Advancing the sustainability of farmed shrimp

Managed intensification

In September 2020, WWF printed Future Proofing Shrimp Production, a coverage information summarising the shrimp farming sector as: “largely characterised by unindustrialised producers and unsustainable practices. It requires the usage of pure assets that may, with out correct administration, lead to damaging impacts, akin to pure habitat conversion, water air pollution, over-exploitation of marine fisheries for fish meal and carbon emissions related to electrical energy and farm gas.”

The information recognized managed intensification as an answer to creating shrimp farming extra sustainable. Intensive manufacturing programs produce larger quantities of shrimp per land space by utilizing extra exact strategies, and with accountable practices can cut back affect to native water high quality and illness danger by minimising farm interplay with the exterior surroundings. Nevertheless, shrimp farming is dominated by smallholder producers who lack access to formal credit essential to undertake extra intensive manufacturing strategies.

Challenges

To speed up the transition to managed intensification, WWF recognized intentional course of capital
to shrimp farms as a key driver. Whereas investments have the potential to generate excessive returns, there are main challenges, together with the fragmented and generally distant distribution of farms, and limited data on manufacturing and monetary efficiency. These points complicate the identification of appropriate farms and improve monetary danger to the lender. These points elevate a number of concerns:

• Can we cut back the price of conducting due diligence to allow deployment of investments to smallholder farms at scale?
• How can we guarantee investments are used correctly and assist farmers comply with accountable manufacturing practices?
• How can sustainably produced shrimp be traced by way of the availability chain to maximise outcomes for each farmers and shoppers?

The answer

Distant monitoring applied sciences, together with satellite tv for pc observations and cell phone information assortment, can handle the info challenges which might be at present stopping the profitable supply of capital wanted to fund sustainable shrimp farming practices.

SeaWarden‘s* answer is to offer a framework the place distant monitoring performs a key position in each step of the acceleration course of: from discovering farms appropriate for funding, to farmer onboarding, to manufacturing and portfolio monitoring, to supporting traceability by way of the availability chain.

Part 1: farm choice

We plan to determine superb farm candidates by analysing satellite tv for pc observations, climate information, official manufacturing data and different types of huge information. Historic datasets spanning a few years present a deep understanding of farming practices and efficiency. Key information parts (KDEs) generated by this course of classify ponds based mostly on eligibility standards outlined by the affect financier.

Part 2: onboarding farms

Contact with eligible farms shall be made by collaborators based mostly within the space. To use, farms want to offer further info utilizing their cellphones. KDEs that can’t be collected by satellite tv for pc observations are then verified by photographs and movies submitted by the farmer. By combining historic statement information with farmer-submitted info, we generate digital farmer profiles that allow affect financiers to conduct their due diligence course of.

Part 3: deployment of funds and assets

The affect financier then releases funds to chose farms, with the stipulation that these funds are used to make particular farm enhancements – such because the set up of automated feeding units, plastic pond liners, building of water therapy and settling ponds. Relying on the settlement, assets may be deployed as a mixture of funds, gear, feed credit score and technical help. Afterwards, farm enhancements and purchases are verified by distant monitoring.

Part 4: accountable manufacturing and portfolio monitoring

Ongoing satellite tv for pc observations and farmer submitted manufacturing information be sure that manufacturing adheres to accountable aquaculture manufacturing requirements. Distant monitoring information is analysed in real-time, supporting farmers with administration recommendation, market insights and early warning of illness occasions of their space. Distant monitoring additionally allows affect financiers to effectively monitor many farms inside their portfolio, and supply further assets when wanted.

Part 5: post-production transparency and traceability

Having manufacturing data collected by way of distant monitoring vastly simplifies the audit course of for certifications offered by programmes like ASC and BAP. These globally recognised certifications increase model recognition and enhance entry to markets with stricter sourcing insurance policies. Moreover, by integrating distant monitoring information into current traceability platforms, we are able to allow pond-level traceability by way of the availability chain, a serious profit for retailers and shoppers.

