Aquaculture improvement projects: the private sector’s tool to address risks beyond the farm?

Aquaculture improvement projects (AIPs) have emerged as a novel form of market-based sustainability governance. Mariska Bottema, a researcher in the Global Challenges Programme (GCP) project SUPERSEAS , recently published a paper in Aquaculture that identifies some key challenges that private actors leading AIPs face when trying to address aquaculture risks that reach beyond the farm.

The study shows that AIPs struggle with institutionalizing management of risks beyond the farm, such as disease and water pollution, because of the difficulties both NGOs and buyers face in inducing cooperation between farmers. It suggests that AIPs are more likely to be successful in institutionalizing shared risk management if they build on the existing social networks of farmers.

Read more in Mariska’s blog or access the full article in Aquaculture.