Climate change is increasingly threatening small- and medium-scale fish farms across Africa, undermining productivity, food security, and livelihoods. Building climate resilience in aquaculture requires fish farmers to adopt innovative feeding strategies and climate-smart production techniques tailored to local conditions. However, the growth of African aquaculture remains hindered by limited access to affordable, high-quality fish feed, with challenges rooted in high costs, poor quality, ingredient shortages, and sustainability issues.
Promoting the use of locally available agricultural by-products, insect meals, and animal by-products as alternative protein sources can reduce reliance on costly imported feeds and unsustainable fishmeal. On-farm feed production using local ingredients, combined with improved feeding practices and adaptive management, further bolsters resilience and productivity. Establishing local feed mills, strengthening distribution networks, and developing community-based feed outlets are practical steps to improve accessibility, especially for smallholder farmers.
Crucially, these nutritional innovations must be integrated with optimized farm management and robust training programs, enabling farmers to implement best practices in response to climate challenges. Climate-smart infrastructure improvements and ecosystem-based solutions, such as agroforestry, offer additional support.
Together, these approaches enhance feed efficiency, lower input costs, and boost fish yields, laying the foundation for sustainable aquaculture growth despite climate variability. Adopting these climate-adaptive strategies is essential to safeguard the future of African aquaculture and the communities that depend on it.