As the global population increases, leading to more consumption of animal protein, aquaculture is key to delivering proteins and micronutrients to people, especially in low-income countries such as Zambia. Aquaculture is an economic activity with the potential to be as important as agriculture for smallholder producers, in terms of socioeconomic development and food security.
Zambia is a landlocked country in southeast Africa, endowed with water bodies. Fish from the capture fisheries in the country are usually the only accessible and affordable source of animal protein for resource-poor populations in rural areas, providing 55% of the animal protein in Zambian diets. Fish is also a key source of income, food, and nutrition. However, capture fisheries no longer meet the national demand for fish.
A significant challenge confronting the development of the aquaculture value chain in Zambia is ensuring that the larger scale commercial sector can continue to grow and generate economic benefits for the country while simultaneously safeguarding incusive and sustainable growth of smallholder production systems.