Exploring the Potential of Aquaponics Systems in Advancing Food Security in Kenya: A Scoping Review

Nicholas Outa^1, , Erick Ogello¹ and Caroline Wambui¹

¹Department of Animal and Fisheries Sciences, Maseno University, P.O. Box Private Bag, Maseno, Kenya

Cite this paper:
Nicholas Outa, Erick Ogello and Caroline Wambui. Exploring the Potential of Aquaponics Systems in Advancing Food Security in Kenya: A Scoping Review. Journal of Food Security. 2024; 12(3):50-58. doi: 10.12691/jfs-12-3-3

Abstract

The pressing issue of global food insecurity demands immediate attention, particularly in developing nations like Kenya. Traditional agricultural methods in these regions often involve high resource consumption, limited nutrient recycling, and substantial negative environmental impacts. In light of the escalating demand for food production and the imperative for sustainable food systems, it is crucial to explore innovative and efficient technologies capable of concurrently addressing nutrient management, water utilization, and food production challenges. The prevalent reliance on chemical fertilizers within Kenya's food production sector adversely affects both soil and environmental health, leading to a gradual decline in agricultural productivity. Additionally, many regions in Kenya grapple with water scarcity, posing a significant obstacle to food production. The heavy dependence on rain-fed agriculture further exposes food production to fluctuations in climatic conditions. Monoculture-based food systems demonstrate inefficiencies in land, water, and nutrient usage. Despite its current limited adaptability, aquaponics emerges as a promising solution to confront these challenges by optimizing water, nutrient, and land utilization in food production. Case studies in Kenya have demonstrated the potential of aquaponics in enhancing food production. This scoping review provide information on the status of aquaponics adoption in Kenya, challenges and barriers to adoption and the possible solutions to enhance adoption of aquaponics in the Kenyan food production sector.

Keywords:
Food security aquaponics nutrient-efficiency water-efficiency aquaculture

