March 28th, 2017

Location: Climate Change Information Center and Renewable Energy (CCICRE) -
within the headquarters of the Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt

The Seminar Series provides a platform for all people striving to identify and implement evidence-based policy solutions that sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. The series is part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project called “Evaluating Impact and Building Capacity” (EIBC) that is implemented by IFPRI. The seminar supports USAID’s Agribusiness for Rural Development and Increasing Incomes (ARDII) project’s objectives. It features research-based presentations by top local and international experts on key development topics. Recording and publishing all the events online is creating a knowledge repository to inform policy making in Egypt and beyond.

   In partnership with

"The Role of Aquaculture in Improving Food Security, Income & Employment in Egypt: On the Cusp of a Global Success Story"

Since the 1980s, Egyptian aquaculture has expanded rapidly, developing into a significant sector for the economy and a strategically important food source for the country. Arguably, this has been the result of early policy interventions (especially Law 124, 1983) and sectoral support for small to medium scale development. Today, more than 65% of the fish eaten by Egyptians is farmed domestically, while farmed tilapia provides the cheapest animal source protein. The staggering impact of this means that per capita fish availability has increased from around 15 kg per year to over 20 kg per year over the last decade. In many regards, the sector presents a success story for aquaculture development in Africa, where projections foresee fish consumption declining and capture fisheries stagnating.

Despite the enthusiasm around aquaculture, limited research is available on links between production increases and consumption levels among resource-poor consumers. While supply continues to rise, markets and value chains serving large parts of the country remain under-developed. At the same time, mainstream media have become concerned with food safety issues, while environmentalists have cautioned over the ecological impacts of changes in distribution and use of Nile water. For aquaculture in Egypt, there remains significant challenges and enormous opportunities. Certification schemes, value chain development, institutional arrangements, stakeholder engagement and the question of how to leverage fish for improving nutrition in Egypt are all key concerns worthy of policy attention in Egypt.

Without speedy responses to these issues and without better informed discussions among the public and media, Egypt is at risk of jeopardizing one its most significant food and economic resources.  In the light of this, and the ongoing efforts to improve food and nutrition security in Egypt, this seminar presents key issues around production and consumption of farmed fish in Egypt.