A Professor of Aquaculture Engineering and Water Resources Management at the University of Ibadan, Professor Ayoola Akinwole, has called on the government at all levels to promote Urban Aquaculture to achieve food security, job creation, and income generation for the teeming populace of Nigeria.
The professor proposed urban aquaculture as a capable means of providing transformative solutions to city-wide food production and resource utilisation concerns.
Professor Akinwole made the recommendation while delivering the 556th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan entitled “Aquaculture Engineering: Reconciling the Balance in the Triad of Fish, Plants and Man” on behalf of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources.
The professor noted that while global food production needs to substantially increase to meet the ever-growing demand as a result of a population surge, the world is running out of land space for food production that will serve the ever-increasing population.
He stated that the earth has already lost a third of its arable land, and climate change will only continue the trend, submitting that the answer to the challenges is to be found not on land, but underwater, as aquaculture or fish farming has become an efficient way to feed the world.
Prof. Akinwole described aquaculture as the farming of aquatic organisms, including fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic plants involving the production, processing, and marketing of biological organisms from aquatic systems.
The lecturer, a Professor of Aquaculture Engineering and Water Resources Management explained that the essence of Aquaculture Engineering is the application of basic engineering principles and procedures to the design and construction of structures and systems for aquaculture.
Prof. Akinwole also urged the government to, as a matter of policy, implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) in all agriculture, aquaculture and food production facilities, ensuring minimal environmental impact and effective farming operations while minimising negative impacts on human, animal and plant health.
He further admonished investors in recirculating fish production systems to seek scientific and technical support for site-specific design and component fabrication to avoid overcapitalisation or premature facility expansion.
The lecturer stated that the recirculating aquaculture systems-based farms require well-trained and experienced personnel with an average of eight years of related job experience to ensure profitability.
Professor Ayoola Akinwole is the incumbent Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan Branch.
Lantana Nasir