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	J. A. Pradeepkiran, “Aquaculture role in global food security with nutritional value: a review,” Transl. Anim. Sci., vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 903–910, Mar. 2019.
[2]	G. M. Kariuki, J. Njaramba, and C. Ombuki, “Maize Output Supply Response to Climate Change in Kenya: An Econometric Analysis,” Eur. Sci. J. ESJ, vol. 16, no. 3, p. 63, Jan. 2020.
[3]	FAO, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023, International Fund for Agricultural Development. Italy. 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.fao.org/3/cc3017en/cc3017en.pdf
[4]	World Bank, “GLOBAL MARKET OUTLOOK ( AS OF JANUARY 24 , 2023 ) Trends in Global Agricultural Commodity Prices Food Price Inflation Dashboard,” no. January 2021, pp. 1–24, 2023.
[5]	R. L. Naylor et al., “A 20-year retrospective review of global aquaculture,” Nat. 2021 5917851, vol. 591, no. 7851, pp. 551–563, Mar. 2021.
[6]	R. L. Naylor et al., “Feeding aquaculture in an era of finite resources (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2009) 106, (15103-15110).
[7]	M. Wens, A. Van Loon, T. Veldkamp, M. Mwangi, and J. Aerts, “Assessing smallholder drought risk dynamics under climate change and government policies.” Mar. 2022. .
[8]	R. G. Chiquito-Contreras et al., “Aquaculture—Production System and Waste Management for Agriculture Fertilization—A Review,” Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 12, p. 7257, Jun. 2022.
[9]	W. Lennard and S. Goddek, “Aquaponics: The Basics,” in Aquaponics Food Production Systems, Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019, pp. 113–143.
[10]	K. M. Aubakirova, M. S. Kulataeva, M. Z. Satkanov, N. S. Sultangereeva, and Z. A. Alikulov, “Prerequisites for the development of biotechnology for the production of environmentally friendly products of aquabioculture,” Biol. Sci. KAZAKHSTAN, vol. 3, pp. 46–52, 2021.
[11]	K. M. Aubakirova, K. K. Aytlesov, A. A. Kambarbekova, M. S. Kulatayeva, S. Z. Satkanov, and Z. A. Alikulov, “Improvement of fish quality in aquaponics in vivo by activation of molybdenumenzymes with exogenous molybdate,” Biol. Sci. KAZAKHSTAN, vol. 2, pp. 8–17, Sep. 2022.
[12]	S. Wongkiew, M. R. Park, K. Chandran, and S. K. Khanal, “Aquaponic Systems for Sustainable Resource Recovery: Linking Nitrogen Transformations to Microbial Communities,” Environ. Sci. Technol., vol. 52, no. 21, pp. 12728–12739, 2018.
[13]	G. F. M. Baganz et al., “The aquaponic principle—It is all about coupling,” Rev. Aquac., no. May, pp. 1–13, 2021.
[14]	R. Drogeanu, M. Balan, S. M. Petrea, M. Neculita, and D. Cristea, “Improving the Sustainability of Blue Economy through Emerging Aquaponics Techniques and Technologies,” Risk Contemp. Econ., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 465–474, Jul. 2021.
[15]	B. Stalport, P. Raulier, M. H. Jijakli, and F. Lebeau, “Modeling aquaponics: a review on available models and simulation tools,” BASE, pp. 155–165, 2022.
[16]	R. Calone and F. Orsini, “Aquaponics: A Promising Tool for Environmentally Friendly Farming,” Front. Young Minds, vol. 10, Apr. 2022.
[17]	J. Aguk, R. N. Onwonga, G. N. Chemining’wa, M. Jumbo, and A. George, “Enhancing yellow maize production for sustainable food and nutrition security in Kenya.” May 2021. [Online]. Available: https://lens.org/003-027-801-509-843
[18]	E. L. Tuthill et al., “Persistent Food Insecurity, but not HIV, is Associated with Depressive Symptoms Among Perinatal Women in Kenya: A Longitudinal Perspective.,” AIDS Behav., vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 847–855, Sep. 2020.
[19]	R. Abisha, K. K. Krishnani, K. Sukhdhane, A. K. Verma, M. Brahmane, and N. K. Chadha, “Sustainable development of climate-resilient aquaculture and culture-based fisheries through adaptation of abiotic stresses: a review,” J. Water Clim. Chang., vol. 13, no. 7, pp. 2671–2689, Jun. 2022.
[20]	S. Clough et al., “Innovative Technologies to Promote Sustainable Recirculating Aquaculture in Eastern Africa—A Case Study of a Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Hatchery in Kisumu, Kenya,” Integr. Environ. Assess. Manag., vol. 16, no. 6, pp. 934–941, Nov. 2020.
[21]	K. H. Dijkgraaf, S. Goddek, and K. J. Keesman, “Modeling innovative aquaponics farming in Kenya,” Aquac. Int., vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 1395–1422, Oct. 2019.
[22]	K. O. Obiero, H. Waidbacher, B. Otieno Nyawanda, J. M. Munguti, J. O. Manyala, and B. Kaunda-Arara, “Predicting uptake of aquaculture technologies among smallholder fish farmers in Kenya,” Aquac. Int., vol. 27, pp. 1689–1707, 2019.
[23]	J. M. Munguti et al., “Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus Linnaeus, 1758) culture in Kenya: Emerging production technologies and socio‐economic impacts on local livelihoods,” Aquac. Fish Fish., vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 265–276, 2022.
[24]	D. J. M. Munguti et al., “Role of Multilateral Development Organizations, Public and Private Investments in Aquaculture Subsector in Kenya,” Front. Sustain. Food Syst., vol. 7, p. 1208918, 2023.
[25]	J. Munguti et al., State of Aquaculture Report 2020: Towards Nutrition Sensitive Fish Food Systems. Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Mombasa, Kenya. 2020.
[26]	Fao, World Fisheries and Aquaculture, vol. 35. 2009.
[27]	UN and W. Bank, The Potential of the Blue Economy. World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017.
[28]	R. Wirza and S. Nazir, “Urban aquaponics farming and cities- a systematic literature review,” Rev. Environ. Health, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 47–61, 2021.
[29]	E. O. Ogello, N. Outa, and K. Ouma, “Socio-economic Implications of Imported Frozen Tilapia on the Local fish Production and Value Chain Linkages: Case of Kisumu County, Kenya.” ScienceOpen, 2021.
