Nutreco and its parent company SHV are partnering with FoodTechAfrica and African Parks on an initiative to promote sustainable aquaculture in Africa. In addition to financial investments, Nutreco and SHV will contribute their deep knowledge and experience in creating sustainable ways to feed the future, while also driving forward conservation-led economies. The first project under the initiative, the Gishanda Fish Farm in Rwanda, will help meet Rwanda’s growing demand for protein.
The sustainable aquaculture initiative started as a cooperative effort between FoodTechAfrica, a public-private partnership headed by Larive International focused on improving food security in East Africa, of which Nutreco’s Skretting aquaculture business line is a partner, and African Parks, a leading conservation organization that manages a diverse portfolio of 22 protected areas. It will focus on helping solve challenges within the aquaculture supply chain in Africa by promoting protein production in lakes outside of the parks. SHV will make a financial investment in the project. Nutreco, through its Middle East and Africa business, will act as a sponsor and feed partner, contributing its world-leading specialist expertise in nutritional feeds for fish and sustainable production.
“It is estimated that more than half of the projected global population growth in coming decades will take place in Africa. Our purpose of Feeding the Future is focused on helping produce more sustainable protein to feed the growing population here and across the globe. As food insecurity is a global issue, we believe in the great potential of addressing it through partnerships such as this one. We’re grateful to SHV for supporting this project and believe that being part of the SHV group greatly enhances our ability to make a difference in the pursuit of Nutreco’s purpose,” said Nutreco CEO, Fulco van Lede.
The partnership’s first project: Gishanda Fish Farm, Rwanda
The Gishanda Fish Farm is the first project underway as part of the initiative to provide sustainable aquaculture in Africa. The facility officially opened on October 18 outside African Parks-managed Akagera National Park in Rwanda and will continue to be developed over the coming years. The project is using innovative solutions to accelerate aquaculture development in Rwanda, provide employment opportunities to surrounding communities and deliver more sustainable protein.
The Gishanda project is focused on the construction of a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) tilapia nucleus demo farm. Skretting will share knowledge on sustainable agriculture with local farmers. The farm will produce up to 30 tonnes of tilapia annually, of which at least 10% will be supplied locally at affordable prices. It will also produce up to 1.5 million tilapia fingerlings on an annual basis, of which 110,000 will be retained for farm production, one million sold commercially to bolster the Rwandan aquaculture sector and 300,000-400,000 used to sustainably restock the Akagera National Park lakes. In addition, Gishanda will serve as a model of circular agriculture with the farm effluent fertilizing an on-site organic vegetable farm.
