Role of Aquaculture in Climate-Smart Food Production Systems: A Review

Abstract

Climate change is the greatest environmental threat while the rapidly developing aquaculture sector is an anthropogenic activity that results into the emissions of greenhouse gases. However, despite the threat from climate change, aquaculture is becoming more eminent in food production systems, where it stands to guarantee high fish production. Therefore, aquaculture needs to be supported by climate-smart agriculture technological advancements to achieve sustainable production targets. This paper reviews impacts of climate change on aquaculture, contribution of aquaculture to greenhouse gases and practical mitigations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from aquaculture. Focus is given on climate smart adaptation and mitigation strategies that will help to increase resilience and adaptive capacity such as use of tank ponds during dry weathers, adjusting time of stocking and stocking fish species that are better adapted to climatechange impacts. Other adaptive strategies include erection of cover or shades over ponds, digging boreholes to supply water during dry weathers and well structured drainage system to guard against flooding. Further, the paper highlights integrated aquaculture, use of low carbon producing energy source in the production and processing of aquaculture feed and products. Finally, the review highlights the climate smart agriculture technologies, innovations and management practices and their indicators. The indicatorsprovide the empiricalbasis for identifying viable climate-smart agriculture options, select contextually relevant technologies and practices, monitor results thus defining the differentiated degree of climate smart agriculture pillars on projects.