India

Project overview

India is one of the world’s leading producers of fish and aquatic foods, and aquaculture plays a growing role in food and nutrition security, rural livelihoods, and economic development. In India, Andhra Pradesh is a major hub for aquaculture production, contributing a significant share of the national fish and shrimp output and supporting millions of livelihoods across the value chain.

Despite its scale and economic importance, aquaculture development in Andhra Pradesh faces sustainability challenges. These include unplanned expansion beyond ecological carrying capacity, water pollution, high resource use, land-use change, and vulnerability to climate change. Small and marginal farmers are particularly vulnerable, as they often have limited access to knowledge, sustainable technologies, finance and risk-management tools.

The project supports a transition towards sustainable, low-footprint and climate-resilient aquaculture, aligned with national priorities and the Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture (EAA). By addressing governance, production practices, value chains, finance and knowledge systems in an integrated manner, the project aims to reduce environmental pressures while strengthening resilience, incomes and long-term sustainability.

Read More on Transforming Andhra Pradesh aquaculture to a sustainable, reduced footprint and climate resilient food system

Our approach

The project promotes food systems transformation by combining on-the-ground improvements in aquaculture practices with strengthened enabling conditions across governance, finance and markets.

At the production level, the project supports the adoption of ecosystem-based and climate-smart aquaculture practices, improving water and input efficiency, reducing pollution and disease risks, and enhancing resilience to climate variability. Sustainable aquaculture models will be demonstrated through cluster-based approaches, initially in pilot areas and then scaled up across the state.

Complementary actions focus on strengthening governance and spatial planning for aquaculture, improving coordination among public institutions, and enhancing access to finance, insurance and markets for producers and value-chain actors. The project also promotes traceability, certification and partnerships with the private sector to support environmentally responsible production.

Knowledge generation, innovation and capacity building are central to the approach, ensuring that lessons learned are shared nationally and globally through the Food Systems Integrated Program. Gender equality and youth inclusion are integrated across project activities to ensure equitable participation and benefits.

Sites

The project is being implemented in Andhra Pradesh, with initial activities focused on 10 pilot aquaculture clusters, which will be progressively scaled up to 500 clusters across key aquaculture districts.