Patrick Dugan, 2008

Enhancing the contributions of aquaculture and fisheriesto reduce poverty and improve food security and nutrition


What we do

Fisheries and aquaculture contribute to livelihoods for 800 million people and provide 3.2 billion people with 20 percent of their animal protein. Fish is a rich source of micronutrients and essential fatty acids, which are critical to cognitive and physical development. In low-income and food-deficit countries, fish is often the cheapest and most accessible animal-source food.

To meet future demand for fish, particularly in developing countries, production will need to double by 2030. The scale of this challenge requires research innovations across the whole spectrum of aquaculture and fisheries production systems and value chains.

In collaboration with national governments and partners, the CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH) leads research to enhance sustainability, productivity and access to fish by those most in need.

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Research Areas

A fish agri-food system is an interconnected and interdependent system involving components of fish production, through to processing, marketing and consumption. The CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (FISH) aims to enhance the sustainability, productivity and resilience of fish agri-food systems to reduce poverty, enhance food and nutrition security, and improve natural resource systems.

The overarching research question for the program is: How can we optimize the contributions of aquaculture and small-scale fisheries to reduce poverty and improve food and nutrition security, while enhancing environmental sustainability?
Research is focused on the two interlinked challenges of sustainable aquaculture and sustaining small-scale fisheries, with integrated crosscutting themes of gender, youth, capacity development and climate change.

Where we work

FISH pursues an integrated body of research in six focal countries. Three are in Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia and Myanmar) and three are in Africa (Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia). In addition, the program focuses on Egypt as a research hub and training center for our aquaculture capacity development in Africa, and Solomon Islands as a hub for our learning networks on small-scale governance in the Pacific.

Successes and lessons learned from research will be scaled to achieve impact and expanded to Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Philippines, MalawiSierra LeoneTimor-Leste and Vietnam.