1) What is Blue Transformation?
Blue Transformation is a targeted effort by which agencies, countries and dependent communities, use existing and emerging knowledge, tools and practices to secure and sustainably maximize the contribution of aquatic (both marine and inland) food systems to food security, nutrition and affordable healthy diets for all. It builds on existing successes while providing a framework to overcome sustainability challenges.
Blue Transformation acknowledges that aquatic food systems significantly influence human, animal and ecosystem health, including biodiversity, land and water use, climate, as well as other aquatic and land-based economic sectors. As such, their transformation requires a holistic and adaptive ecosystem approach, aimed at securing socially, environmentally and economically sustainable value chains that help secure livelihoods, foster an equitable distribution of benefits and support adequate use and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems.
2) Why do we need Blue Transformation?
The high and growing prevalence of hunger and malnutrition in all its forms in the world, combined with climate and environmental concerns, suggests that the global food system is failing to deliver safe, nutritious, sustainable and equitable diets. As a result, the international community is calling for a transformation of food systems as highlighted at the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit.
At the same time, population growth and rising affluence are fuelling demand for more food and for resource intensive diets. In this landscape of demand and need, visions of what constitutes progress towards a sustainable food system diverge, but most of them incorporate aquatic foods as a vehicle to ending hunger and malnutrition and building nature-positive, efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable food systems for all.
Through Blue Transformation, aquatic food systems can:
-
Sustainable and equitable aquatic food security
Support the provision of enough aquatic food for a growing population that is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable and equitable
-
Support fair livelihoods through inclusive aquatic food systems
Ensure that aquatic food systems contribute to improving rights and income of vulnerable communities to achieve equitable livelihoods
-
Ensure inclusive access to safe aquatic food and reduce waste
Ensure the availability and accessibility of safe and nutritious aquatic food for all, in particular for vulnerable populations, and reduce food loss and waste
-
Enhance resilience in aquatic food systems amid dynamic changes
Highly influenced by dynamic anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic processes, including from a changing climate.
