Lattice Aqua and IDH partnered to improve the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of fish farms in Kenya. This is part of IDH’s ambition to establish long-term business relations between SMEs and off-takers, address domestic food demand and deficits, generate employment, and increase the intra-African trade of food commodities while safeguarding the environment.

Growing domestic and regional African markets have seen an increasing demand for fish and fishery products. However, the combination of population growth and declining sea fisheries has led to a supply deficit with most African countries relying on fish imports although there is ample opportunity to farm fish domestically.

In Kenya, the conditions for aquaculture practices for tropical fishes are optimal (due to high temperature and other local conditions), but poor cage and pond farming practices, lack of access to high-quality feed and fingerlings, as well as affordable services (including finance) and management expertise has resulted in failing, inefficient and unprofitable fish farms.

The work with Lattice Aqua seeks to improve fish farmer incomes, support SMEs and farmers to access markets and create work opportunities while ensuring gender inclusivity. It is based on earlier activities that verified the positive influence of a data-driven approach and is done through an integrated ecosystem approach.

This ecosystem includes the biggest feed producer in Kenya (Tunga Feed), the largest seed farms (Jewlet Enterprises and Kamuthanga fish farm), market off-taker (Aqua Rech), and technical support from the Aquaculture Academy and financial institutions (Faulu Microfinance Bank and Juhudi Kilimo). Through the cooperation, Kenyan tilapia farming will become a sustainable and profitable business, provide livelihoods and spur economic prosperity throughout the sector.