With an annual growth rate of 11%, Sub-Saharan Africa aquaculture is growing fast. The sector has moved beyond the infancy stage, yet the regional sector is still far from unlocking its potential. Widely recognized challenges remain the availability and price of quality inputs such as feed and seed, low practical skills, access to finance, and market linkages. To sustainably tackle these challenges, there is a need for well-informed interventions built on objective collaboration among sector players.
Putting this theory into practice, a pilot is being run in Kenya, where representatives of the various parts of the aquaculture value chain have been organized in an ecosystem with one goal: to increase the productivity and profitability of smallholder fish farmers. Leveraging the experience of the Aquaculture Academy in Kenya, the farmers have been practically trained in aquaculture skills in combination with a major focus on business acumen. Beyond, the farmers have been linked to input suppliers and the market, opening their business to offtake security.
A first-of-a-kind financial product has been developed specifically for fish farmers to increase access to finance. The product, dubbed Samaki Pepea (Samaki Pepea is Swahili for “soaring fish”), will enable farmers to buy high-quality inputs, a prerequisite to expanding their aquaculture ventures.
To practically implement, 50 farmers trained have, in turn, trained 243 other smallholder farmers. The 50 have produced an extra 100 MT of fish based on these interventions. There has been over 80% adoption rate of the best aquaculture practices (BAPs) taught to the farmers. BAPs at the farm level imply higher chances of business success and low negative environmental impact.
The value chain approach aims to break the silos in the region’s promising aquaculture sector. It is based on responsible business practices where every stakeholder understands their role in the value chain and appreciates the need for valuable collaboration. The promising results of this initiative have shown practical applicability and provide a fitting model to help unlock the challenges along the sub-Saharan aquaculture value chain.