Nearly 50% of all fish we consume is farmed fish. Aquaculture is an important source of high protein food for people worldwide. For aquaculture to become a sustainable option for ensuring food security: governance, disease, feed and seed issues must be tackled.
IDH aims to improve the sustainability of the aquaculture sector through tackling the following four bottlenecks. First, the sector seems to be restricted by a lack of central governance. The aquaculture sector is diverse – compare a smallholder Indonesian shrimp farmer with a large-scale Norwegian salmon producer- and the presence of a variety of certification schemes and government regulations add to this fragmentation.
Second, the main supply chain risks are related to health management. It is not uncommon that a disease outbreak hits the entire sector of a country. Disease risks may be avoided through cooperation among neighbors and through a data-driven approach. Neighboring farmers that share the same water resources do not by definition cooperate, although they might influence one another’s fish health through the water. And data that are already available within the supply chain that might hint towards the cause of a disease, are not always used to develop and adjust effective production practices.
Third, fish feed is not always sustainable. The feed can have a negative impact since an ingredient might be related to for example illegality, such as illegal labor practices; illegal caught wild fish or illegally cut rain forests.
And lastly, systemic constraints in the sub-Saharan aquaculture sector hinder investments that could unlock the production potential.
IDH aims to improve the sustainability of the aquaculture with regard to these issues through the interventions of the aquaculture program.
Listen to our podcast
Previous Projects in Aquaculture

Facts & Figures
-
Private sector (sustainability) investments (in million euro)
Target 2020 13.65Target 2017 2Results 2017 1.64 -
Number of producers/workers/community members trained
Target 2020 30.000Target 2017 1.000Results 2017 2.377 -
Number of hectares where trained practices are applied
Target 2020 25.000Target 2017 4.000Results 2017 16.972
Publications
Title | Type | Year |
---|---|---|
Investment Guideline for Sustainable Aquaculture in Indonesia 2018 | Report | 2018 |
IDH launches Call for Proposal to achieve higher efficiency of tropical aquaculture | Article | 2018 |
Application Template FIT Fund | Roadmap | 2017 |
FIT Fund Prospectus | Roadmap | 2017 |
Aquaculture Infographic | Factsheet | 2017 |