The Story
The GlobalSeaweedSTAR programme has just wrapped up. Over the course of its four-year programme, it directly funded fifteen research projects across the globe — from the Philippines to Tanzania — that promise to bolster the viability and sustainability of local seaweed industries and how they interact on a regional and global level.
From empowering women seaweed farmers in Zanzibar by training them to swim and dive, to conducting technical research to develop new climate-change and disease resistant seaweed strains, the range of outcomes and recommendations resulting from the myriad individual projects are far-reaching, producing both universal and context-specific solutions to meet seaweed’s contemporary challenges.
The story will be told by first positioning the global seaweed industry as one of the most rapidly expanding, regenerative, and high-impact solutions for addressing a range of social, economic and environmental issues affecting communities today and in the future such as climate change, food insecurity, and gender inequality to name a few.
The individual stories and implications of each project will be presented through in depth contextual background information and interviews with researchers involved, including world pioneer in Kappaphycus seaweed research, Michael Roleda, CEO of Ocean Farmers Fred Pascal, and other notable experts in the field.
While each research project is conducted in a local context, the implications are global, and stand to bolster the overall sustainability, profitability, and security of the global seaweed economy.
Background and significance
Seaweed farming is a $15 billion global industry that supports six million farmers and processors throughout the world, particularly in the developing nations of Asia and Africa. It is used in food, cosmetics, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and even fuels and found in everyday household purchases like toothpaste and ice-cream, and is the most rapidly expanding sector in aquaculture production.
But despite year-on-year growth, this industry has an uncertain future. Threats are multifaceted: ranging from climate change and associated ocean warming, to disease incursion, biosecurity issues, and decreasing reliability of seaweed strains to produce adequate yields.
These issues pose numerous flow-on social, ecological, and economic impacts that disproportionately affect communities who face marginalisation, livelihood and food insecurity, and women, who make up the majority of the seaweed farming population in developing countries.
This piece seeks to advance the conversation about the significance of the seaweed industry and the opportunities it presents for context specific solutions to the aforementioned challenges in the coming decades.
The author
Pascale Hunt is a freelance journalist who covers environmental justice issues with a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region. She is also Senior Global Communications Specialist at climate justice organisation, 350.org.
Supporting the sustainability of seaweed in Madagascar through developing new Kappaphycus strains
Fred Pascal, CEO of Ocean Farmers and colleagues set out to maximize the social, economic, and environmental benefits of Kappaphycus seaweed farming in Madagascar. The specific objective of the project involved increasing Kappaphycus seaweed production and resilience in Madagascar through the development of a superior strain of Kappaphycus that would be developed into a new cultivar to suit the Madagascar context.
To achieve this, new cultivars would be produced through instigated sexual reproduction in a hatchery, between wild types found in the local environment. Madagascan seaweed farmers would also be trained in how to select the best cultivars depending on season, site specificity, and farming techniques used.
The project will partner with world pioneer in Kappaphycus research, Dr. Michael Roleda from the Marine Science Institute at the University of the Philippines, who will provide on the ground technical support through constructing a hatchery lab to perform the research, and Cargill, who would buy the seaweed products. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the project needed to adapt to limitations to the on-the-ground technical support initially planned.
Kappaphycus farming has faced serious issues due to the lack of genetic diversity in the strain which has, over the last half-century, been homogenized through vegetative reproduction. Around the world, Kappaphycus farmers have reported declining growth rates, lower yields of carrageenan — the product sold to markets — and increased susceptibility to disease incursion and changing ocean temperatures. These issues are significant in Madagascar for seaweed farming communities who rely heavily on seaweed to sustain their livelihoods.
Madagascar is one of the world’s most poverty-stricken countries, where meeting the UN Sustainable Development indicators is a major challenge. The seaweed industry in the country is still in its early stages of development, significantly trailing those in the Asia Pacific in terms of the level of productivity and the proportion of the community who participate in the sector.
