Integrated Agri Aquaculture In Desert And Arid Lands Learning From Case Studies From Algeria Egypt And Oman

The FAO Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity (WSI), initiated in 2013, identified that lack of water resources is a potential disaster scenario for the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. The WSI initiative developed out of 31st Session of the FAO Near East and North Africa (NENA) Regional Conference held in Rome in May 2012, outcomes from the Hyogo Framework Agreement 2005 – 2015, and highlighted through work undertaken by the Arab Water Council in reports in 2004, 2012 and 2015. Several projects were started, including use of non-conventional water resources in integrated agriculture - aquaculture (IAA) systems within the NENA region. Agriculture is the largest food production type in the region and the highest water use. Aquaculture production is also a major food sector and development of integrated systems, for increase productivity and to reduce overall water use in food production, is a useful approach. Water scarcity is particularly acute in arid regions of the NENA region, and is a finite resource, with IAA competing for water with other large sectors including domestic and industrial use. Non-conventional water resources are identified as a potential resource to develop IAA systems in a more unified way, reducing the burden of use on standard renewable water resources. The principle objective of the work was to build broad partnerships to support greater understanding in implementation and use of non-conventional water resource in IAA systems.

The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region covers 18 countries and territories: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara and Yemen with a total land area of 9.8 million km2. The region is mostly arid or semi-arid but has extensive coastlines and includes a wide range of different economies from high income, hydrocarbon-rich countries to low-income states, some of which have been severely impacted by conflict in recent years. NENA aquaculture production was worth USD 2.3 billion in 2018, two-thirds of which came from Egypt and around one-quarter from Saudi Arabia. Production has grown rapidly since the 1980s, more than doubling over ten years and increasing by 50 percent over the five years preceding 2018 to reach 1.7 million tonnes. Egyptian fish farms accounted for 92 percent of production and Saudi Arabia for 4.2 percent while other significant producers included Iraq (25 737 tonnes), Tunisia (21 826 tonnes), Algeria (5 100 tonnes), the United Arab Emirates (3 350 tonnes) and the Syrian Arab Republic (2 350 tonnes). Although current aquaculture production levels are low, all these countries have high ambitions with further developing the sector, often for improved food self-sufficiency.

Intensifying water constraints threaten food security and nutrition. Thus, urgent action is needed to make water use in agriculture more sustainable and equitable. Irrigated agriculture remains by far the largest user of freshwater, but scarcity of freshwater is a growing problem owing to increasing demand and competition for freshwater resources. At the same time, rainfed agriculture is facing increasing precipitation variability driven by climate change. These trends will exacerbate disputes among water users and inequality in access to water, especially for small-scale farmers, the rural poor and other vulnerable populations. The State of Food and Agriculture 2020 presents new estimates on the pervasiveness of water scarcity in irrigated agriculture and of water shortages in rainfed agriculture, as well as on the number of people affected. It finds major differences across countries, and also substantial spatial variation within countries. This evidence informs a discussion of how countries may determine appropriate policies and interventions, depending on the nature and magnitude of the problem, but also on other factors such as the type of agricultural production system and countries’ level of development and their political structures. Based on this, the publication provides guidance on how countries can prioritize policies and interventions to overcome water constraints in agriculture, while ensuring efficient, sustainable and equitable access to water.

The Sultanate of Oman is experiencing a nutrition transition, characterized by shifts in diet, lifestyle and disease burden. The National Nutrition Strategy of Oman 2014-2050 and the Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy SARDS 2040 have emphasized the importance of adequate intake of fruits and vegetables while decreasing the consumption of energy-dense foods. FAO collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MAFWR) and Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC) to conduct an inclusive Nutrition Sensitive Value Chain Analysis (NSVCA). The geographical focus was on Al Batinah North, one of the main agricultural governorates in Oman. Two commodities were selected by MAFWR and the Ministry of Health based on a scoring method: papaya and carrots. This NSVCA aimed at mapping the current landscape of constraints and opportunities in supply and demand of safe and nutritious food commodities across these two value chains. It focuses on SMEs related to food and agriculture, farmer organizations, smallholders and other actors along the value chains. The NSVCA contributes mainly to SO1, SO3 and SO4 through improved knowledge of the food system in Oman and providing a variety of evidence based intervention and investment opportunities along the value chain. The findings will allow decision-makers to identify specific policy interventions which will leverage the potential of these value chains for both income generation and better nutrition outcomes.

This edited book presents the emerging sustainable innovations in all areas of aquaculture in Africa with a view to create an opportunity whereby scientific outputs and recommendations can be endorsed for improved aquaculture outputs towards poverty alleviation and food security on the continent. Food insecurity and poverty are some of the challenges faced on the African continent. These challenges are further exacerbated by the growing human population and the impacts of climate change. Today, aquaculture has become one of the fastest food producing sectors in the world, with the potential to contribute significantly to food security and poverty alleviation in developing countries. In Africa, aquaculture is at an infant stage, however, many African countries have recognized the potential roles of aquaculture in food security, poverty alleviation and conservation of aquatic resources through their commitment to achieve the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals. The book reviews and synthesize research work from these thematic areas across Africa and provide a unique perspective on the emerging aquaculture innovations and illustrate how aquaculture practices could be feasible and cost effective while promoting social and environmental sustainability. The book also draws from global discussions on sustainable aquaculture practices and provides recommendations on what is feasible for Africa. This book is a great tool for the university students, scholars, aquaculture farmers, investors, and policymakers to understand the scientific based sustainable aquaculture innovations from an African perspective. This book is focused on SDG 2 and SDG 14.

In 2020, the 43rd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission approved the “Development of Guidelines for the Safe Use and Reuse of Water in Food Production” proposed at the 51st Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene. To support this work, JEMRA was asked to provide scientific advice on sector-specific applications and case studies for determining appropriate and fit-for-purpose microbiological criteria for water sourcing, use and reuse in fish and fishery products from primary production to retail. This report presented the outcome from the JEMRA meeting, which includes the: situation analysis concerning water use and reuse in the production and processing of fish and fishery products, analysis of case studies for different risk-based water use and reuse processing scenarios and species, water quality monitoring and the use of non-culture based microbiological methods, recommendations concerning the safety and quality of water used in fish production and processing, and critical research gaps and policy developments.