Presentation by panelists Edward Allison, Marie-Charlotte Buisson and Arun Padiyar on 'Resilient aquatic food systems for healthy people and environment in the Asia-Pacific region' on Wednesday, 26 January 2022.

1. Spotlight Session
Resilient aquatic food
systems for healthy
people and environment
in Asia and the Pacific
#AquaticFoods

2. Audience instructions
Please submit your questions via the Q&A
box in the control panel on the right-hand side.
For non-speaking attendees, your cameras
and microphones are switched off by default.
This event is being recorded and screenshots
will be taken for promotion purposes.
We will launch some fun virtual activities for
you to participate in throughout the webinar.

3. We have consolidated our work from 13 CGIAR Research Programs and Platforms into 4 coherent groups,
3 Global and 1 Regionally Integrated – these will work towards 5 Impact Areas
Climate Adaptation
& Mitigation
Environmental
Health &
Biodiversity
Gender Equality, Youth
& Social Inclusion
Nutrition, Health &
Food Security
Poverty Reduction,
Livelihoods & Jobs
Impact Areas
Regionally
Integrated
Initiatives
Systems
Transformati
on (ST)
Initiatives
Genetic
Innovation
(GI)
Initiatives
Resilient
Agri-Food
(RAFS)
Initiatives
Resilient
Aquatic Food
Systems
Asian
Mega-Deltas
Aquatic Foods in a new framework for the CGIAR

4. Targeted
breeding
Local markets
Sustainable and Climate-Resilient
Agrifood Systems
Healthy and
affordable
diets
Seed
systems
Sustainable Ag Postharvest
Agroecology
Integral Fertility
Smart
mechanization
Input and
service
providers
Agroindustry
Biodiversity
conservation
Germplasm
Banks
Colaborative research and development of
suitable technologíes and practices
Public policies, donors and investors
Extension
systems
Food and
trade
regulations
Inclusive
growth
Field and Production System Innovation
Surplus for
trade
Self
consumption
Consumers
Research
Public
health
Rural
employment
Impact through partnerships
Mulit Scale inclusive
local development
Traceability and sustainability indicators for informed decision making
Leveraging enabling policies
Private sector
Scaling
strategies
Postharvest
and
Processing
Genetic Innovation Resilient Agri-Food Systems Systems Transformation
Regionally Integrated
Initiatives
One CGIAR Integrated Food System Value Network

5. European
Investment Bank
EU
World Bank
Asian Development
Bank
Australian
Government
Government of
Canada USAID
Others
Overall total: USD 5.7 billion ADB total: USD 102.7 million
Marleen Schutter et al - WorldFish: unpublished research
Blue Food and Flows of Blue Finance:
Disbursements of blue finance (2017-2020)
Multiple/Other/
Unspecified
(CASH GRANT)
2.4%
Aquatic Foods
(CASH GRANT)
0.2%
Waste/pollution
management
(LOANS)
97.3%

6. Resilient Aquatic Food Systems
for Healthy People and Planet
Eddie Allison
Marie-Charlotte Buisson
Definition: Aquatic foods derive from over 3000 species of animals, plants and
microorganisms grown in or harvested from water.

7. Why an initiative in aquatic foods?

8. Challenges to resilience Why these challenges persist
An order-of-magnitude underinvestment in
aquatic food systems R&D, resulting in:
Lack of data to inform policy and investment decision making
leads to them being under-valued
Power asymmetries that marginalize AqFS actors - particularly
women - in food systems transformations and the ‘blue
economy’
Aquatic foods and associated livelihoods being overlooked in
large-scale water resource management planning
Underinvestment in genetic improvement for farmed fish limits
productivity, profitability & resource use efficiency gains
Innovations and potential solutions to AqFS challenges
remain unscaled because national agricultural innovation systems
don’t extend to aquatic foods
Overharvesting of wild aquatic food stocks
Inequities in supply-chains
Inequitable aquaculture productivity growth
Vulnerabilities to climate change
Pollution, land use change, and competition for
water, space and resources in the ‘blue economy
Aquatic animal diseases and antimicrobial
resistance
Supply chain disruptions from COVID-19, natural
hazards and political and economic instabilities
All these challenges exacerbate existing
gender and other inequalities

9. Work packages
WP2 Aqua+Partners
Cross-system partnerships
to support AqFS actors’
inclusion in food system
transformations and ocean
economy
Gender inclusion
Reach BenefitEmpower
Transform
WP3 AquaPlans
Including AqFS in multi-
functional water
management plans
WP1 AquaData
Data and analytical tools
supporting AqFS policies
and investments
WP4 AquaGenetics
Public-private partnerships
to scale delivery of
genetically-improved fish
varieties
WP5 AquaLabs
Platforms to evaluate,
scale & accelerate uptake
of AqFS innovations

10. Where we will work: focal countries and phases
WP1 Aquadata
WP2 Aqua+Partners
WP3 AquaPlans
WP4 AquaGenetics
WP5 AquaLabs
Zambia
2022-25
2025-28
2028-31
Nigeria
2022-25
2025-28
2028-31
Malawi
2022-25
2025-28
2028-31
India
2022-25
2025-28
2028-31
Kenya
2022-25
2025-28
2028-31
Ghana
2022-25
2025-28
2028-31
Solomon Islands
2022-25
2025-28
2028-31
Timor-Leste
2022-25
2025-28
2028-31
Cambodia
2022-25
2025-28
2028-31
Myanmar
2022-25
2025-28
2028-31
Bangladesh
2022-25
2025-28
2028-31

11. Environmental health & biodiversity:
3.85 million ha of aquatic production
systems under improved management
Climate adaptation & mitigation:
5.28 Mt CO2 eq./yr mitigated from
reduced emissions in fish farming.
Gender equality, youth & social
inclusion:
3,500,000 women benefiting from
CGIAR innovations.
Poverty reduction,
livelihoods & jobs:
7,000,000 people benefiting
from CGIAR innovations in
aquaculture, fisheries and
aquatic foods value chains
Nutrition, health & food security:
200,000 people benefitting from
transformative impact and 3,800,000
from substantial impact in terms of
minimum micronutrient requirements
2030 Impact forecast

12. The Potential for Equitable
and Sustainable Growth of
Aquatic Foods in India

13. Marine Fisheries, Aquaculture & Fish
Processing is one of the 7 Priority Areas
under India’s Blue Economy Policy
Framework Draft
Government of India has included Aquatic Food Systems
in its Blue Economy Policy Framework - 2020

14. • USD 2.70 Billion Program for 5 years
• Started in 2020-21
• It intends not only to increase the fish
production to 22 Million Metric Tons in
2024-25 from baseline 13.75 MMT but
also to provide economic, social &
nutritional security and equity to
farmers, fishers & women.
Prime Minister’s
Fisheries Development Program (PMMSY)

15. • Government Funded Technical collaborations
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Ministry of
Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, GoI
• Marine Products Export Development Authority,
Ministry of Commerce, Government of India
• Government of Odisha
• Government of Assam
• Private Sector
• Confederation of Indian Industries (CII)
SDG
Impact at
Scale
Government
Community
Private
Sector
NGO
Science
WorldFish is assisting the Indian Government and
Private Sector at various levels

16. Key Activities of WorldFish in India
• Support for preparation of Policy
Guidelines, Master Plan & Schemes
• Support for adoption of Best Practices in
Inland and Marine Fisheries & Aquaculture.
• Support for Scheme Monitoring, Evaluation
and Learning (MEL)

17. Important outcomes from last 5 years of Strong
Collaboration with Government Odisha
• Odisha Fisheries Master Plan 2030
• Policy for long-term leasing of village water
tanks and Minor Irrigation Tanks to Women
Self-Help Groups for Fish Farming
• Fish-based nutrition in SOPAN (Strategy for
Odisha’s Pathway to Accelerated Nutrition)
• Reservoir Cage Culture Policy
• Remarkable 5X increase in State budget for
Fisheries Development in Odisha over 5 years
– USD 11.72 Millions in 2015-16 to
USD 62.10 Million in 2021-22

18. • Inter-Departmental Convergence Programs (Departments
Partners outside the remit of Fisheries and aquaculture)
• Department of Women and Child Development
• Department of Water Resources
• Department of Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water
• Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare
• Department of Education
• Department of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
• Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons
with Disabilities
• Partnerships other Donors, Institutions & NGOs
• Development institutions (MPEDA/RGCA)
• NGOs (MSSRF, KISS)
• Donors (USAID, GIZ, World Bank)
• ICAR research institutes (CIFA, CIFT, CIFRI)
• CGIAR Centers (IRRI, BISA, AVRDC, CIP)
• Private sector (CII, Falcon Sea foods, Kalinga Marine)
Partnerships for Leveraging the Resources &
Unlocking the Potential in Odisha

19. • ‘Blue economy’ is supposed to be sustainable and
equitable (and not just profitable) so that including
the interests of the poor and marginalised
communities (low income consumers, small-scale
fishers, farmers and traders) is paramount.
• There is strong “Political Will” and “Bureaucratic
Pro-activeness” in Government to accept and adopt
new and scientifically proven scalable ideas in the
national and global interest.
• Investments are required for technical strengthening
of Government Policies & Programs and unlocking
the true potential for impacts at scale.
Conclusion

20. Thank You