G7 boosting aquatic foods’ role in ending hunger and poverty

FAO urges more investment in a blue transformation at G7 agriculture ministers’ meeting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) underlined the need for more investment in a Blue Transformation enabling aquatic foods to play a greater role in ending global hunger and poverty. The call came as FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero presented the findings of a key FAO report on fisheries and aquaculture to agriculture ministers from the G7 countries.

The flagship State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 2024 report, released in June this year, found that world fisheries and aquaculture production has hit a new high, with aquaculture production of aquatic animals surpassing capture fisheries for the first time.

But among the issues Torero highlighted was that just to ensure that the consumption of aquatic animal foods in 2050 is maintained at current levels, given that the world’s population is projected to increase to 9.7 billion by then, the global supply would require a 22 per cent rise.

Also, consumption rates and future population growth differ between regions. In Africa, for example, a 74 per cent increase in aquatic food supply would be needed to keep up with current per capita consumption rates. Bringing African consumption rates to today’s global average of 20.7 kg per person in 2050 would require a 285 per cent growth in aquatic animal provision.