[30]	A. R. Al Tawaha, P. E. M. Wahab, H. B. Jaafar, A. T. K. Zuan, and M. Z. Hassan, “Effects of Fish Stocking Density on Water Quality, Growth Performance of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Yield of Butterhead Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Grown in Decoupled Recirculation Aquaponic Systems,” J. Ecol. Eng., vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 8–19, Jan. 2021.
[31]	D. Lad, “Aquaponics: A Way of Green Technology,” Book Publisher International (a part of SCIENCEDOMAIN International), 2022, pp. 148–150.
[32]	A. B, Y. H, R. SM, and K. MAU, “Assessing the Utilization of Waste from Aquaponics System as Nutrients Contributing to the Growth of Water Spinach and Tank Fish,” J. Agric. Food Environ., vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 40–46, 2022.
[33]	D. M. K. S. Hemathilake and D. M. C. C. Gunathilake, “High-productive agricultural technologies to fulfill future food demands: Hydroponics, aquaponics, and precision/smart agriculture,” Elsevier, 2022, pp. 555–567.
[34]	D. C. Love, “Commercial aquaponics production and profitability: Findings from an international survey.” 2020. [Online]. Available: https://lens.org/168-963-036-387-732
[35]	M. L. Adriano-Anaya, K. Y. García-López, M. Reyes-Flores, M. Salvador-Adriano, and M. S. Figueroa, “Water quality in an aquaponics system interconnected with a biofilter,” Agro Product., Jan. 2023.
[36]	V. Rajasekar and M. Tanveer, “Production Performance of GIFT Tilapia in Recirculating Aquaponics System with Red Amaranth.” Sep. 2022.
[37]	A. S. Taragusti, P. Prayogo, and B. S. Rahardja, “The effect of stocking density and the application of Nitrobacter as ammonia decomposer in aquaponics system of Clarias gariepinus with water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica),” Iraqi J. Vet. Sci., vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 217–222, May 2020.
[38]	A. R. Yanes, P. Martinez, and R. Ahmad, “Towards automated aquaponics: A review on monitoring, IoT, and smart systems,” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 263, pp. 121571--, 2020.
[39]	T. Irhayyim, M. Fehér, J. Lelesz, M. Bercsényi, and P. Bársony, “Nutrient Removal Efficiency and Growth of Watercress ( Nasturtium officinale ) under Different Harvesting Regimes in Integrated Recirculating Aquaponic Systems for Rearing Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L),” Water, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 1419--, May 2020.
[40]	S. A. Oladimeji et al., “Aquaponics production of catfish and pumpkin: Comparison with conventional production systems,” Food Sci. Nutr., vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 2307–2315, 2020.
[41]	J. S. Ani, F. O. Masese, J. O. Manyala, and K. Fitzsimmons, “Assessment of the Performance of Aquaponics and its Uptake for Integrated Fish and Plant Farming in Sub-Saharan Africa,” Africa Environ. Rev. J., vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 123–138, Oct. 2021, [Online]. Available: https://lens.org/012-360-386-484-698
[42]	L. Jansen and K. J. Keesman, “Exploration of efficient water, energy and nutrient use in aquaponics systems in northern latitudes,” Clean. Circ. Bioeconomy, vol. 2, p. 100012, 2022.
[43]	Y. Gao et al., “Enhancing nutrient recovery from fish sludge using a modified biological aerated filter with sponge media with extended filtration in aquaponics,” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 320, pp. 128804--, 2021.
[44]	N. Dampin, W. Tarnchalanukit, K. Chunkao, and M. Maleewong, “Fish Growth Model for Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Wastewater Oxidation Pond, Thailand,” Procedia Environ. Sci., vol. 13, no. 2011, pp. 513–524, 2012.
[45]	J. G. G. Reyes, “Benefits in the Tilapia Growth, by Vetiver Grass in an Aquaponics System,” Asian J. Fish. Aquat. Res., pp. 43–54, Dec. 2021.
[46]	D. A. Pattillo, D. Cline, J. Hager, L. Roy, and T. Hanson, “Challenges Experienced by Aquaponic Hobbyists, Producers, and Educators,” J. Ext., vol. 60, no. 4, Dec. 2022.
[47]	S. Wongkiew et al., “Nitrogen Recovery via Aquaponics–Bioponics: Engineering Considerations and Perspectives,” ACS ES\&T Eng., vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 326–339, Feb. 2021.
[48]	V. O. B. Sinaga and R. C. Mukti, “The Growth of Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with the Addition of Probiotics to Feed in Sakatiga Village, Indralaya District, Ogan Ilir Regency, South Sumatera,” J. Aquac. Fish Heal., vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 90–96, Dec. 2021.
[49]	F. P. Mmanda, “Nutritive value and use of locally available low-cost feed ingredients for tilapia farming in Tanzania.” May 2020. [Online]. Available: https://lens.org/062-702-072-546-404.
[50]	G. F. M. Baganz et al., “The aquaponic principle—It is all about coupling,” Rev. Aquac., vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 252–264, Jul. 2021.
[51]	R. Drogeanu, M. Balan, S. M. Petrea, M. Neculita, and D. S. Cristea, “Improving the Sustainability of Blue Economy through Emerging Aquaponics Techniques and Technologies.” Jul. 2021. [Online]. Available: https://lens.org/025-330-202-641-818
[52]	K. H. Dijkgraaf, S. Goddek, and K. J. Keesman, “Modeling innovative aquaponics farming in Kenya,” Aquac. Int., vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 1395–1422, Oct. 2019.
[53]	L. Motaroki, G. Ouma, and D. N. Kalele, “‘Conservation Agriculture,’ Possible Climate Change Adaptation Option in Taita Hills, Kenya,” Springer International Publishing, 2021, pp. 1331–1351.
[54]	M. S. S. Danish et al., “A Forefront Framework for Sustainable Aquaponics Modeling and Design,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 16, pp. 9313--, Aug. 2021.
[55]	N. Tran, E. Ogello, N. Outa, M. Muthoka, and Y. Hoong, “Promising Aquaculture Technologies and Innovations for Transforming Food Systems Toward Low Emission Pathways in Kenya: A Review,” WorldFish, 2023.