The International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM), also known as WorldFish, is an international organization working to transform aquatic food systems to reduce hunger, malnutrition, and poverty.
Based in
Penang, Malaysia
Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. These ...
, WorldFish is a member of
CGIAR
CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security. CGIAR research aims to reduce rural poverty, increase food ...
, which unites international organizations engaged in research about food security
and has a presence in 20 countries throughout
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
,
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
and the
Pacific Region
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
.
WorldFish has introduced technologies to ramp up local aquatic food production through a network of partners. Such innovations include the development of "genetically improved farmed tilapia" (GIFT) and an enhanced strain of
Nile tilapia
The Nile tilapia (''Oreochromis niloticus'') is a species of tilapia, a cichlid occurring naturally in parts of Africa (such as its namesake Nile River) and the Levant, though numerous introduced populations exist outside its natural range. T ...
, in support of
smallhold aquaculture
Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...
farmers in the
Global South
Global North and Global South are terms that denote a method of grouping countries based on their defining characteristics with regard to socioeconomics and politics. According to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Global South broadly com ...
.
WorldFish research
In 2020, WorldFish began to transition from fisheries and aquaculture to a more holistic aquatic foods system approach. The institution shifted towards food systems management to focus on aquatic food value chains from production through consumption, with focuses on
climate resilience
Climate resilience is a concept to describe how well people or ecosystems are prepared to bounce back from certain climate hazard events. The formal definition of the term is the "capacity of social, economic and ecosystems to cope with a hazardou ...
and
environmental sustainability
Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...
.
[
]
Recognition
WorldFish has been recognized for its work in Nile tilapia. WorldFish fisheries scientist Modadugu Vijay Gupta
Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta (17 August 1939) is an Indian biologist and fisheries scientist. He was awarded the World Food Prize in 2005, for development and dissemination of low-cost techniques for freshwater fish farming (using tilapia species ...
was awarded the World Food Prize
The World Food Prize is an international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world. Conceived by Nobel Peace Prize laureate No ...
for his research on genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) in support of food and nutrition security in food-insecure regions.
Impact
WorldFish has worked to breed genetically enhanced fast-growing tilapia (GIFT) varieties to raise the productivity and incomes of low-income smallholder farmers. It also works to improve the production of key inputs for aquaculture, specifically fish feed and fingerlings, and links small-scale aquatic food producers with input and output markets.
Nutrition and Food Systems Report, FAO
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Worldfish Center
International research institutes
Research institutes in Malaysia
Fisheries and aquaculture research institutes
Research institutes established in 1975
Fisheries conservation organizations
Environmental organisations based in Malaysia