Report of the Expert Workshop on local alternative ingredients, aquafeed supply and feeding management

This report summarizes the proceedings and outcomes of the “Expert workshop on local alternative ingredients, aquafeed supply and feeding management” convened in Abbassa, Egypt, from 3 to 5 December 2023. The workshop brought together acknowledged aquafeed experts from African countries, governmental agencies, universities, development organizations, private industry and farmers. The workshop was jointly organized by the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (NFI) and WorldFish Egypt and hosted by the WorldFish Centre in Abbassa, Egypt. The workshop objectives were to: i) exchange and share knowledge of the use of local alternative ingredients, aquafeed supply and feeding management; ii) showcase technological advances and innovations in local alternative ingredients, aquafeed supply and feeding management; iii) identify country-specific challenges and issues in local alternative ingredients, aquafeed supply and feeding management; iv) identify national and regional needs for technical assistance and capacity building on local alternative ingredients, aquafeed supply and feeding management; and v) recommend strategies to address identified development priorities, knowledge products on local alternative ingredients, aquafeed supply and feeding management. The workshop was divided into an overview, country presentations, technical and producer sessions. The country presentation session included presentations from Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The farmers’ experiences were presented by small farmers from Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and Sierra Leone and experiences from Egyptian aquafeed industries. Following a general plenary discussion, the participants identified seven primary issues that currently constrain aquafeed production and feeding management in African aquaculture, namely: i) limited access to information on alternative feed ingredients (availability and accessibility); ii) poor feed preparation, processing, handling and storage at the farm level; iii) inadequate monitoring of on-farm feeding and farm performances; iv) inadequate investment and operating capitals for small-scale feed producers and farmers; v) inadequate knowledge and skills of farmers and extension workers in improved farm-made feed production, feeding management and farm performances; vi) poor feed quality and availability; and vii) lack of appropriate legal and policy frameworks required for sustainable aquaculture development including quality aquafeed manufacturing. Recommendations were proposed and classified under four categories: i) governance, ii) research and development, iii) capacity building, and iv) value chain.