7 billion people will inhabit the earth in October 2011

7 billion people will inhabit the earth in October 2011

On the 31st of October 2011 the world will reach 7 billion people. That’s the projection from the United Nations Population Fund or UNFPA made on World Population Day, July 11, 2011.

While it’s a once in a lifetime milestone, it’s also an opportunity for the UN to push for better mechanisms to take care of those most vulnerable. To do that, UNFPA is launching a campaign called “7 Billion Actions”, to meet the demands of a growing population.

Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin is the executive director of UNFPA. “The 7 Billion Actions is an effort by UNFPA to reach the 7 billion people in the world asking them what are they going to do to make the world a better place. What action would you take locally to contribute to a better planet and to ensure that we have a more safe world going forward.”

UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon adds that overcoming the challenges of 7 billion people, including being able to feed and shelter those in need, will demand the best in each of us.

For more information log onto 7billionactions.org.

Also read Countdown To 7 Billion: A Tale Of Two Worlds on NPR’s health blog.

Then think of Aquaculture without Frontiers and helping us to help those most in need.

AwF is one of the Organizations Making a Difference on the 7 Billion Actions website; click here.

CP Prima makes generous donation to AwF

AwF received a generous donation of US$ 2000 from CP Prima of Indonesia in appreciation for the presentations to some of their management staff in Jakarta by AwF Director Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons and one of his students, Sidrotun Naim.

“This is a most excellent gesture of CP Prima,” commented AwF Chair M.C. Nandeesha.

The entire Board of Directors would like to thank CP Prima and Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons for facilitating this contribution to AwF’s mission.

Time proves accuracy of AwF founder’s vision

Michael New, OBE, founded Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) in 2004 and it was launched at the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. Recently, we had occasion to review the Keynote presentation given by Michael at the WAS meeting in Salvador, Brazil in 2003 wherein his original idea about forming AwF was voiced. In fact, this was the first time the name was mentioned.

We present the full paper arising from that Keynote presentation here (with permission of WAS Magazine editor, Dr. Robert Stickney) for all to read, and to consider how they may help us to achieve the vision presented 8 years ago. The Keynote PowerPoint presentation is available by clicking here.

AwF director Dr Kevin Fitzsimmons remarked in a recent email to Michael, “It was great to reread the paper. Your foresight is a bit amazing almost ten years later.”

Michael’s final words in the keynote after introducing the concept for AwF were a quotation from Oscar Wilde: “Nothing is worth doing except what the world says is impossible”. Obviously, it was and still is possible!

The original paper was published by WAS with the following reference:  New, M.B., 2003. Responsible aquaculture: is this a special challenge for developing countries? World Aquaculture, 34(3):26-30, 60-68, 72.

Chair M.C. Nandeesha shares celebration with AwF Patron M.S. Swaminathan

AwF Chair M.C. Nandeesha visited Chennai, India recently on the occasion of the 22nd foundation day of The M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and took the opportunity to meet with AwF Patron Prof. Swaminathan, who was only too pleased to catch up on our recent activities to assist the rural poor.

The MSSRF marked the day by releasing a report on its activities, something it has done for the 21 previous years.

Dignitaries in attendance included the Central Minister and the Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), who announced that 30% of the core funding of the organization was to be provided by DST.

In a recent personal message to our Founder & Patron, Michael New, OBE, Professor M.S. Swaminathan, FRS wrote, “It has been an act of vision on your part to have started Aquaculture without Frontiers. We are indebted to you for this important initiative. With warm personal regards”.

AwF-Nepal project website launched

AwF-Nepal project manager, Dr Ram Bhujel, has created a website to provide donors, supporters, and interested members of the public with information on the project’s progress and achievements to date. Below is taken from the website’s homepage.

Welcome to AwF-Nepal

The AwF-Nepal project was initiated in March 2008 with the partial support of Aquaculture without Frontiers, UK. In the first phase (March 2008 – February 2010), the project was launched in Rainastar Village of Lamjung, which is the lowest part of the district adjacent to Gorkha. During the first phase, 70 women joined in two groups and constructed a pond each to grow fish in addition to traditionally growing vegetables and crops and raising livestock. 

Haiti project proposal and report now available

AwF and NOVUS International have partnered to provide funding and technical support to help build an Aquaculture Learning Center (ALC) in Marigot, Haiti. This project is managed by Bill Mebane, Superintendent Aquaculture Engineering Division, at the Marine Biological Laboratory, who has been involved in training Haitians to farm fish for 9 years; see MBL’s outreach activities.

This project was originally proposed in November 2010 and was approved for funding shortly afterwards. Bill has been kind enough to provide us with an update on the progress of this project: A Brief History of the Aquaculture Learning Center.

The Aquaculture Learning Center is a model of what collaborative partnerships between various organizations can achieve and we invite other organizations to contact us if they have similar ideas that will help AwF to achieve our mission of helping the rural poor to improve the quality of their lives through sustainable and responsible aquaculture.

Four more trip reports received for farmer-to-farmer program

We have received four (4) more reports from field trips sponsored by the US-AID funded Farmer-to-Farmer Programme. You can access them on our Projects page or by clicking on the links below.

• GUYANA: AwF-UA Farmer-to-Farmer Programme (Trip Report, June2011) PDF
• INDIA: AwF-UA Farmer-to-Farmer Programme (Trip Report, April 2011 (PDF)
• PHILIPPINES: AwF-UA Farmer-to-Farmer Programme (Trip Report, Nov-Dec 2010) PDF
• SOUTH AFRICA: AwF-UA Farmer-to-Farmer Programme (Trip Report, March 2011) PDF

AwF UK financial report for 2010-2011 now available

Michael New, AwF Founder and Patron, has submitted the financial report for AwF (UK); it can be found on our Reports page or by clicking here.

Income was down from previous years due to the ongoing recession but commitments to provide further financial support for on-going projects in India and Nepal during the 2011-2012 financial year will be realized. AwF (UK) has also committed to provide funding for a new project in Kenya during the 2011-2012 financial year; see Kenya project to mitigate poverty by scaling-up fish farming & education.

Kenya project to mitigate poverty by scaling-up fish farming & providing education

AwF recently approved a Fish Farming Proposal submitted by the Holy Will Women Group located in South Rachounyo District in the Homa Bay County of Kenya.

The project’s objective is to scale-up fish farming activities to mitigate poverty among smallholders in the community who, through government initiatives, have been involved in fish farming but without prior training that would have enabled them to succeed. Also, there is a need for a reliable fish hatchery close-by to obtain fingerlings for stocking or restocking their ponds.

The project will establish a semi-intensive fish hatchery cum production centre where high quality fingerlings and table-size tilapia will be produced under the Happa system (net enclosure) and in earthen ponds, respectively. The project will also organize quarterly educational field days, in collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Fisheries, to train at least 800 smallholders in the basic practices of aquaculture, including site selection, water quality, pond construction, characteristics of certified seeds, stocking rate, feeding, predators, harvesting techniques, preservation, marketing, soil and water conservation and book-keeping.

If implemented as proposed, smallholders in the region will farm fish using tested and scientifically proven practices which will greatly improve nutritional standards and increase household incomes by over 200%, significantly reducing the overall poverty level. The initiative is expected to run for three years.