A White Paper: a Vision for Sustainable Food Production

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February 2020

A White Paper: A Vision for Sustainable Food Production

I am very pleased to hear about the opportunity to develop and advance the production of food in West Africa. As per our e-mail discussions, my Associates and I look forward to contributing in very significant ways to this effort.

Integrated Agriculture: Aquaculture and Aquaponics

As you know, we focus our efforts on the production of fish (also called aquaculture or fish farming), but we also have many years of experience integrating the production of fish with the production of valuable food plants and crops. The integration of aquaculture and the hydroponic production of plants—called aquaponics—has been in existence for several decades, but only more recently has blossomed as a brilliant way to conserve wastewater and nutrients from fish production, and use those byproducts as raw materials for the production of plants. These complementary methods are the key to successful food production in developing nations such as those in West Africa where resources are scarce and potentially expensive to acquire.

In a world where resources are increasingly scarce, “sustainability” is the key operational term. Sustainability is only possible when resources such as water and land and other raw materials for the production of food are viewed as finite resources that cannot be squandered or wasted. Integrated agriculture uses sustainability as a primary guiding principle, and treats scarce resources with the respect they deserve. Specifically, aquaponics uses water that would otherwise be considered waste after the production of fish, and uses it as a valuable resource for the production of plants.

In aquaponics, we take lessons from nature where wastes always are recycled, in one way or another, into a new resource or raw material. “Closing the cycle” and “sustainability” are one and the same.

Figure 1—Indoor shrimp production system

Figure 2—Aquaponic production of Barramundi

In today’s world, all of the conventional aquaculture systems, such as ponds or floating cage containment systems, are constructed outdoors. On the other hand, aquaponic systems are enclosed and indoors. This approach protects both fish and plants from external harm, predators, or other dangers to the health and well-being of the inhabitants, and produces them 2 at much higher densities and on much less space. The result is that many of these systems can be built in or near highly populated areas, and near the end market where food freshness can be optimized. Access to a large, nearby workforce also is a distinct advantage.

Fish and Vegetables

The output from aquaponics is substantial and varied. Some of the fish and vegetables we could produce in West Africa include: 1. Freshwater/saltwater shrimp (pictured above) 2. Barramundi (pictured above) 3. Tilapia 4. African catfish 5. Cabbages 6. Lettuces 7. Tomatoes 8. Watermelons and other melons 9. Strawberries 10. Salad herbs 11. Spinach 12. Green peppers 13. Sweet potatoes 14. Yams

These represent only some of the possibilities, and are generally sought after by middle-class and upper-class households. Water from the production of fish cannot only be directed to the production of plants in indoor greenhouse structures, but also can be applied to fields and row crops to the enhance fertility and water availability.

Size and Scale: The Aquaculture and Aquaponics Value Chain

Aquaculture and aquaponics can be sub-divided into unique operations along a continuum of activities (called The Value Chain) that are all tied together toward the common goal of sustainable production of food. Those operations include:

1. Feed production or acquisition 2. Production of juvenile fish and plants in hatcheries and nurseries 3. Grow-out of fish and plants to market size 4. Processing and packaging of fish and plants 5. Marketing and distribution of fish and plants

Each of these points along the value chain is critical to the success of the overall operational concept. Most important, each of these points along the value chain requires and offers (depending on the size and scale of an operation) significant numbers of jobs and opportunities for meaningful employment, and educational opportunities.

To maximize the efficiency of each point along the value chain, we must move forward thinking in terms of size and scale that will most meaningfully and positively impact the largest possible number of people. This translates to an ultimate commitment to millions of tons of production per year. Minimally, the initial commitment must be the production of at least 8,000-10,000 metric tons of fish and an associated production of 32,000-40,000 metric tons of plants. At this scale, we can justify the production of feed (rather than the purchase of feed from some outside source) and produce enough fish and plants to support the operation of a processing plant. Total capital required to begin this effort will be about US$200 million. Certainly, smaller commitments of capital can be easily justified, depending on the circumstances of location, species choice, scale, target markets, and other important factors.

The Concept: Large Central Facilities and Smaller Satellite Facilities (see Appendix 1)

A concept that takes advantage of large size and scale is one that includes a relatively large central facility. This facility is responsible for most of the activity along the value chain— specifically feed production or acquisition, production of juvenile fish and plants, processing of fish and plants, and marketing and distribution of fish and plants. The large central facility will also include grow-out of fish and plants to market size, but multiple nearby satellite facilities will make significant and substantial contributions (indeed, the majority of the contribution) to the supply of market-ready fish and plants. All satellite facilities will focus only on the production of fish and plants to market size, and will be fully supported by expertise that will exist at every central facility.

