Vietnam: Making seaweed a key economic sector of the fisheries industry

According to forecasts, by 2050, human food demand will increase by 70%, equivalent to 5.4 thousand million tons per year. However, the agricultural sector's capacity to sustain this demand is limited by lack of land and fresh water and is threatened by climate change. While seaweed farming is considered environmentally friendly, because it has the ability to absorb CO2 5 times faster than trees, this is an aquatic species with a short life cycle and high biomass output. capable of creating sustainable livelihoods for people. That is the reason why seaweed farming is of great interest today. According to the Department of Fisheries (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), in Vietnam there are 88 species of seaweed that have economic value and can be grown at sea; Potential area is about 900,000 hectares. However, so far the country has only exploited about 16,500 hectares. An industry with so much room for development but also many challenges. Many seafood experts believe ...