In Southwest Madagascar where the research project is being conducted, many community members rely on traditional farming to sustain their livelihoods. This has in recent years also faced significant challenges: declining fish stocks, demographic pressures, and inland-to-coastal migratory patterns driven by multiple factors including deforestation, poverty, climate change, and overpopulation.
Unlike traditional fishing, aquaculture is a regenerative practice — meaning not only can it provide economic and food security for farmers but it also actively benefits the ecosystem, providing coastal waters with more nutrients, promoting the increase in fish populations, and improving the ability of the seabed to sequester carbon that contributes to climate change. But transitioning traditional fishermen into seaweed farmers not only requires significant investment, education, and capacity building, but a well-performing strain of seaweed that is uniquely suited to the local environment.
These benefits are in particular alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 1 “No Poverty”, 2 “Zero Hunger”, 8 “Decent Work and Economic Growth”, 13 “Climate Action, and 14 “Life Below Water”.
Restorative aquaculture also encourages farmers to be more conscientious of environmental issues in general, and the interdependent nature of the ecosystem. The project has involved education about the dangers of destructive fishing that damages coral reefs and seagrass areas.
In this remote site in Southwest Madagascar, education stands to significantly increase the long term prosperity of the local community. As a result of the GlobalSeaweedSTAR program, Ocean Farmers has been able to build a strong network with experts all over the world in the seaweed sector, which has in turn increased the levels of expertise in Madagascar.
Future plans involve collaborating with the government to facilitate training on biosecurity issues to prevent the importation of homogenous foreign genetic species that have contributed to the current issues characterizing Kappaphycus farming, as well as the development of a legal framework that would protect local strains.
The project is supported by Madagascar’s Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture. The government has approved a 10 year National Aquaculture Development Stratefy and a 5 year Development plan for seaweed farming. Ocean Farmers was able to push for the inclusion of hatcheries and seed banks in In the 5 year development plan, so that Madagascar could be well positioned to produce its own seeds and cultivars — steps that would significantly boost the productivity and sustainability of the local seaweed industry.
Harnessing Kappaphycus’s naturally occurring bacteria to promote disease resistance
As in other parts of Southeast Asia, low crop yields and disease incursion are significant issues that have been plaguing Kappaphycus farmers in Sabah, Malaysia. Dr. Nur Athirah Yusof is a microbiologist at the University of Malaysia’s Biotechnology Research Institute, who transitioned into the field of seaweed and aquaculture less than a year ago when she became aware of these issues affecting the local seaweed industry, and learned of the importance of safeguarding it for the future.
As a microbiologist, Dr. Yusof saw an opportunity to investigate how the issue of disease vulnerability might be solved without introducing unwanted chemicals into the environment, but by instead looking at ways in which naturally occurring bacteria within the seaweed microbiome could be used to increase its resilience. Endophyte bacteria live inside plants over the course of their life cycle, with no detrimental impacts. Rather, they are symbiotic with the plant and promote resistance to foreign pathogens.
Dr. Yusof found that there was a gap in existing seaweed research, as no studies had been conducted to determine if there were endophyte bacteria in Kappaphycus seaweed species that could potentially enhance the plant’s resistance to ice ice disease, one of the most common causes of crop failure in the region.
The main objective of her research was to isolate the bacteria residing within the Kappaphycus plant and characterize whether or not it could promote resistance to disease and allow the plant to thrive amidst other changing conditions such as warming ocean temperatures. Following this, a remedy would be formulated which would be fit to be used in commercial farms to protect and cure harvests facing contamination.
Out of the hundreds of bacteria that were isolated in the first stage of the research, five of them proved their resistance capabilities. After isolating and combining the bacteria, the formula was tested in a hundred liter tank, which proved successful in treating affected Kappaphycus. The first two objectives were therefore completely successful.
