Enhancing Food Production Employing Integrated Aquaculture in Namibia. Fish Integration with Poultry

Abstract

The global human population is increasing, putting pressure on several resources that are key to sufficient food production. Current agricultural practices are not efficient in food security for the projected world population; hence new food production technologies such as aquaculture integration must be practised. Aquaculture integration has the potential to increase food productivity and come to the rescue of Africa’s fish food security crisis. Fish-poultry farming is a sustainable integrated farming system that involves raising birds such as chicken, duck, geese, and fish simultaneously. In this type of integration, poultry excreta are used as fish feed since it contains nutrients that are needed for fish pond fertilisation, which increases the pond’s productivity. It has been found that there is a more efficient use of resources when integrating aquaculture with poultry compared to farming with fish alone, with the costs related to fish culture processes reduced by about 70%. However, this farming system has not gained so much recognition in Africa. Therefore, this chapter highlighted how food production could be enhanced using integrated aquaculture, with specific reference to fish integration with poultry farming in the Namibian context.