Potential effect of aquaculture promotion on poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

There is a policy of increased support of aquaculture development in Sub- Saharan Africa. In the region, aquaculture expansion has the potential to create new jobs and improve food security among poor households. Three computable general equilibrium models were used to estimate the effects of aquaculture expansion and increased input productivity on poverty reduction in Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania. The results suggest that there will be positive effects on per capita income for all households in Ghana and Kenya. In Tanzania some rich households will experience income loss, because of resource shift from other sectors to aquaculture. Because of reduction in poverty associated with price reductions, and increases in minimum income associated with income expansion, the poverty gap decreased in all household groups. Because of high sectoral linkages, aquaculture development is a potential candidate for sector-specific policy support to address poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa.