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Seaweed Farming

Seaweed FarmingÌýKenya can maximize potential in the seaweedÌýindustry through a dramatic increaseÌýin production and scale, as unlocking theÌýpotential for communities to produce atÌýcapacity can lead to sector-wide transformation.
At present, Kenya is not competitive inÌýthe regional seaweed market, and successÌýhinges on both attracting new farmers andÌýutilizing productive space at full capacity.

Sea Cucumber Farming

Current sea cucumber production in KenyaÌýis limited to the dangerous practice ofÌýwild-capture. Due to decades of overfishing,Ìýsea cucumber wild stocks are dwindling,Ìýharming the overall biodiversity of coastalÌýecosystems and forcing fishers into increasingly-risky diving practices. With a highÌýprice point, growing global demand, and
an existing link to the export market, spearheadingÌýinclusive sea cucumber farmingÌýmodels in Kenya will revolutionize the sector.Ìý

Neighbouring countries in the WIO regionÌýhave spent years trialling and refining theÌýsmallholder-outgrower model, and Kenya’sÌýsuccess in the industry hinges on a three-stepÌýintensive investment (see the full report for more information).

Finfish Farming

Fishing plays a vital role for coastal communities,Ìýboth in terms of food security and inÌýterms of income generation. Kenya and theÌýrest of the world suffer as global fish stocksÌýdisappear through overfishing. Investing
in finfish farming using cage structures inÌýmarine sites has the potential to disrupt theÌýcurrent Kenyan value chain for local coastalÌýconsumption of fish by increasing andÌýcontrolling production, avoiding restrictive
market relationships, and reducing pressureÌýon local environments. Local demand fish remainsÌýstrong, and Kenya has an opportunityÌýto develop sustainable production methodsÌýthrough marine-based finfish cage farming.

The research identified three strategic leversÌýto catalyse transformation in the finfishÌýfarming sectorÌý(see the full report for more information).

The emergence of the Blue Economy, and Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ involvement

The urgency of the climate crisis and theÌýongoing work of economic development inÌýKenya has contributed to the emergenceÌýof the Blue Economy as a critical arena forÌýmaking substantive impact, both for theÌýenvironment and for local prosperity.ÌýÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥Ìýcontinues to engage in the discussion andÌýaims to develop a pilot model to serve theÌýgreater Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region.

This scoping studyÌýutilizes a combination of primary researchÌý(stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions,Ìýand field research) and secondaryÌýresearch (literature review) to prioritize valueÌýchains and recommendations.

More information

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We'd like to gratefully acknowledge Ìýand Germany's for funding and supporting this study.

For more information on Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ work on the Blue Economy you can visit our Ocean Team pages.

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