16 March 2021 - The “Capacity-building Workshop on Freshwater Aquaculture Value Chain Development and Food Security through South-South Cooperation” was officially launched today under the framework of the FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme. 

This virtual workshop, which will run from March to April 2021, aims at improving the capacity of participants to respond to the global challenges facing the aquaculture sector, and exchange knowledge in building resilient value chains. 

The virtual capacity development workshop is designed to support local fish-farmers, producers, policymakers and other stakeholders in resilient building of freshwater aquaculture value chains. In particular, this collaborative international workshop will discuss emerging vulnerabilities facing the sector and identify innovative solutions through South-South and triangular cooperation. 

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, FAO has adapted its SSC capacity development activities for remote learning, in order to continue its priorities of delivering high-impact trainings on areas of key importance to FAO’s mandate. Over 60 participants from 22 countries have registered for the workshop, representing a wide geographic coverage and reach of the training.

The opening ceremony for the workshop was attended by Anping Ye, Director of FAO’s South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division;  Audun Lem, Deputy Director of FAO’s Fisheries Division; Luo Ming, Counsel, CICOS; Xu Ming, Deputy Director General, CICOS; and Xu Pao, Director General of FFRC.

During the opening ceremony, the speakers noted that the aquaculture sector, which plays a critical role in global food and nutrition security, has been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly all aspects of aquaculture value chains have been affected, including limitations in accessing production suppliers, due to the closure of markets and limited international supplies, as shipping and other types of transport have been restricted. 

“Strengthening the aquaculture sector is essential for the global economy and to build back better from the COVID-19 crisis. Sharing experiences, solutions and good practices will be critical in this endeavor. This is also the philosophy behind FAO’s approach to South-South and triangular cooperation” said Anping Ye, Director of FAO’s South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division.  

During the training, Mr. Audun Lem, Deputy Director of FAO’s Fisheries Division, emphasized that “This online workshop aims to share knowledge and enhance capacity building on freshwater aquaculture value chains and good practices, in order to guide a sustainable aquaculture industry chain and ensure food security, through adoption of modern aquaculture technologies and good practices; enabling sharing among farmers, government extension officers, and other involved stakeholders; addressing issues of sustainability, climate changes, biodiversity, social issues and limited access of knowledge.”

Luo Ming, Counsel of CICOS, explained that “In recent years, China has been committed to the extension of freshwater fisheries value chains, the applicable aquaculture technologies and models, and has accelerated the green development of the aquaculture industry.” Dr. Xu Pao, Director-General of FFRC, delivered a lecture covering an overview of aquaculture development and fishery cooperatives in China. Following the opening remarks and lecture, the participants engaged in an interactive discussion.

This workshop is the result of a collaboration between FAO, the Freshwater Fisheries Research Center (FFRC) of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (CAFS), and the Center of International Cooperation Service (CICOS) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) of the People’s Republic of China.