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Fish is an excellent source of protein, but can also be a good source of micronutrients. In Zambia fish is the main animal food source for poor women and children, two groups which are likely to suffer from inadequate micronutrient supply (hidden hunger). Although the potential of fish to combat hidden hunger is increasingly recognized and fisheries and aquaculture have been identified as key resources in addressing food and nutrition security issues in Zambia, only limited information on the nutrient composition of consumed fish species and products is available. Thus the objectives of this paper are to give a quantitative description of the nutritional composition of fish and fish products consumed in Zambia, and to estimate their potential to the Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) of micronutrients. Therefore approximately forty fish species in various kinds of processing were collected and prepared following local customs. Samples were analysed for macronutrients such as protein and fat. Contents of B-vitamins and minerals were also analysed. Protein content was overall similar, while fat content and fatty acid composition varied considerably. Most fish contained high amounts of niacin and cobalamin, but small fish usually contained the most cobalamin. Small fish contained up to 32 times the amount of calcium than other fish and often contained more iron and zinc, too. Overall small fish species, which are commonly consumed by poor women and children, can be used to combat hidden hunger in Zambia, due to high levels of cobalamin, calcium, iron and zinc.

This study examines the fish consumption pattern of households in Bangladesh. We use data of the national Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) to develop a demand model disaggregated by f...

This study presents field data and results on local fish processing, its energy supply, and consumption in the Northern Province of Zambia. The study also evaluates the impact of processing conditions on fish quality and cost for the different processing systems available in the selected communities. The result shows that fuelwood is the primary source of energy for fish processing used either in a modified three-stone fire (MTSF) system or a recently developed kiln. The charcoal smoking alternative had the least fuel consumption, yet was not considered as the preferred option due to the high cost of the fuel, a smaller quantity of fish processed per batch and longer processing time. The result also revealed that irrespective of the system used, the type of fish being processed and the pre-smoking drying time had a significant impact on the total energy consumption. Overall, the smoking kiln was found to increase the quantity of fish processed by five folds, reduce fuel use by 48% and reduce the overall smoking time per kilogram fish processed by 39%. A relatively higher fish quality was obtained with the use of the smoking kiln in comparison with the MTSF and the charcoal smoking system. The use of the smoking kiln as a fish processing system is recommended because it improves the quality of the fish, can scale up fish processing due to its capacity and reduces energy use with its associated costs.

The demand for fish in Sub-Saharan Africa, as driven by the trend of diet-shift to fish, economic and demographic growth, outstrips supply. The resulting fish deficit is drawing attention of policy makers as it poses threats to economic stability as well as food security in the region. In this paper, a multi-species, multi-sector equilibrium model is developed and applied to Zambia as a case study to provide a tool for policy makers to examine the interaction between fish supply and demand. Projection results show that under business-as-usual scenario, the fish deficit in Zambia will increase and fish import will be a key contributor of fish for consumption in 2030. Increasing import tax will not solve the fish deficit due to a limited substitution between domestic and imported fish, while this tariff restriction may increase the fish price and affect poor people. The model results suggest that further investment in aquaculture could provide a solution if input markets for seed and feed are appropriately developed. Though calibrated to Zambia's fish sector, the model can be applied to analyze the outlook of fish sectors in other developing countries.

For aquaculture to continue along its current growth trajectory and contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, value chains must become more inclusive. Smallholders and other local value chain actors are often constrained by circumstances and market failures in the global aquaculture industry. Integrating these actors into aquaculture value chains through inclusive business models (IBMs) is often touted as a solution to sustainable and ethical trade and business that can generate development outcomes. We reviewed 36 papers under seven business models commonly used in agriculture development to assess their application in aquaculture value chains in lower‐income countries. A global value chain (GVC) analysis is used to unpack the economic and social upgrading objectives of the different IBMs, as well as the types of relational coordination used between actors in the chain to achieve development outcomes. The extent to which these IBMs helped poor actors overcome certain barriers is evaluated with a focus on how they may ensure or be a risk to inclusiveness through the relations and upgrading opportunities evident in their make‐up. The analysis found that the majority of the models focused on economic upgrading over social upgrading. Providing opportunities for the latter is key to achieving the inclusive objectives of IBMs. Greater horizontal coordination between actors can create further opportunities for economic upgrading established under vertical coordination with other nodes upstream and downstream in a value chain. There is a need to further contextualize these models to aquaculture systems and develop clear indicators of inclusiveness.