The final stage is testing the formula in the field. However, prior to this being feasible, genome sequencing needs to be conducted to determine that the endophyte bacteria used, and the levels of it contained in the formula, are safe for human consumption and for the surrounding ecosystem. Though the bacteria is naturally occuring, the concentration that remains as a factor that needs to be analyzed.
Due to the success already demonstrated by initial phases of the research, the University of Sabah has decided to invest significant funds into carrying on the research to the next stage. Dr. Yusof has secured a grant that will allow her to conduct the necessary analysis and carry on further testing into the field.
The final outcome of the research will be a commercially available product in pellet form, which will be distributed to local farmers along with guidance and training on how to use the product safely and effectively. Though the commercial development of a disease-fighting formula may take some time, the research conducted by Dr. Yusof has shown exciting promise, and has had the added benefit of reinvigorating interest in seaweed farming and its importance within the academic field in Sabah.
Field Testing of Novel Kappaphycus Haplotypes in the Philippines
Dr. Irene Rodriguez, Associate Professor at the Marine Science Institute and Dr. Michael Roleda of the University of the Philippines, utilizing the results of previous research, embarked on a joint project that aimed to further advance their long-term objective of restoring seaweed farming productivity and sustainability in the Philippines.
The previous work, conducted by Dr. Roleda examined the genetic diversity of wild Kappaphycus species in the Philippines and successfully identified several wild haplotypes that showed promise for cultivation purposes. Existing farmed Kappaphycus cultivar in the Philippines, as in many other localities, have been suffering increased susceptibility to climate change and disease incursion, lower growth rates, and lower carrageenan yields in recent years due to the genetic homogenization that has occurred through decades of repeated vegative propagation of one seaweed species.
Securing good quality seedlings is the most expensive component of seaweed farming for small-scale seaweed farmers, and declining productivity of the seedstock threatens the economic viability of farms and therefore the seaweed farming industry.
About thirty different haplotypes were discovered in the wild and were cultured in a hatchery, where they were grown in a semi natural condition utilizing natural sunlight in an enclosed aquarium. Here, the researchers examined the growth rate of the cultivars, carrageenan yield and quality, as well as the chemical makeup of different haplotypes; determining levels of protein, carbohydrate, tissue, nitrogen, and phosphorus content. They discovered one particular haplotype which scored well in all categories and shows promise for commercial cultivation.
The researchers collaborated with the non profit organization Coast 4 Sea, who work with seaweed farmer organizations on capacity building and run a community organizing arm in Bohol in the Philippines. After haplotypes were cultured in the hatchery, Coast 4 Sea assisted Dr. Roleda and Dr. Rodriguez with the distribution of the best-performing sample cultivar to farmers so that they could be tested in the field to further assess their productivity and viability.
One of the other objectives of the project was to engage in capacity building with seaweed farmers to the extent that they could be considered ‘seaweed farmer-scientists’ who would be able to undertake systematic monitoring and analysis and management of nurseries. This element was successful, although there were several unexpected setbacks that indicated the need for more robust safeguards for farmers’ livelihoods and support mechanisms for emergencies.
Unfortunately during the time of research there were some significant typhoons in the area, most notably Typhoon Odette. This typhoon left many farms destroyed, and farmers were unable to source seedlings at the scale required to replace their livelihoods. Because of the destruction left behind, the field results were limited to growth rate and excluded carrageenan analysis.
The disaster made it clear to researchers that more government support is required, so that communities can be better equipped and more resilient in the case of disasters such as typhoons, which scientists predict will become more regular with the onset of climate change impacts. With increased funding and support for the creation of hatcheries and nurseries around the country, farmers faced with such circumstances, would be able to receive support in the form of replacement seeds from elsewhere in the country.
While the research was successful, further research is required to test cultivars in the field and develop a strain that is disease and climate change resistant and high growth rate and carrageenan rate and capacitating farmers to optimize what is currently available while developing a productive, sustainable strain to take its place in the future.