The Gender Programme was established to ensure that NACA implements the action plans on gender mainstreaming within its activities. With a continued interest in embracing gender integration among relevant agencies, NACA aims to build up capacity of members in gender mainstreaming in all its undertakings, and motivate support and action globally.
Insufficient capacity for gender research and application among stakeholders is a hindrance to effectively implement programs integrating the gender dimensions in development. Adding a gender dimension in aquaculture value chains will give assurance to consumers that seafood has been produced sustainably.
Key activities
Key activities of the programme are:
Women, Youth and Aquaculture Development Programme.
Organising and supporting symposia on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries.
Capacity building on gender integration and mainstreaming.
Curriculum development on gender in aquaculture and fisheries education.
In-country gender assessment reports for policy, action and research.
Publication of case studies and success stories on gender in aquaculture value chains.
Coordinating the Regional Gender Practitioners’ Network and mentoring programmes.
Campaigns and policy advocacy for gender integration in aquaculture.
27 June 2026 | R.N. Mandal, S. Adhikari, A. Das, F. Hoque, A. Hussan, S. Sarkar, H.K. De and P.K. Sahoo | 101 Downloads | .pdf | 9.88 MB
In Assam and across north-eastern India, the NGO Kalong-Kapili is helping rural families turn unused ponds, wetlands and beels into a source of food and income. Working with ICAR-CIFA, the organisation began in 2007 at Bagibari village and now runs a Field Laboratory and an Aquaculture Field School that train farmers in scientific fish farming, disease management, climate-resilient practices and integrated farming. This article describes how the model has spread to tribal clusters in Borbeel, Lohit and Lower Siang, benefiting hundreds of families through fish farming combined with horticulture, piggery and kitchen gardens.
It also covers Kalong-Kapili's work to empower women through self-help groups, its production of fish seed, and CIFA's outreach scheme reaching forest-dependent communities in West Karbi Anglong. Together these efforts show how aquaculture extension can reduce poverty and malnutrition while building lasting skills in remote regions.
Along the coast of Purba Medinipur in West Bengal, sun-dried marine fish - known locally as 'Shutki machh' - has grown from a traditional way of saving surplus catch into a thriving regional business. At the Matsya Khoti of Junput-Biramput village, where commercial drying began some 70-75 years ago, around 550-600 producers now sort, salt, and dry fish on raised bamboo platforms before sending it to markets across north-east India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
This article takes a close look at how the dried fish trade works: the species and methods, the road transport network, the food culture and recipes carried into West Bengal by refugees, the women whose labour underpins much of the work, and asks what is needed to keep this tradition healthy and sustainable.
FAO's State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2026 provides data and insights on the current challenges and opportunities shaping the global seafood sector. This edition focuses on the FAO’s "Blue Transformation" strategy, outlining how field projects and policy initiatives contribute to global food security, poverty alleviation, and economic growth.
The report has three main sections:
Global Status: Updated statistics on production, employment, and trade, supported by improved data collection and analytical tools.
Sector Management: Practical steps being taken to expand aquaculture responsibly, manage wild fisheries effectively, and improve supply chains.
Future Projections: Regional policy measures, climate change research integration, and industry outlooks through 2034.
The publication serves as a factual resource for policymakers, researchers, industry actors, and consumers tracking the development of sustainable aquatic food systems. You can explore the data that SOFIA 2026 is based on in our Aquaculture Statistics Dashboard.
NACA recently participated in the FAO Expert Workshop, "Turning guidance into action: regional insights for implementing the Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture," held from 24-25 February 2026 in Rome, Italy. The Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA) provide a shared set of principles and recommendations to promote a sustainable, equitable aquaculture sector worldwide. While the guidelines offer a clear vision for the sector's economic, social, and environmental future, the current focus is on practical implementation.
Building on recent regional workshops, experts gathered to develop a decision-support tool to help countries adapt these guidelines into actionable national policies. Implementing the GSA requires robust institutional support, targeted capacity building, and innovative financing. NACA encourages stakeholders to integrate these guidelines into their governance frameworks, providing a roadmap to maximize aquaculture's contribution to food security and environmental conservation.
The third High-Level Meeting on Aquaculture Transformation assessed progress towards 2030 transformation goals and identified priority actions for the Asia-Pacific region. The meeting report, covering discussions held 1-2 July 2025 in Shanghai, documents findings from representatives of NACA member governments, FAO and regional organisations.
