Sustainable Aquaculture: Five Capitals Approach
Sustainable aquaculture offers a key sustainable food source with potential to redress world food and protein shortages, and is also a proactive food security strategy to assist in addressing the worldwide issue of fish depletion. Sustaining global food supplies presents challenges, with most population growth in the future estimated to be in the poorest developing countries for whom protein sources are already in short supply. As a source of protein, aquaculture is increasingly being viewed as a viable solution to protein source shortages to feed ever increasing population numbers. Aquaculture is efficient to operate compared with beef and other grain dependent animal protein sources. Aquaculture ventures in developing countries such as oyster projects implemented by Australian Council of International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in North Vietnam (Pierce and O’Connor,2014), have shown that not only can aquaculture ventures provide more quality protein sources into local diets, but also can provide an extra surplus income to buy other food staples and to enhance quality of life. Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) is a leading light in demonstrating how the many aquaculture projects they have assisted to start in developing countries can supplement food and income sources, and provide sustainable jobs. A key approach for success in AwF and ACIAR projects has been the ‘Teach a Man to Fish’ model to ensure they are predominantly locally driven by the community, with specialist voluntary expertise and funding provided.
Food and food security, whether in aquaculture production or other food production, needs to be viewed in the wider context of five different interdependent dimensions of sustainability capitals, none of which can be extricated from the equation. Natural environment needs to be considered in relation to sustainable farming as it underpins the enablement of food production for today and tomorrow. Human capital is another needed factor requiring knowledge and education for those who drive initiatives for food production both in implementation, in timely passing on of knowledge to those in communities, regular updating of new skills and knowledge, and flow on jobs. Social capital ensures commitment of the community to food ventures and in commitment to sustaining the environment, trust to share knowledge and to help others, whether in their businesses or in sharing of food. Flow on social capital other benefits include from mental and social wellbeing gained from providing for families and the community, and gainful employment. Institutional capital is required which covers ethical and sustainable guidelines for developing of businesses that also are for benefit of the local community and sustaining the natural environment, and governing bodies who have the responsibility to set guidelines and policies for sustainable food production. It is also important to monitor ways in which businesses are operated for sustainable production and good standards of food security through all the links in the supply chain. A further institutional capital consideration is to ensure ways people in the food production supply chain are treated is in accordance with human rights guidelines and fair pay. Produced capital is another essential part of the capitals equation as income generated by food businesses can support lifestyles, help alleviate poverty, fund education for children, and further enhance business ventures in the community. Aquaculture offers the opportunity to be a partial solution to world food security issues, but needs to be approached in a holistic way to ensure a five capitals approach for sustaining people and the planet. A positive model of implementation can be inspired by the AwF approach in developing countries for aquaculture projects.
Dr Janine Pierce