AQUA 2018 | Agroecology to meet the challenge of sustainable aquaculture

Aquaculture is the animal production sector that has developed the most rapidly in recent decades, and today more than half of all fish for human consumption are farmed. In terms of volume, more fish are now farmed than cattle, and this trend is unlikely to be reversed in the coming years due to population growth, but also to the nutritional benefits of these products. However, the rapid growth in production has sometimes had adverse environmental and social impacts, which the aquaculture sector is now seeking to reduce.

Agroecology is based on applying ecological concepts and principles to optimise interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment while taking into consideration ecosystem services and the social aspects that need to be addressed for a sustainable and fair food system.

FAO uses 10 indicators to characterise agroecology: the diversity of species and biodiversity; the co-creation and sharing of knowledge between actors; the promotion of synergies between different activities in the production system and with the environment; efficiency in the use of resources; recycling; the resilience of communities and ecosystems (especially to climate change); human and social values; culture and food traditions; responsible governance; and a circular and solidarity economy.

Inventing a new resilient and sustainable aquaculture

As in other fields of agriculture, agroecology is one of the most promising avenues for inventing a new resilient and sustainable aquaculture, but also for helping the sector to adapt to climate change. This is why, as pointed out by Matthias Halwart, Director of Aquaculture at FAO, “agroecology and intersectoral approaches such as integrated agriculture-aquaculture are a priority for both FAO and CIRAD, and are thus included in the partnership agreement linking our two institutions” . Indeed, while “traditional aquaculture, as practised for thousands of years in Asia, has always been perfectly integrated into its natural, agricultural and human environment, new approaches are currently emerging ”, says Lionel Dabbadie from CIRAD.

Examples include aquaponics (combining aquaculture and hydroponics), integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (combining polluting species with extractive species and crops such as filter-feeding molluscs or macroalgae), insect farms to feed fish or the use of lumpfish Cyclopterus lumpus to control sea lice in salmon. “Rice-fish farming systems in Madagascar and fish-rice systems in Guinea are two examples of agro-ecological approaches that CIRAD is studying and will present at the workshop on 25 August ”, says Lionel Dabbadie.

Rice-fish farming, an example of an agro-ecological approach

Rice-fish farming consists in producing fish in rice fields. “The fish stir the sediments at the bottom of the fields and thereby contribute to the suspension of nutrients that the rice needs in order to grow. The fish, on the other hand, feed on the periphyton that develops on the rice stalks ”. In this integrated agro-ecological system, “not only are two food products produced in the same space, but more is produced than if they were cultivated separately”.

This special event on agroecology applied to aquaculture has three objectives:

• documenting current practices;
• understanding how integrated aquaculture and agroecology help to meet the challenges of reducing poverty and hunger;
• identifying knowledge gaps in the development of sustainable agro-ecological aquaculture.

CIRAD at AQUA 2018

Organised every six years by the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) and the World Aquaculture Society (WAS), AQUA 2018 is expecting 2 500 participants from more than 60 countries in Montpellier from 25 to 29 August. “Aquaculture is one of the most important food industries in the world. Its challenge is to produce as efficiently as possible high quality aquatic products while respecting the environment, as well as contributing to health and to global wealth”, say the organisers of AQUA 2018. The four organisations involved in aquaculture research in France (IFREMER, INRA, CIRAD and IRD) have contributed to the success of this exceptional congress and will play an active role in it through presentations by researchers during the congress, but also during events, such as the workshop by CIRAD and FAO on agroecology (see above).

CIRAD, which is working with IFREMER, IRD and the University of Montpellier on the development of eco-friendly aquaculture, will thus participate, on the topic of tilapia, the second most consumed fish in the world, in the farm tour organised by IFREMER on Saturday 25 August at the experimental station in Palavas ( see the press kit for the visit).

Its researchers will also make seven presentations during the congress, held at the Corum, and will chair four sessions:

• Non-food aquaculture, Sunday 26 August (11:20 - 12:40), Room Sully 1 - Chair: Hugues de Verdal
• Tilapia, Sunday 26 August (14:30 - 17:10), Room Tibériade - Chair: Hugues de Verdal
• Agriculture / Aquaculture circular co-production and eco-intensification, Monday 27 August (09:00 - 15:10), Room Sully 2 - Chair: Lionel Dabbadie
• Sex determinism and control, Wednesday 29 August (09:00 - 15:40), Room Joffre 5 - Chair: Jean-François Baroiller