Participants identified multiple barriers to sustainable intensification: farmer scepticism about unfamiliar technologies, limited access to expertise, and misaligned incentives that prioritise profit over environmental responsibility. Investment remains concentrated at higher levels rather than reaching small-scale producers. The discussions emphasised collaborative approaches, knowledge-based farming systems, and the need to document aquaculture's positive social impacts.
NACA and FAO will continue supporting National Innovation and Investment Plans in India, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Future work includes establishing an Aquaculture Innovation and Investment Hub and developing monitoring systems to track transformation progress across the region.
Bangkok, 21-22 October 2025 - Thailand convened a two-day workshop at the Department of Fisheries to shape a National Innovation and Investment Plan (NIIP) for aquaculture. The meeting formed part of FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme project TCP/RAS/4004, implemented with NACA, which is supporting India, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam to prepare NIIPs and link them into a shared Aquaculture Transformation Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning System (ATMS) for Asia and the Pacific.
Pathum Thani, 5-6 October - NACA participated in the 3rd AQUADAPT Peer-Learning Event at the Asian Institute of Technology Conference Center. Partners reviewed progress on nature-based solutions (NbS) in aquaculture, shared experience and set priorities for the year ahead. The two-day programme combined project presentations, a world-café on climate resilience, and working sessions designed to turn research insights into practice.
The AquaHub project of NACA and FutureFish led a working session on “Knowledge brokering: Private sector engagement and nature-based and inclusive business models,” convening researchers and practitioners to sharpen strategies for scaling NbS through market actors across the value chain, from small-scale farmers and associations to SMEs and larger enterprises. Discussion centred on pragmatic engagement models that can connect research outcomes to investable, inclusive business opportunities.
Bangkok, 7 October - NACA convened a one-day, in-person working group to shape the vision, mission and strategy for the AquaHub, a startup incubator and support network for innovators in the aquaculture space. The workshop focused on establishing the AquaHub’s vision, mission, values and partnership principles to define how it will operate, and the immediate steps required to mobilise partners and resources across the Asia–Pacific.
Participants began by clarifying the problems AquaHub should address and why a dedicated hub is the right vehicle. Small group exercises produced draft vision and mission statements looking to 2035, which were then refined through rapid peer feedback. This work was grounded in a brief review of AquaHub’s current status and the wider innovation landscape to ensure complementarity with existing efforts.
9 October 2025 | Hana Bahi, Osamah Ahmad, Pedro Guemes, Benjamin C. Young, Hussain Alnazry, Saif Algethami, and Ali Al Shaikhi | 875 Downloads | .pdf | 1.62 MB
Saudi Arabia’s coastal communities are opening new pathways for women in aquaculture and fisheries. Under the REEF programme led by MEWA, recent pilots have shifted participation from office-based roles toward hands-on production and processing. Seaweed farming trials of Gracilaria multipartita in Jeddah and the Farasan Islands show why: accessible tasks, modest equipment needs, and suitability for community-run operations. In parallel, a women-led seafood processing initiative in the Farasan Islands has provided training, essential tools, and branding skills, improving hygiene and product quality and motivating participants to form cooperatives; a tuna-canning exercise highlighted the potential for higher value capture.
Cweed Aquasolutions, a spin-off from Universiti Malaya, works with coastal communities to develop seaweed cultivation through integrated multi-trophic aquaculture. The initiative repurposes abandoned shrimp ponds in Peninsular Malaysia, providing training and technical support for farmers to start seaweed farming. Cweed Aquasolutions also buys back harvested product, creating a sustainable livelihood model that links community development with nature-based aquaculture solutions. This pitch was presented Adibi M. Nor, CTO of Cweed Aquaculture Solutions.
20 August 2025 | Mariska Bottema and Rebecca McMillan | 2184 views
Mariska Bottema (WorldFish) and Rebecca McMillan (IDRC) discuss the concept of nature-based aquaculture, why it matters for innovation and entrepreneurship, and how it can support ecosystems, communities, and profitability. Topics include: Defining nature-based aquaculture and its connection to nature-based solutions; criteria such as climate resilience, ecosystem health, reduced antimicrobial use, and inclusivity; global examples: mangrove–shrimp integration, women-led seaweed farming, integrated multi-trophic systems, and rice–fish farming; supportive technologies including IoT, renewable energy, and life cycle assessment; and opportunities for entrepreneurs: resilient farms, reduced risks, lower costs, premium markets, funding, and partnerships.
