Inclusive Supply Chains
We have a core passion for inclusive supply chains. Since we started, we've been developing and championing solutions that ensure that smallholders are a meaningful part of international supply chains or are leaders in local supply chains. We understand the need for effective market development, timely input supply , finance access and technical knowledge sharing. We aim to scale value addition, but we're not pushing for middlemen to be removed; they provide massive value with the right motivation.
>> The dispersed nature of tilapia farmers in Uganda makes accessing inputs costly - in real terms and in time. Selling fish is equally challenging. Recognising these challenges, Pauson and Tim developed the first commercial RAD hub in Rukungiri in western Uganda. The hub develops local markets to sell fish produced by smallholder farmers to consumers who can't otherwise buy fish at the size and price they can afford; and provides the inputs and technical advice farmers need to succeed. ThinkAqua has been a partner in this venture since it began, working with 100 local farmers and selling fish to hundreds more households. Together we are now replicating this success across Uganda with support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Uganda. We are also exploring how hubs can be the aggregation point for streamlining access to finance through micro-credit. We aim to scale to other areas of East Africa in the coming years.
>> We have been working closely with certifications, particularly the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), to explore improver models that help increase smallholder participation in international supply chains. Working with our long-term partner Yayasan Sinergi Akuakultur Indonesia (YSAI) we piloted the ASC Improver Program with several shrimp farmers, processors and tech companies in Indonesia. The farms are supported by YSAI to make step-wise progressions towards a performance level where they could get ASC certification. Alongside this field activity, ThinkAqua made significant input in ASC's improver strategy.
>> No farm is an island. They are all connected to the environment and society around them - and to each other. In a world-first, we are piloting a Jurisdictional Approach project with the shrimp industry, local government and communities of Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia - in collaboration with Conservation International, Yayasan Konservasi Indonesia and Yayasan Sinergi Akuakultur Indonesia. This collective action is delivering a Road Map that includes ambitions to address water quality, disease risks, community relations and investment. The current phase of delivery is support by Walmart Foundation, although the ambition is that the industry and local government will add activities and budget to their future programs of work.
>> As part of the project in Banyuwangi we have worked with some of the smaller-scale producers to create a co-operative. This growing business in helping these farmers to get better prices for feed and explore more valuable markets for their shrimp.
