Aquaculture the farming of aquatic organisms, has overtaken capture fisheries as the primary source of aquatic blue foods and has been the fastest growing food production sector globally. The fast growth in the face of climate change and resource challenges necessitates the development of sustainable aquaculture. A global operational Guide to promote sustainable aquabusiness development and investments, The Global Aquabusiness Investment Guide (GAIG) was recently launched by the World Bank. Developed under the umbrella of the PROBLUE-funded AquaInvest Platform, this guide is a global tool designed to develop and disseminate best practices in aquaculture among public and private sector stakeholders. It can be used by a diversity of aquaculture stakeholders along the entire value chain, including national governments, private and public sector investors, private aquaculture operators seeking investment (primarily SMEs), development partners, NGOs, supporting industries (e.g., seed and feed producers), and research organisations. Importantly, the Guide has been designed as a ‘living document’ to be updated periodically as new learnings emerge.
The GAIG targets all farming systems, scales, value chain segments, and commodities, with special emphasis on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The GAIG provides a set of comprehensive principles to harness social, economic and environmental opportunities derived from commercial aquaculture, while safeguarding against negative impacts and challenges. The GAIG was developed following extensive engagements with a wide range of industry actors. It describes the necessary requirements and enabling factors for stimulating aquaculture investment and aquabusiness growth that is socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable.
The Guide consists of eight Guiding Principles for Sustainable Aquabusiness, each of which comprises a set of practical recommendations, structured in the form of ‘Questions to ask’ and ‘Finding the answer’. Feedback received during the dissemination and validation stages will be used to inform the revision of the Guide for its next edition.
Key words: aquabusiness, principles, governance and investment.