June 8, 2023 | CGIAR | Source
The CGIAR Foresight Initiative has released a series of notes summarizing research on the future of food systems. This note focuses on aquatic foods and highlights the following key points:
Rising Demand: Demand for aquatic foods is increasing due to population growth, higher incomes, and recognition of their health benefits.
Role of Aquaculture: Aquaculture has been crucial in meeting the growing demand for aquatic foods.
Nutrient-Rich and Low Impact: Aquatic foods are nutrient-rich and have low emissions and land/water impacts, contributing to health, wellbeing, and rural livelihoods.
Complex Challenges: Challenges include environmental issues, pollution, disease outbreaks, climate change, and governance.
Foresight Studies: Recent studies have integrated aquatic foods into agricultural foresight models, projecting future supply, demand, and prices. They show that prices are expected to rise, especially in 2022 due to post-COVID recovery.
Regional Insights: Different regions have varying prospects for aquatic food production and consumption. For example, ASEAN countries are expected to play a significant role, and Africa has great growth potential. Europe is projected to consume substantial amounts of fish.
Risks and Challenges: Disease outbreaks, overfishing, climate change, and other factors pose risks to future aquaculture production and consumption.
Gaps in Research: There is a need for more comprehensive and disaggregated foresight modeling for aquatic foods to address their complexity and diversity. Research should focus on areas like poverty alleviation, nutrition, gender equity, and environmental sustainability.
In summary, aquatic foods have a vital role in future food systems, but addressing challenges and harnessing their potential requires more in-depth and region-specific research and policy attention.