We envision a concept for West Africa that is ambitious, but ultimately attainable. A fully realized integrated agriculture concept might include at least one or more central production facilities, with at least three or four or more satellite facilities that are supported by the central facility. Obviously, this approach could be modified to accommodate areas within West Africa with higher or lower population, or areas with greater or less abundant natural resources. This approach would create:

1. Production of fish and plants that could ultimately reach multi-millions of metric tons of fish and plants per year at the national level. 2. Tens of thousands of jobs, depending on the number, size, and scale of each integrated central-and-satellites unit. 3. A division of resources, effort, employment, and end products that would benefit each area in West Africa roughly equally in an effort to “spread the wealth.”

Aquaculture and aquaponics are technical pursuits that require experienced and thoughtful operators. However, I also agree we can, over a reasonable period of time, train citizens of West Africa to operate these facilities. Indeed, one of our primary objectives is to create a system of cooperating production facilities with a central facility leading the way both in terms of direction and support for numerous smaller satellite facilities. The satellite facilities will be less technically oriented and challenging (requiring less expertise), and focus solely on the production of fish and plants from early life stages to market size. The more technical pursuits of feed production, hatchery and nursery production, processing, distribution, and technical 4 support of satellite facilities will be the responsibility of more highly educated and experienced workers at the much larger central production facility. The concept and business model of a larger, technically sophisticated organization supporting the efforts of smaller, complementary facilities is not new or untested, and has been successfully implemented by several multi-national aquaculture companies around the world. In short, the concept is proven and works.

We have developed a short presentation that describes this concept and its advantages in greater detail and encourage you to examine and study it. For your convenience, it is attached to this document as Appendix 1.

Benefits to West Africa

The direct and indirect impacts on the people and economies of West Africa can and will be profound. Here are just a few of the benefits and highlights:

1. Domestic production of food retains wealth within the country, promotes self-reliance and internal food security, and leads to social, political, and economic stability. 2. An integrated approach to agriculture is a proven method and a powerful tool to reverse desertification and increase amounts of arable land for row-crop production. 3. Given the approach of producing fish at high densities and using fish water to support the production of plants, aquaponic systems use very little water as compared to their conventional alternatives—a truly sustainable approach to the production of food. 4. Development of infrastructure to support the production and distribution of food supports the development of ancillary and complementary activities and related businesses. 5. Export of surplus production to contiguous and regional nations develops domestic wealth, preserves the balance of trade, and elevates the status of West Africa as a supplier of valuable agricultural commodities. 6. Integrated agriculture creates educational opportunities in science, engineering, and business in real-world facilities for students of all ages, and promotes a renewed sense of purpose and value to society at large. 7. Production facilities can be used as educational tools for students, and provide excellent opportunities for hands-on education. 8. Through the creation of thousands of meaningful and productive jobs, integrated agriculture promotes a thriving upper and middle class of society, and lifts many in the lower economic strata out of poverty and into that thriving middle class. 9. Educated people with a sense of daily purpose, income, full stomachs, and a stake in the success of the nation do not incite unrest and encourage stability, peace, and harmony. 10. Integrated agriculture and aquaponics will enhance the health and well-being of everyone it touches.

In my view, as a company we are uniquely qualified to lead the way and support this effort. My 28 Associates and I have many decades (indeed centuries-worth) of combined experience within aquaculture and fisheries science. I have been in the industry for more than 40 years, 5

both in academia (6 years) and as a consultant (37 years). We work all over the world, including Africa, and understand what it takes to achieve success in aquaculture and aquaponics. On a more personal note, I will mention there is something about working with and producing fish and plants—other living things—that spark a fire and passion within people. I felt that passion very early in my career and it has never left me. In my experience, it takes very little to inspire the same passion in other people. Food production goes to the very heart of who we are as humans. Little else is as important. I hope you agree.

We are ready to start this project at any time and ask you to consider us seriously as a partner in this effort. We are very excited about the possibilities, and we hope you are too! Best wishes.

Sincerely, FISHERIES TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATES, INC.

Bill Manci, CFP President and Senior Biologist

Next page: Appendix 1

6 The XYZ Fisheries/Aquaponics Cooperative Concept—Include Purchasing/Supplying Raw Materials Tech Support XYZ Fisheries Hatchery Small Fish/ XYZ Fisheries Feed Cooperative and Fish Whole Fish Fish/Plant Production Processing, Grow-out Supply, and Small Producer Fish/Seedlings Marketing Members Fish Feed Cooperative (Buy at Feed Suppliers Fish/Plants discount, sell at premium)

Profits

Value- Fillets/ By- Added Veggies Products Products

Wholesale and Retail Customers for Fish, Retail Fish Feed, Tanned Skins, Fertilizers, Compost, Worms, Biofuels, Algae, Scales, Vegetables, etc.