Environment and Sustainability

Global population is forecast to reach around 9 billion by 2050. To feed the world, global agricultural output must increase by around 60% from present levels. This must be achieved against a background of increasing competition for natural resources such as water, feed ingredients and farming sites.

Maintaining environmental integrity while massively increasing food production will require farming systems to reduce their unit production environmental footprint. Many farming practices that are regarded as sustainable today will not be acceptable when scaled up. Sustainable intensification of aquaculture means doing more with less. The Environment and Sustainability Programme aims to help aquaculture become a more efficient user of natural resources, both in terms of farm productivity and environmental efficiency.

The programme develops better management practices for major aquaculture farming systems, and promotes aquaculture as a secondary or additional use of water resources. The programme focusses on practical interventions that can be directly achieved by small-scale farmers in a developing country context.

Key activities

Key activities of the programme are:

  • Development of better management practices for key aquaculture production systems.
  • Organising small-scale farmers into associations to facilitate cluster-based approaches to extension.
  • Development of culture-based fisheries as a secondary use of water bodies.
  • Development of strategic policy frameworks to guide governments and development agencies in promoting sustainable intensification of aquaculture.

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A collection of subject tags relating to technical matters.

In this collection

Culture-based fisheries: A low-tech, greenhouse friendly approach to improving food and income for Cambodian families

Improvements to fish yield in small water bodies as well as to the incomes and nutritional status of rural communities have been demonstrated. in Laos, Sri Lanka and Vietnam but culture-based fisheries practices are not yet widespread, despite having significant potential in tropical climates. A project to introduce culture-based fisheries to Cambodia is described. Participating communities reported improved catch per unit effort, an increase in the number of people engaged in fishing and lower food costs.

Final Draft Code of Practice for Trans-boundary Movement of Aquatic Organisms in the Lower Mekong Basin

This Code of Practice is prepared to promote or ensure compliance to World Trade Organisation-Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures for the movement of live aquatic organisms in the Lower Mekong Basin. The goals of the Code are to achieve environmental protection and management, biodiversity conservation as well as prevention of spread of disease epizootics. Most of the points listed in this Code are based on the inputs of MRC Member Countries.

Sustainable intensification of aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region: Documentation of successful practices

This publication is the major output of a regional programme jointly implemented by FAO and NACA in 2015 to document and disseminate successful practices that contribute to the sustainable intensification of aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region. Twelve practices are described that contribute to at least one of the following: Improved production and resource use efficiency (land, water, feed, energy); improved environmental benefits; strengthened economic viability and farmers' resilience; and improved social acceptance and equity.

NACA Newsletter, Volume XXXI, No. 1-2, January-June 2016

In this issue:

NACA conducts workshops on white spot disease and shrimp health management in I.R. Iran. Don’t forget to register for the 11th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum! NACA pays tribute to Professor H.P.C. Shetty – Patron of the Pillay Aquaculture Foundation. EHP: Shrimp industry survey. 3rd International Conference on Fisheries and Aquaculture, 24-25 August, Negombo, Sri Lanka. Special Session on the Status of Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Second International Technical Workshop on Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND). Guidebook on Farmer-to-Farmer Extension Approach for Small-Scale Freshwater Aquaculture. Sustainable intensification of aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region.

Aquaculture Asia Magazine, October-December 2015

In this issue:

Aquaculture feed supply chain attracting scrutiny. Pond beauty contest, Ram Kumar and social development. Culture modes of giant freshwater prawn in Yangtze River Delta for early harvest. Fish marketing in Kashmir, India - a case study of Srinagar. Community-based integrated fish-duck farming: A boon for rural development in agro-climatic conditions of Assam, India. Gastropod and bivalve fishery of Kakinada Bay, Andhra Pradesh, India: Management and conservation issues.

Aquaculture Asia Magazine, July-September 2015

In this issue:

Changes to the magazine and website. Status of alien fish species farming and it's implications for Andhra Pradesh, India. Bridging the research-extension-farmer-input and market linkage gap in coastal aquaculture through application of ICT. Bio-remediation of domestic sewerage recycled in aquaculture: A Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture model. Role of family farming in marine and coastal ecosystem management in India. Conservation of fish genetic resources: An introduction to the state fishes of India.

Future considerations for the domestication and breeding of penaeid shrimp

Domestication in livestock industries is the process in which animal populations change in response to the artificial environments of farming production systems. Significant and widespread economic gains have been achieved through genetic improvements made through domestication and selective breeding of commercially farmed shrimp species, particularly Litopenaeus vannamei. Different policies on the translocation of shrimp genetic resources have influenced the approaches to shrimp domestication in different countries. The present paper examines the different approaches.

12th Technical Advisory Committee held in Cha-am, Thailand

The twelfth meeting of NACA’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) was held in the coastal town of Cha-am, Thailand from 9-12 March. The TAC meets every two years to review NACA’s rolling work programme and propose amendments to realign it with the current needs of member governments and to account for new and emerging issues. In proposing changes, the TAC prioritises issues of common concern to member governments where there are prospects for regional collaboration.

Aquaculture Asia Magazine, October-December 2014

Promising aquaculture practices for sustainable intensification. Culture and breeding of Archcentrus spilurum at Tuticorin District of Tamil Nadu, India. Searching for ecological ways to reduce WSSV impact. Fisheries and aquaculture-based livelihoods prospects in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Linking farms and landscapes in the governance of sustainable Vietnamese shrimp aquaculture. Resilience of shrimp farming based livelihoods in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Farming system affects the virulence of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in penaeid shrimp.

Aquaculture Asia Magazine, April-June 2014

In this issue:

Integrated rice/crayfish farming in Hubei Province, China. Improvement of seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii culture production by reducing grazing by rabbit fish (Siganus spp.). Exploring the fisheries of Wular Lake, Kashmir, India. Golden mahseer Tor putitora - a possible candidate species for hill aquaculture. Free primers for specific detection of bacterial isolates that cause acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease. Special session on regional cooperation for improved biosecurity. AHPND detection discussion group established.