A more in-depth take a look at distant monitoring

How does distant monitoring work? Our method is powered by satellite tv for pc observations from business and open-source platforms, and data submitted by farmers utilizing cellphones (verified by geotagged photograph and video proof). Our method allows us to detect and monitor hundreds of thousands of ponds, situated wherever on the planet. We purchase new observations weekly and mix them with historic datasets that stretch a number of years into the previous. By utilizing purpose-built AI to automate the evaluation course of, we’re in a position to develop a deep understanding of shrimp farming practices and efficiency – at farm, regional and world scales.

Chatbots and cell messaging platforms for farm information assortment

The extensive adoption of cellphones allows farmers to share further KDEs which might be verified by geotagged photograph and video proof. Utilizing regionally well-liked messaging platforms – like WhatsApp, Zalo, Viber, and LINE – is an efficient methodology for accumulating further verification information. It additionally establishes a communication channel, enabling farmers to obtain recommendation on operations, market insights and early warning of native illness occasions.

Price

By specializing in economies of scale and automation, we provide region-scale assessments at USD $5 per sq. kilometre, and farm website monitoring for USD $10 monthly, per farm. Low-cost distant monitoring can speed up the transition to sustainable shrimp farming practices by benefiting each stage of the acceleration course of: buyer discovery, due diligence, manufacturing and portfolio monitoring, compliance, and provide chain traceability.

Implementation

Influence Financiers

By offering distant monitoring as a service, we are able to scale-up current aquaculture-focused funding programmes whereas enhancing returns on investments. We make affect financing as easy for the financier as doable. All they should do is: 1) choose a area of curiosity, and a couple of) outline their standards for funding eligibility. Corporations like Indonesian-focused eFishery are optimised to simply accept investor funds, and deploy them efficiently to eligible farms.

Native help

The success of affect financing depends on having native help on the bottom to conduct farmer onboarding, coaching, and supply technical help. Within the Indian state of Gujarat we’re trialling our distant monitoring method with MVJ Group, an organization that gives inputs, operation help and export companies to a whole bunch of shrimp farmers within the area. In Indonesia and Vietnam we’re working with ThinkAqua, an NGO targeted on enhancing the welfare of the area’s smallholder aquaculture producers.

Certification programmes

Globally recognised certification programmes, such because the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and Finest Aquaculture Practices (BAP), perceive the value of using remote monitoring to help annual audits and to make certification extra accessible to smaller scale producers. This 12 months Sea Warden is partnering with ASC to trial distant monitoring to help improver programmes that may speed up smallholder farms’ bids for certification in Indonesia and Vietnam.

Traceability know-how

Tamper-proof information programs powered by blockchain know-how can allow farmer-to-consumer provide chain traceability. Our companions at Envisible have demonstrated the usage of their platform Wholechain in supporting smallholder agricultural and seafood producers. By appending distant monitoring information into programs like Wholechain, the extent of transparency reaches new ranges: each crop offered may be traced again to the farm of origin and it may be verified whether or not the farmer adopted accountable manufacturing requirements.

What’s the full potential for distant monitoring?

This text has coated why affect investing is crucial to accelerating the transition to sustainable shrimp farming practices, and the way low-cost distant monitoring can scale up affect investing efforts, whereas supporting certification and traceability efforts. Nevertheless, distant monitoring can present further options for the shrimp farming trade:

• Feed and different enter suppliers: optimising feed manufacturing and distribution by monitoring regional manufacturing exercise.
• Gear suppliers: identification of gross sales alternatives utilizing farm-level gear surveys and development traits.
• Conservation: scaling up farm-level social and environmental enchancment efforts whereas enabling area-based assessments.
• Authorities: farm allow monitoring, detection of illness occasions, and validation of manufacturing statistics.

Additional info

Sea Warden is in search of partnership alternatives with companies, NGOs, and authorities organisations and may be contacted by way of seawarden.io/contact

*SeaWarden is one in all Hatch’s portfolio corporations, however The Fish Website retains editorial independence.