On 18 and 19 April 2024, a small delegation of farmers from the Akosomobo Zone Fish Farmers Association (Ghana) visited AquaBioTech Group’s facilities in Malta to discuss business activities and participate in a variety of workshops.

During their visit to Malta, AquaBioTech Group’s Thanasis Chantzaropoulos presented the delegation with the research and development projects in East Africa. Between other projects, Freya Robinson presented the preliminary results of the FoodLAND project and the ongoing research activities in Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda. 

The delegation was then asked to identify the common production challenges experienced in aquaculture in Ghana and a discussion was held around potential solutions that could be used to mitigate these challenges. Some of the solutions mentioned included: alternative feeds using locally available ingredients, breeding techniques, making the most of water sources through filtration and integration with agriculture and recirculation techniques, farming and breeding of local species, research and training. All these solutions were identified in FoodLAND and are being implemented in the Food Hubs of the project, but adjusted to each country’s needs and special conditions. 

Finally, the members of the delegation completed a survey on common integrated aqua-agriculture (IAA) practices in Ghana. Their answers were compared to the outcomes of the FoodLAND project and the research performed for IAA. Moreover, they can be used as a reference for discussions and future stakeholder engagement activities. The Ghanan fish farmers association and ABT discussed the opportunities for upcoming research collaborations and they hope to continue working together in the future.