Journal of Food Processing & Technology

Food security and poverty reduction: The case for aquaculture development

2^nd International Conference on Food Security and Sustainability

June 26-27, 2017 San Diego, USA

Benjamin M Drakeford

University of Portsmouth, UK

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Food Process Technol

Abstract:

The growth in global fish supply has outstripped population growth since the end of World War II, effectively increasing annual per capita supplies from 9.9 kg in the 1960s to 18.4 kg in 2009. This increase was met by capture fisheries until the late 1970s, but since most commercial species are now considered to be fully or over-exploited, rapid growth in the global aquaculture industry has been responsible for filling the gap between supply and demand. Since the 1980s, aquaculture has grown rapidly around the world outstripping all other forms of animal protein production. Currently around half of fish consumed are farmed and each year, the proportion of global seafood demand met by aquaculture increases. The international trade in food products is dominated by fish and fish products. The FAO (2012) estimate that around 40% of fish output is traded internationally, although the impact of international trade might be much higher with Tveteras et al. (2012) suggesting that as much as 78% of fish products are subject to international trade competition. Regarding the impact of international trade, we consider the costs for developing countries, especially in regards to food security, as the majority of aquaculture output is sourced from low income developing countries, but consumed in high income developed countries. The paper also considers the role of climate change on global fisheries production with specific reference to the global fishmeal market and its impacts for future aquaculture expansion and food security.

Biography :

Benjamin M Drakeford is a Development Economist. His current research focuses on food security, sovereignty and poverty alleviation and the aligning of these objectives with economic growth agendas, including the impact of international trade on food security and development objectives. He is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics and has led large multidisciplinary research projects in the EU, Asia and Africa, securing funding from development agencies such as UNDP, UNEP, FAO, as well as the European Commission.

Email: ben.drakeford@port.ac.uk