Housed at the Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security (GCAHFS: www.gcahfs.msstate.edu) at Mississippi State University and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish worked from 2018–2025 to reduce poverty and improve nutrition, food security, and livelihoods in partner countries through the research and development of innovative solutions in aquaculture, fisheries, and aquatic-foods-based nutrition. As one of the Feed the Future Innovation Labs, it leveraged the expertise of U.S. universities and research institutions across Africa and Asia to tackle critical challenges in agriculture and food systems.
Over the course of the program, the Fish Innovation Lab supported 30 research activities, 19 of which were in Africa: Ghana (1), Kenya (5), Nigeria (7), and Zambia (6). It enabled and leveraged collaborations to conduct critical research that led to the development of over 50 innovations across aquaculture and fisheries sectors, with more than 2,000 individuals adopting these technologies. In Africa, where the aquaculture sector is rapidly growing, 28 innovations were developed to sustainably enhance productivity. These innovations included technologies to strengthen biosecurity and prevent diseases, improve fish-based market conditions and access, identify alternatives for fish feed, adapt integrated aquaculture systems to local conditions, and address farm inefficiencies among small-scale fish farmers.
Recognizing the importance of sustainability beyond the program’s duration, the Fish Innovation Lab emphasized scaling innovations within the local and regional food system. Researchers were encouraged to articulate a clear pathway to scale, identifying enabling conditions, end users, institutional partners, and additional funding mechanisms. As a result, multiple innovations advanced towards broader adoption through a range of scaling pathways. These included the integration of data and resources into open-access online platforms, stakeholder convenings to support dissemination of research findings, and collaboration with local partners such as extension services to conduct end-user-informed research on vaccines. Other approaches included establishing stakeholder networks, including a veterinary network, and engaging in policy discussions to introduce biosecurity practices into national frameworks. Together, these actions demonstrate that scaling innovations is an ongoing, systems-driven process essential for sustaining the impact of the research.
This presentation traces the journey from research to real-word impact, highlighting not only the technical advances made by the Fish Innovation Lab’s research, but also the strategies used to support uptake and scale. As the sector continues to grow and evolve in Africa, this presentation is an opportunity to engage researchers, implementers, donors, and private-sector actors to collaborate in sustaining and expanding these innovations, ensuring that a sustainable aquaculture sector remains central in ensuring food security for growing populations in Africa.