Lim Shrimp Organization

Singapore, Singapour

An Overview Of Our Solution

The AquaVillage is an innovative aquaculture (or fish farming) concept to increase seafood production by establishing small-scale onshore integrated aquaculture farms in rural villages. The AquaVillage concept is designed to benefit rural communities by providing them with new livelihoods and a new source of income, by producing good quality and nutritious seafood with limited harm to the natural environment. This method of production reduces wastage by using 35% less feed, improves the survival rate of the produce, and increases farm revenue by 40%. The AquaVillage can be replicated worldwide to help minimize the global seafood shortfall caused by overexploitation of natural fisheries, and will strengthen the food security of the estimated 9 billion global population by the year 2050.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

Société

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Oceans/Coasts

Population impacted

Estimated 400 people

Size of agricultural area

15 - 100 ha

Production quantity

Estimated +/-500 mts of shrimp per year

People employed

Directly and indirectly impacting the livelihoods of 100 families in rural villages

Describe your solution

The AquaVillage is an innovative concept of aquaculture onshore, as opposed to conventional aquaculture offshore (eg. use of floating cages). Each AquaVillage is carefully planned and constructed to mimic the ocean environment in a pond on land. The size of each farm can range from 15 to 100 hectares, meaning it can be customized to meet the socioeconomic needs and resource constraints of the local communities. The AquaVillage concept promotes seafood farming onshore, in rural areas where fishing or traditional forms of aquaculture may or may not be a traditional activity and a source of income. Rural communities need to brace themselves for massive changes to their environment, not only in the physical form of the landscape, but also in the new methods of agricultural production and new commercial opportunities that arise. Onshore seafood farming is more stable and lucrative then traditional fishing, and has positive socioeconomic and environmental impacts on the community. The villagers are encouraged to adopt these new practices as a form of livelihood and new source of income, thus improving their standards of living and contributing to the overall development of the region.

Describe your implementation

Each AquaVillage is an integrated farm consisting of the following facilities: • Grow Out Culture Ponds • Administration Office • Warehouse • Worker’s Quarters • Fencing • Cold Storage • CCTV Monitoring • Inlet Reservoir • Outlet Sedimentation Pond • Water pumping station • pH, DO monitoring system • Generators • Aeration System Larger projects may also include facilities for production and export, such as: • Processing Plant • Hatchery • Feed Mills Each project is implemented after consultation between all stakeholders involved, including the local communities, local government authorities and investors. The pre-operational phase would include the finalising of the business model and financial plans, and securing of the land and investment amount. Construction of the AquaVillage can then commence and become operational in no less than 6 months after contract signing. As the professional operator and manager of the AquaVillages, LSO is responsible for the hiring and training of the farmers. The AquaVillages are usually small-scale and thus creates a tight-knit community who share a common goal for success.

External connections

Key partners include private investors (corporations and individuals), government agencies (at local and national levels), NGOs and charitable organisations, and developmental organisations (eg. World Bank, International Finance Corporation, Asian Development Bank). LSO is the professional manager of the AquaVillages, thus it brings together private and public investments to fund the projects, and offers its technical expertise to operate the farms to meet the needs of the rural communities.

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

It is estimated that the world’s fisheries are currently 50% overexploited and worries are that by the year 2056 all natural fisheries would have been completely depleted. Already, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation predicts that we are facing a seafood shortfall of 50 – 80 million tonnes by 2030. Aquaculture, or fish farming, has the potential to become a major solution to meet the predicted seafood shortfall.

Describe the context in which you are operating

The global seafood shortage is apparent as the world’s population is expected to increase to 9 billion people in 2050. This means that all food production has to also double to meet the food security needs of future generations. The fisheries sector, and in particular aquaculture, has a huge potential to contribute most to the overall increase in seafood production. One-fifth of the world’s population is already dependent on fish for their primary source of protein. Farmed fish has already surpassed beef in worldwide consumption and more than 50% of fish and seafood consumed is already produced through aquaculture. We can only expect these figures to increase further.

Aquaculture has changed the way people think about seafood production. There have been many commitments to prevent overfishing in the world’s oceans. Yet aquaculture not only prevents the degradation of natural fisheries, but it is also able to offer assurances in terms of its production output and nutritional quality through the adoption of carefully controlled environments, thus ensuring both economic and environmental sustainability.

Aquaculture not only contributes to global food security, but it also provides much needed social and economic development to rural regions, by offering the communities better livelihoods and improved standards of living. Aquaculture operates within controlled parameters which also means that there is less wastage and less harm caused to the natural environment.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

The AquaVillages operate in a 100% natural environment that mimics the ocean environment in a pond on land, with no added chemicals or medicine. The aquaculture system is a closed-loop system. The water is filtered through a sedimentation pond which is inhabited by oysters, sea cucumbers and mussels, providing natural filtration. It also produces Copepods, Artemia, Krill, and Algae that will be fed to the shrimp as natural feeds. Water use is efficient and there are zero discharge that will harm the environment. Some of the results are proven as follows: • The amount of shrimp produced is similar to conventional offshore aquaculture, but the AquaVillage is able to improve its revenue by 40% • Using feed produced from agricultural waste (Defatted Soya and Rice Bran) and from Copepods, Artemia, Krill, and Algae produced on-farm, results in 35% less feed used and 40% cost savings. • None of the feed used are obtained from the ocean • The system is more bio-secure and reduces cross contamination, as such shrimp mortality is reduced, attaining 80% survival rate

Language(s)

Which language(s) are spoken in the area where your solution is implemented?

Water

The creation of an ocean environment on land means that water resources are used more efficiently and effectively in a closed-loop system.

Food Security/Nutrition

Shrimps are fed with natural ingredients (Defatted Soya and Rice Bran) and also with Copepods, Artemia, Krill, and Algae which are produced on the farm itself, and not from fish meal caught from the ocean. Zero medication or chemicals are added. The shrimps have improved immune systems and show fast growth, which lead to predictable outputs that meet food security and nutrition and economic sustainability objectives.

Economic/Sustainable Development

The economy of the entire rural area is boosted through the multiplier effect. A few hundred families will be directly impacted through direct employment at the AquaVillage and many hundreds more indirectly through profit sharing and sub-contracting of work such as transport and logistics, food supply delivery, repairs, odd jobs, refuse collections, and recycling services that are worth several thousand dollars per month.

Climate

The innovative aquaculture system used means that there is efficient use of water resources, creating zero waste and zero discharge into the surrounding environment. All sludge is converted to organic fertilizer after 1 year.

Sustainability

Initial funding is required from private investors or public agencies for the start-up of the farm operations, following which market-based revenue is generated from the sale of the farmed shrimp, which sustains the production or to be reinvested for expansion of the operations.

Return on investment

An investment of approximately US$1.5 million is required for a 15 hectare farm. For an estimated annual production output of +/- 500 mts of shrimp per year, the average annual profit is +/- US$800,000. Investors can expect a return on investment in about 2 years.

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

Each AquaVillage can range in size from as small as 15 hectares to as large as 100 hectares, making it easy to customize according to local needs and replicate in rural regions where the availability of land may vary. Each farm can be set up and become operational in no less than 6 months. Currently, 2 AquaVillages have been established in Lukut (Negri Sembilan, Malaysia) and in Sumba Tengah (Nusa Tenggara Timor, Indonesia). An estimated investment of US$1.5 million is required for a farm size of 15 hectares, and potential investors can be from the private (corporations and individuals) and public sectors (local government funding, developmental organisations). LSO acts as the professional manager and operator of the AquaVillages, providing all financial and technical expertise and training required for the smooth operation of the farm.

Overview