Aquaculture for all
Full aquaculture MSc commonwealth scholarship opportunity available at St Andrews University: Apply here until the 28th of March

FUTUREFISH to partner with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on sustainable aqua projects

Crustaceans Marine fish Husbandry +15 more

FUTUREFISH has secured a contract with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, working towards their vision to empower, build and grow sustainable aquaculture solutions in Africa and Asia.

FUTUREFISH team meets with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Deputy Director of the Livestock Team

From left to right, Samuel Thevasagayam (Gates Foundation deputy director of the livestock team), Rohana Subasinghe (co-founder and director of FUTUREFISH), Anna Patel (programme manager for FUTUREFISH), and Michael Phillips (co-founder and director of FUTUREFISH) © FUTUREFISH

FUTUREFISH is pleased to announce that they have signed a contract with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support development of the foundation’s Fish and Aquaculture Programme in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. With our mission to connect science and insights with networks and investments to build and grow sustainable aquaculture, we look forward to developing this work.

"We founded FUTUREFISH to help connect innovation and investment with the diverse actors in aquaculture value chains, especially in overlooked geographies," noted Dr Rohana Subasinghe. “We look forward to co-developing impactful interventions and investments to increase productivity, profitability and inclusivity of aquaculture with the support of the foundation.”

The startup, founded by Dr Rohana Subasinghe and Dr Michael Phillips at the beginning of 2022, aims to provide innovative, sustainable and scalable solutions for the aquaculture industry in Africa and Asia. FUTUREFISH is led by industry and thought leaders – both founders have received some of the highest awards in aquaculture – and will use their experience to identify and evaluate high leverage opportunities in sustainable aquaculture for the foundation's portfolio.

“At a time when hunger and poverty are on the rise, it is so timely to see the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation focus on aquaculture in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia,” said Phillips. “It is a great privilege for FUTUREFISH to be given the opportunity to explore impactful aquaculture investments that will benefit food and nutrition security, smallholder productivity and livelihoods, women's empowerment and climate resilience."

Tilapia farming

Commercial pond farming of Nile tilapia in the Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia © FUTUREFISH

FUTUREFISH is committed to building a solid basis of principles using their extensive networks of public and private partners for the foundation’s aquaculture efforts. This first major project for FUTUREFISH reflects the organisation’s commitment to supporting positive and sustainable economic, social and environmental outcomes from the aquaculture sector that benefit food and nutrition security, livelihoods and marginalised communities.

Create an account now to keep reading

It'll only take a second and we'll take you right back to what you were reading. The best part? It's free.

Already have an account? Sign in here