18 SEPTEMBER 2023 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG Located in the central part of Southern Africa, Zambia is landlocked and surrounded by eight countries: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Zambia will be hosting the second Aquaculture Africa conference (AFRAQ23) for the African Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society, from the 13th to 16th November 2023. The conference will be held at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC) in Lusaka under the theme: Resilient Value Chains in the Blue Economy. It is estimated that out of Zambia’s total land area of 75 million hectares or 752,000 km2, 58% (42 million hectares) is classified as medium- to high potential for agricultural production. The country receives between 800 and 1,400 mm of rainfall annually. It is suitable for the production of a broad range of crops, fish and livestock. Zambia is endowed with a total of 23 million hectares of water and wetlands, with more than 400 indigenous fish species. These natural resources, coupled with favorable climatic conditions, are being utilized for inland aquaculture development. According to the African Development Bank, Zambia is one of the countries in Africa with high potential to expand agriculture, livestock and fisheries (including aquaculture), given the vast land, labor and water resources available. Zambian aquaculture is documented to have begun in the 1940s when indigenous cichlid species were introduced in dams and earthen ponds, mainly after the construction of six fish ponds in 1943 at Chilanga Fish Farm located 15 km south of the capital Lusaka. Chilanga still remains an important historical site for fisheries and aquaculture and it is where the Headquarters of the Department of Fisheries is based. Later, in the 1950s the government established a fish farm in Northern Zambia (the National Aquaculture Research and Development Centre) at Mwekera which is 25 km East of Kitwe, the third largest city in Zambia. This was done in order to demonstrate fish farming ventures and supplement the experiments that were being conducted at Chilanga. Today, the center remains the largest aquaculture research institution in Zambia. At that time, the emphasis was subsistence farming as opposed Evolution of Aquaculture Value Chain Development in Zambia — Approaching a Century of Demonstrated Resilience Alexander Shula Kefi Growth of aquaculture in Zambia (Source: FAO and Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock). The country is one of the fastest growing aquaculture producers in Africa, producing mainly tilapia. Zambia aquaculture production volume and value (2010-2022) Fish cages near Siavonga, Zambia. The country is endowed with 23 million hectares of water and wetlands. Lake Kariba is the world’s largest reservoir by volume, and it is well suited for fish culture.
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