Micronutrient deficiencies, especially among vulnerable groups in Africa, underscore the significance of sectors like fisheries and aquaculture in addressing nutrition challenges. Recognized as a nutrition-boosting sector, aquaculture, particularly cage fish culture, offers innovative solutions to scale up production on the continent. This is crucial given the decline in wild capture fishing due to various factors such as overfishing and climate change.
Sustainable development of cage fish culture necessitates addressing social, economic, environmental, and technological aspects. The app integrates face-to-face training with modern ICT and GSM technologies, ensuring equitable outcomes. Its objectives include providing easy access to information on establishing and managing profitable and environmentally sustainable cage fish farming ventures. Moreover, it seeks to enhance the usability and adaptability of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for cage culture, enabling farmers and investors to maximize productivity and efficiency while ensuring a return on investment.
Despite its potential, the full realization of cage fish farming’s benefits in Africa remains unrealized. The NARO Cage Aquaculture App aims to bridge this gap by equipping farmers with the knowledge to enhance productivity from cages while preserving aquatic resources.
Keywords: Aquaculture, Cage culture, Mobile phone, NARO Cage Aquaculture app