After decades of government and donor-run programs that sustained extensive aquaculture systems, Zambia has experienced market-led capital investments that have facilitated significant growth in production. The emerging commercial sector is characterized by investments in intensive cage and pond-based aquaculture of mostly non-native tilapia species, which today makes up the bulk of annual production. To better understand this transformation we used a Global Value Chain (GVC) analysis to examine evidence of upgrading trajectories and various forms of coordination that govern the chain. A quantitative survey of smallholder farmers in Northern Province (n = 223) was designed to surface insights on the productivity of small-scale farmers and evaluate their position of strength within the chain. The survey reveals the extensive nature of rural, small-scale fish farming and suggests that farmers produce mostly for subsistence purposes and in isolation from the commercializing value chain. We also provide data from 22 key informant interviews with lead firms and stakeholders in the aquaculture sector to provide insights on upgrading and the forms of coordination between nodes and firms. Our findings show that upgrading in value chains is taking place in all its forms, i.e. through investments in high value products, improvements in operations that produce more efficiently, adopting upstream or downstream chain functions, and utilizing competencies from different chains into aquaculture-related operations. Much of this is possible because of increasing vertical integration of operations and tighter contractual relationships between firms and nodes. The value chain and markets in Zambia are thus dichotomized, where on one side there is an extensive smallholder sector, supported by government-run services, and little access to inputs and markets; and on the other side, a burgeoning commercial sector with a few pioneering lead firms who have shaped the commercial value chain and who dominate total production. Finally, we combined various government statistics to reveal the growing fish supply per capita rate between 2004 and 2014. We also provide data on fish imports to locate the Zambian aquaculture value chain in the larger global picture and present some insights into what many key informants in the industry feel is an increasing obstacle facing the sector. Analyzing upgrading and coordination trends is critical in understanding the emerging aquaculture value chains in sub-Saharan Africa.

Aquaculture in Zambia is growing and likely to play an important role for food and nutrition security in the country. While outputs in capture fisheries and small-scale aquaculture are stagnating, commercial aquaculture holds promising potential to help increase the availability and accessibility of fish in the country, especially for the poor. While fish supply per capita has increased over the last decade, little is known on the food consumption patterns and the role of farmed fish in the diets of resource-poor households. The aim of this paper is to (1) generate information on the fish consumption patterns of poor households in urban Zambia and (2) explore the role of Zambian aquaculture as a source of fish among poor urban households. Multi-stage stratified cluster sampling was used to sample poor households in Lusaka. Data on fish consumption were collected through a cross-sectional study that analyzed a quantitative household survey (N = 714). Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the sample of poor households was further disaggregated into four socio-economic strata (asset-based) to compare household fish consumption in respect to poverty levels. The results of the study show that the poorest households almost exclusively rely on small, dried fish products from capture fisheries while the slightly better off households among the poor strata tend to consume larger, fresh fish, such as tilapia, which are partly supplied by aquaculture producers. These results imply that the poorest of the poor households – unlike the better off households – are less likely to supplement their diets with fish products from aquaculture. This could have negative consequences for the food and nutrition security of disadvantaged consumers, given the stagnation of fish supply from Zambian capture fisheries and an increasing population that demands fish. For aquaculture to contribute more effectively to fish supply among poor consumers, we conclude that the sector would need to further expand its economies of scale (to decrease unit production costs), explore producing smaller-sized fish (to increase accessibility), promote the development of small and medium-sized fish farming, and diversify production with respect to species and products that better respond to the needs of poor consumers.

Background This study examines socio-economic determinants of food consumption patterns amongst women of reproductive age and children aged 6-59 months from urban poor settlements of Lusaka and their implications for nutritional status. Particular emphasis was placed on the role of fish in their diets and nutritional status. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was applied, in which 714 mother-child dyads, with children aged 6-59 months were enrolled. A three-stage randomized cluster sampling approach was applied. Results The mean dietary diversity score among children aged 6-23 and 24-59 months was 2.98 (±1.27) and 3.478 (±1.07), respectively. In children aged 6-23 months, there was a significant difference in their nutritional status, based on fish consumption (χ2 = 10.979, df = 2, p = 0.004). Children from poorer households consumed mostly small fish (Kapenta). The quantity of fish consumed by children was significantly associated with stunting in both age groups, odds ratio = 0.947 (95% CI: 0.896, 1.000) for children aged 6-23 months and odds ratio = 1.038 (95% CI: 1.006, 1.072) for children aged 24-59 months old. Other significant risk factors for stunting in children aged 6-23 months were the child's age, mother's body mass index, access to treated water and child morbidity. Child's age, mother's educational level and wealth status were determinants of dietary diversity in children aged 6-59 months as shown by the Poisson regression. Conclusion Nutritional status of children aged 6-23 months is associated with fish consumption, with children consuming fish less likely to be stunted. Small fish (Kapenta) is an animal-source food that is particularly important in the diet of children in urban poor households in Zambia and contributes to better nutritional outcomes. As all small fish stem from capture fisheries, sustainable one health environmental integration, monitoring and management strategies are desirable.

The objective of this chapter is to explore Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) practices in Vietnam. Based on intensive empirical research in the Mekong Delta, the daily reality of water resources management is investigated in several sub-sectors. It will be shown that water management practices deviate to a large extent from the existing legal frameworks, policies and strategies commonly based on IWRM principles. It will be argued that the gap between official policy and actual practices is not the outcome of lacking capacity or resource scarcity, as often assumed in donor and government reports. Rather, it is a result of the peculiar structural features of the contemporary state in Vietnam.