“AquaBioTech is very excited to participate in the PrAEctiCe project,” says Freya M. Robinson, Aquaculture Consultant and RDI Project Manager, “our primary focus is on promoting the implementation of sustainable practices that are designed to endure over the long term, and this will aid in combatting malnutrition in East Africa.”

The PrAEctiCe project entails the establishment of three living labs in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, which AquaBioTech will contribute to developing.  Each is dedicated to promoting water, energy, and nutrient efficiency. These labs will utilise solar power to meet their energy needs, employ membrane filtration to recycle wastewater for fishponds and irrigate crops with filtered wastewater sourced from aquaculture systems. In addition, they will explore the use of natural feeds procured from local sources and introduce combined poultry and fish farming to reduce dependence on fish-feed factories. Throughout the process, continuous monitoring and analysis of the physio-chemical and other water-quality parameters will take place to ensure optimal outcomes.

AquaBioTech is engaged in all the work packages and is leading the mapping of integrated Aqua-Agricultural practices in the East African region. Their contribution to the project also involves installing monitoring sensors in all living labs that will be constructed. Furthermore, AquaBioTech is sharing its specialised knowledge in aquaculture with the project partners. Another task includes stakeholder mapping and identifying the capacity needs of each stakeholder. This task is led by the partner RUFORUM and contributions are made by partners including Maseno University, University of Gothenburg, NARO, and Uganda Martyrs University.

As part of the PrAEctiCe and FoodLAND Africa projects, in April of this year, AquaBioTech and other partners inspected existing facilities and future construction space for the living labs. During the course of their fieldwork, they engaged in productive dialogue, exchanging perspectives and discussing future plans. Additionally, they gained valuable insight into how the innovative practices employed at the living lab facilities could be leveraged to enhance agroecology practices.