The document provides an overall vision and framework intended to accelerate aquaculture transformation in Asia and the Pacific region through innovations and investment, and to provide guidance to partners from the public, private and development communities to actively engage with the region in transforming aquaculture to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable food systems. The document served as background information for discussion in the High-Level Meeting on Aquaculture Transformation in Asia and the Pacific Region, 22–23 November 2022, organised by the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific. The document is broadly aligned with FAO’s Blue Transformation Roadmap, paying specific attention to the context and needs of aquaculture within Asia and the Pacific region. The Paper translates the Roadmap into a vision and priority actions for aquaculture transformation in the region by 2030.
16 March 2025 | Arabinda Das, R.N. Mandal, S. Adhikari, D.N. Chattopadhyay, F. Hoque, A. Hussan, S. Sarkar, B.N. Paul, and P.K. Sahoo | 1710 Downloads | .pdf | 4 MB
Small indigenous fish species (SIS) are a rich source of essential nutrients, including proteins, vitamins, and minerals, making them a vital component of rural diets. Despite their nutritional significance, SIS are often undervalued and excluded from aquaculture in favor of larger commercial species.
This study highlights an initiative by ICAR-CIFA in Tripura to promote and protect small fish species through sustainable farming practices. Training programs were conducted to educate local farmers on breeding, feeding, and rearing techniques tailored to SIS. Live food production was emphasised to improve larval survival rates, and mixed-species culture strategies were developed to enhance production efficiency. The initiative demonstrated that small fish farming is a viable livelihood option, particularly in backyard water bodies, providing food security, income generation, and biodiversity conservation.
15 March 2025 | Chandan Debnath, S. Gojendro Singh and Bankitkupar Mukhim | 1812 Downloads | .pdf | 3.93 MB
Northeast India faces significant nutrition security challenges, particularly in rural and tribal areas, where high stunting and anemia rates persist despite high per capita caloric intake. This article explores sustainable freshwater snail farming as a viable solution to address these nutritional deficiencies while enhancing rural livelihoods.
Freshwater snails, such as Pila globosa, Bellamya bengalensis, and Brotia costula, offer high protein content and essential minerals, particularly calcium and iron. Their nutritional value surpasses many plant-based protein sources and compares well with traditional livestock products. The study outlines three practical snail farming systems suited to different farming conditions. Economic analysis reveals that a small-scale backyard system can generate up to 1,800 kg of snails annually, yielding a 272% return on investment within five months. With proper training, infrastructure, and market linkages, freshwater snail farming can play a useful role in improving food security, economic resilience, and rural development in Northeast India.
28 January 2025 | Pradeep Kumar Mohapatra and Saibala Parida | 1773 Downloads | .pdf | 1.24 MB
Freshwater prawn farming has emerged as a viable alternative livelihood for rural communities in Mayurbanja District, Odisha, under the Odisha Integrated Irrigation Project for Climate Resilient Agriculture (OIIPCRA). This World Bank-assisted initiative has supported tribal self-help groups and user groups in adopting aquaculture as a sustainable income source. Through capacity-building programs, exposure visits, and technical support, beneficiaries have successfully engaged in fish and prawn farming, enhancing food security and financial stability. The study evaluates the impact of freshwater prawn farming in two Minor Irrigation Projects (MIPs) in Karanjia and Shyamakhunta blocks, where genetically improved fish and Macrobrachium rosenbergii (scampi) were introduced. Despite challenges such as erratic weather and fluctuating water conditions, both sites demonstrated promising survival and growth rates, with MIP2 yielding superior production due to favorable water availability and market proximity. Economic analysis confirmed the feasibility and profitability of integrating freshwater prawn farming with modern aquaculture techniques.
The 14th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum (14AFAF) will be held from 12-15 February 2025 in New Delhi, India. Submission of abstracts has been extended until 5 November, and early bird registration closes on 10 November, so get in quick!
The forum is a scientific meeting organised by the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS) once every three years to understand the global trends and address issues and challenges faced by the fisheries and aquaculture sector. The main purpose of this Forum is to provide an international platform for eminent scientists, young researchers, and other stakeholders across the globe to share their research experiences and innovative ideas. By facilitating the exchange of diverse range of knowledge and expertise, the Forum with the Theme ‘Greening the Blue Growth in Asia-Pacific’ aims to address key issues towards developing sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.
