMB.

(2) Regulations and policy

• Public standards • Private standards • Implementation

(3) Consumers, supply and demand scenarios

source: Cai (2011)

Special significance of fish for nutrition: Bangladesh and inclusive value chains

• 20 million people, particularly women and children, suffer from deficiencies of vitamin A, iron, and zinc

• Small indigenous fish in household ponds provide a ready source

• Increasing the productivity of the 4 million ponds by 10 kg of small “Mola” fish provides the daily Vitamin A requirements for 7 million children

(4) “Blue” Investments • US$50-70 billion in infrastructure by 2030? • Private partnerships and inclusive investment

Inclusive growth: emerging examples from Cambodia and Bangladesh • Bangladesh “challenged ponds - women led research • Cambodia “WISH” ponds – household led research • Productivity, with social and economic outcomes

Messages

• Future food and nutrition security requires aquaculture growth

• Aquaculture is an efficient producer of nutrient rich animal source food.

• Sustainable intensification, lower environmental impact and higher social and impacts growth pathways are necessary

• Change needed at scale • Partnerships important

Thankyou M.Phillips@cgiar.org CGIAR Research Programs Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) and Livestock and Fish (L&F) Acknowledgements: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation