Our Projects

Although about 43% of the African continent is considered arid and water-poor, it supports the livelihoods of nearly 485 million people. This part of the continent is largely ignored as having potential for aquaculture development, but it has underground water sources (including brackish water aquifers), dams, seasonal ponds and pools from abandoned open-cast mines that all could be used for aquaculture.

Aquaculture for Low Income Consumers (AquaLINC) is a project that aims to increase supplies of affordable and nutritious fish for poor consumers. It will explore innovative production methods to produce smaller tilapias, and test fish feeding approaches to improve the nutritional quality of fish for consumption. Trials will be done on farms and research stations to evaluate the economic and technical feasibility of producing smaller and more nutritious fish.

Aquaculture Futures in Indonesia is a project that explores the future of aquaculture development in Indonesia and identifies pathways for growth. It examines which public and private investment strategies are best aligned with an environmentally sustainable aquaculture sector. The project will create scenarios for future seafood supply and demand in Indonesia that will empower decision-makers, land managers, and communities to assess how increased productivity can be sustainably enhanced, enabling them to develop public policies and investments that mitigate ecosystem impacts.

In the Indian state of Assam, capture fisheries and aquaculture provide livelihoods for thousands of rural households, who are directly or indirectly involved in the production and marketing of fish. 

In developing countries, small-scale fisheries (SSF) are a vital source of food, nutrition and income. But pressures from within and external to SSF—such as overharvesting, infrastructure development and inadequate policy recognition—threaten their sustainability and equitable distribution of benefits.

High population density, a degraded environment and the effects of climate change in Malawi's Lake Chilwa Basin are causing food insecurity and exerting increased pressure on forests and fisheries, which provide important sources of income and critical safety nets for the poor in times of crises. The Lake Chilwa Basin project is developing a range of climate change adaptation solutions that will enhance the capacity of communities to adopt sustainable livelihood and natural resource management practices.

Climate variability has a profound influence on fisheries and agriculture in South Asia. CaFFSA will innovate in the delivery of climate services to 330,000 farm households in India (Andhra Pradesh and Odisha states) and 150,000 fish farming households in Odisha and Bangladesh (Barisal, Sylhet and Khulna divisions). Timely, reliable and contextualized climate information will profoundly change the climate risk equation in sectors that underpin the food security of millions.

In Bangladesh, pressures from population growth, acute food shortages and poverty mean that around 60% of the population suffers from undernutrition. The Expansion of Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA)  project brings together local partners, the International Rice Research Institute, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center and WorldFish to fight food insecurity through the creation of six regional hubs that promote technology innovation and improve agricultural and aquaculture productivity.

In the Solomon Islands, overfishing and climate change have depleted natural resources and increased pressures on subsistence-level livelihoods. The Developing Inland Aquaculture project is a four-year partnership between WorldFish and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) which seeks to expand currently underdeveloped inland aquaculture (fish farming) to supplement dwindling marine resources in Solomon Islands.

Rice and fish are key elements of the diet and major agricultural production sectors in Myanmar. Rice-fish systems (RFSs) encompass a spectrum of farming and fishing practices, from traditional capture of fish in rice-dominated landscapes through to controlled farming of fish in rice fields. Rice farming covers approximately 8 million ha and involves more than 5 million rural households. Myanmar governments of the recent past favored “command and control” based policies that discouraged rice farmers from diversification and making production decisions based on market demand.

Sustainably reducing poverty and improving food and nutrition security are challenges that require coordinated efforts and partnerships between organizations. The partnership between the Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA) and WorldFish supports the sustainable management of natural resources in communities across Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Since the 1980s, aquaculture production in Egypt has grown rapidly, adding substantially to the supply of affordable fish to domestic markets. As a result, aquaculture markets have become a strategic food sector that contributes to nutrition security and sustains substantial employment opportunities for informal retailers, many of whom are women. However, the informal nature of fish retailing can result in different forms of insecurity relating to insufficient lending arrangements, risk of postharvest losses and poor returns, and threat of harassment or arrest.

Enhanced Coastal Fisheries in Bangladesh II (ECOFISH II) is a 5-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Jointly implemented by WorldFish and the Department of Fisheries (DOF), ECOFISH II is built upon the previous work of the original ECOFISH (2014–2019) project regarding hilsa shad production in the Meghna River ecosystem. ECOFISH II is reducing the impacts on the natural resources and fishing communities along the Teknaf–Cox’s Bazar peninsula from the influx of over a million Rohingya refugees.

Rice field fisheries constitute a vital source of income and nutrition for Cambodia’s poor farmers. However, as population and demand for fish grows, there has been a marked decline in yields and a degradation of aquatic biodiversity. Intensification of rice farming, pesticides and damage to habitats have also contributed to this problem. WorldFish is partnering with NGOs, local authorities and national universities to research ways to increase productivity, expand rice field fisheries while seeking innovative ways to increase biodiversity and protect ecosystems.

The sea cucumber, a member of the sandfish family, has provided a valuable source of income for communities across the Asia-Pacific region for decades. However, in recent years, stocks have plummeted due to overfishing and ecosystem damage.

Rice field fisheries (RFF), defined as the fishing done in and around rice fields, particularly during the flood season, are a vital source of income and nutrition for Cambodia’s poor farmers. To increase productivity and maintain biodiversity of wild fish in RFF, the project works in the Tonle Sap floodplain to improve management of community fish refuges (CFR), which provide dry season sanctuaries for broodstock.

Bangladesh has chronic levels of undernutrition which most dramatically effect pregnant women and children. The project, “Fish consumption in the first 1,000 days for increased protein intake and improved nutrition,” aims to improve the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women and infants 6-23 months of age in Bangladesh through the provision of nutritious foods products made from common, locally available ingredients.

This project will implement the national fisheries strategy in Timor-Leste to improve coastal community livelihoods through sustainable fisheries management. The FSSP2 project will benefit approximately 25,000 women and men fishers and their communities as well as managers and diverse stakeholders by increasing the sustainable production and increased consumption of coastal fish in Timor-Leste.

Fishing for a Future is an initiative that brings together key stakeholders from government, private sector, international and civil society organizations to identify and assess challenges in the fish-based food system and identify solutions that can be pursued through collective action. The initiative aims to create profitable, well-governed, and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture sectors that delivers social and economic benefits to society and ensures a continuing supply of fish to meet the needs of a growing population.

WorldFish has partnered with the Haor Infrastructure and Livelihood Improvement Project (HILIP), an integrated rural development project funded by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Netherlands Government. The project aims to help the poor to adapt to climate change, with a focus on improved and sustainable productivity in fisheries. Its biggest component is community-based fisheries management of open water bodies within the Haor Basin in Bangladesh.

Digital technologies are undergoing a revolution. Artificial intelligence (machine learning), remote sensing, smartphones, mobile internet, social media, and open source data collection and video production software open up an array of new possibilities for cheaply collecting, analyzing and communicating information in new forms, to multiple audiences.

The vast majority of Solomon Islanders depend on fishing and farming for food and livelihoods. However, coastal marine resources are under threat due to overfishing, the effects of climate change and ecosystem degradation. Improving Community-based Fisheries Management or PacFisheries is a community-based project that aims to improve the lives of the people in the Solomon Islands through co-developing comprehensive natural resource management plans. Working with partner NGOs and government, the project will monitor the development and assess the effectiveness of local management plans.

Focusing on Bangladesh and Zambia but with a global scope, this project aims to find ways to meet the food and nutrition needs of the poor, particularly women and children, by gaining valuable insights into fish consumption patterns. It seeks to quantify the contribution of fish and fish products to the diets of poor men, women and children and examines existing aquaculture systems and value chains with respect to the food and nutritional requirements of poor consumers.

The fisheries sector in Myanmar is vital for national food security, income generation and export earnings. It is estimated that aquaculture and fisheries directly employ more than 3 million people and that between 12 and 15 million people benefit from the sector. Fish products are the most important sources of animal protein in the country. Fisheries development in Myanmar faces three constraints: the lack of a comprehensive information base on fisheries, the lack of proven management approaches and technologies and the limited technical capacity to implement fisheries projects.

This three-year project, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and led by CARE, aims to increase youth employment in areas of Egypt badly hurt by the down-turn in tourism. WorldFish will deliver the fisheries and aquaculture components of the project including support for the development of aquaculture, value addition for fisheries products and improved fisheries management in Lake Nasser.

The goal of this project is to ensure the environmental sustainability of Indonesia’s aquaculture development while increasing production yet recognizing both socioeconomic and climate change factors.

Method

Malnutrition levels in Bangladesh are among the highest in the world. Dietary intake of both adults and children are severely deficient in key micronutrients. This project aims to increase household income in poor, rural households in Bangladesh, and improve nutrition, especially in women and children, through increased intake of nutrient-rich small fish. The project promotes innovative new technologies designed to increase the production of small nutrient-rich fish species in two separate and environmentally distinct agricultural areas.

The seas between Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands constitute some of the most biologically diverse waters in the world. However, the area’s ecosystems, especially the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME), are under intense pressure from overfishing, population pressure and pollution. The Coastal and Marine Resources Management in the Coral Triangle project seeks to develop a monitoring, control and surveillance system for coral reef fish to protect them from overfishing and illegal reef fishing.

Small-scale and commercial aquaculture is growing in Bangladesh and has tremendous potential to increase both food security and incomes. This project focuses on implementing market development interventions for the farmed fish sector in Bangladesh by targeting improvements in fish feed production. The project aims to build capacity in commercial feed companies, focusing on product quality, formulation and improvements to process management as well as machine operation, alternative energy sources, alternative raw materials, software operation, and improvements in the supply chain.

The Mobile Solutions Technical Assistance and Research (mSTAR) project, funded by USAID and implemented by FHI 360, aims to increase peoples’ knowledge on mobile technology among the poor, civil society, local government institutions and private-sector stakeholders. Through a grant provided by mSTAR, the USAID Aquaculture for Income and Nutrition (AIN) project is piloting the use of mobile financial services in southwest Bangladesh.

In the ‘low income, food deficit’ countries of India, Bangladesh and Malawi, aquaculture is a key source of food and income for resource-poor people in rural and urban areas. Yet growth of the small-scale aquaculture sector is limited by fish disease. This project brings together farmers, aquatic health professionals, researchers and national authorities to combat this problem, by developing and applying modern molecular methods for use as early warning tools.

There are more than four million small household ponds in Bangladesh that have the potential to be significant sources of food and income for local farmers, especially women. This ecologically-focused project aims to increase household access to fish for nutrition and income by diversifying ecosystems in shaded household ponds. It works with 60 women who act as researchers utilizing their household ponds.

In Timor-Leste, the government is committed to developing aquaculture to improve the country’s food and nutrition security while enhancing income opportunities for coastal and inland farming communities. This project aims to scale up production of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) to support progress toward the National Aquaculture Development Strategy (2012-2030). The strategy targets increased farmed fish production of 12,000 tons per year by 2030, leading to a rise in annual fish consumption to 15 kg per person.

Through this partnership with the Government of Odisha in India, WorldFish provides support to increase the productivity of aquaculture through improvements in seed, technology and farming systems. A long-term goal is to foster a sustainable aquaculture sector in which the private sector will be more willing to invest. The partnership will also focus on improving the value chain for aquaculture products to improve nutrition security in Odisha state, where over 25% of children under five in rural areas are malnourished.

The European Union is the world’s largest importer of seafood products, mainly from Asia. The growth of aquaculture in Asia has been remarkable, but it also raises environmental concerns and poses serious challenges in terms of sustainability, social equity and suitable technologies. To establish sustainable aquaculture practices that improve resource efficiency and reduce environmental impact, the project will establish standards for aquaculture site planning, animal health, food product safety and farm governance.

Food systems in Myanmar have the potential to be highly productive and support the demands of a growing population. This project aims to promote agricultural productivity and nutrition and to enhance livelihoods through an improved policy environment. New policies that enhance agricultural productivity and efficiency in Myanmar are hampered by a lack of research into the country’s food system.

Global fisheries are under stress from overfishing, pollution, poor resource mangement and the effects from climate change. Hundreds of millions of the world’s most vulnerable people rely on these dwindling resources for their food and nutrition security and livelihoods. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (UK), the project aims to build a body of research that can capture the human dimensions of the global fisheries crisis. The project focuses on four highly fish-dependent countries: Fiji, Ghana, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

The goal of the proposed project is to improve food and nutrition security in the Indian state of Odisha. The project will lead to the introduction of nutrition-sensitive production technologies for nutrient-rich fish and vegetables in select districts of Odisha as well as increased production of fresh, high quality small fish and dried fish to make fish-based products for consumption in the first 1000 days of life.

Objectives

Global demand for seafood continues to rise, driven by population growth, higher incomes, urbanization and increasing preference for seafood protein. As capture fisheries production has reached its limits, the growth of aquaculture is critical for meeting increasing demand for fish. One of the bottlenecks constraining sustainable aquaculture development is the lack of improved strains of fish.

Fish is the most important animal-source food in the diets of Sierra Leoneans, with fish providing about 80% of animal protein intake. Yet the country, which ranked 181 out of 188 countries in the 2014 Human Development Index, suffers from food insecurity and malnutrition, with 22% of the population undernourished. This project scales up appropriate intervention strategies—identified during the project’s initial 15-month pilot research—to boost aquaculture production in Tonkolili district, one of the poorest and nutrition-insecure regions in the country, with a 25% childhood stunting rate.

The Strengthening Aquatic Resource Governance (STARGO) project aims to build resilient livelihoods among poor rural producers who depend on the highly contested natural resources in Lake Victoria, Lake Kariba, and Tonle Sap/ Lower Mekong ecoregions. The intent is to improve nutrition, income, welfare and human security, while also reducing the likelihood of broader social conflict.

During the first 1,000 days of life, from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday, children are most vulnerable to the effects of undernutrition and disease. Suchana aims to reduce undernutrition and stunting in children in Bangladesh, by targeting children under two and women of reproductive age (15-45 years) from 250,000 poor households in Sylhet and Moulvibazar. The project has an integrated approach, adopting a range of market-based, gender-sensitive and nutrition-sensitive activities.

Approximately 26% of Egyptians are resource-poor and suffer from a series of nutritional challenges, including high rates of childhood stunting, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The Sustainable Transformation of Egypt’s Aquaculture Market System (STREAMS) project aims to increase production of inexpensive, nutritious and safe fish from sustainable aquaculture systems to help improve the health and nutrition of Egypt’s resource-poor while creating employment and increasing incomes along the aquaculture value chain.

The US-APEC Technical Assistance to Advance Regional Integration (US-ATAARI) project aims to help the APEC Secretariat and APEC member economies eligible for foreign assistance to advance economic integration and achieve the Bogor Goals of free and open trade and investment. The project will support APEC’s ongoing work in trade and investment liberalization, business facilitation, and economic and technical cooperation, as well as activities that accord with U.S. foreign policy priorities and will build APEC's institutional capacity for strategic planning and support its work program.