World Aquaculture Magazine - June 2021

WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • JUNE 2021 41 to solve realistic problems for the sector to develop, following the Triple Helix approach proposed by Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff (2000). The EATiP program, for example, was an initiative in Europe that brought companies and government together to identify gaps and create solutions in European aquaculture. Such an initiative is foreseen in Brazil as a good example of collaborative work among government, industry and the scientific society towards developing and implementing practical solutions and providing the way forward for sustainable growth. As such, the FAO (2021) has also advocated agricultural innovation, which is the process whereby individuals or organizations bring new or existing products, processes or ways of organization into use for the first time in a specific context to increase effectiveness, competitiveness and resilience with the goal of solving a problem. This also applies to aquaculture processes and innovations within the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Food security must guarantee a world without hunger. The great transformations of our food systems will come from howwe manage our resources. Howwe are able to manage progress and its impact on Brazilian aquaculture will depend on our ability to cope with several existing challenges. Aquaculture in Brazil must focus on creating new products, solutions and market leaders. There is a tendency for Brazilian investors and producers to be skeptical about investing in new species, culture systems and innovations available for aquaculture enterprises. Most investors prefer to stay in a secure zone with consolidated technological packages, as is the case of tilapia, which has more information and good forecasts for economic and market returns. However, there are many other opportunities to be explored by entrepreneurs and investors looking for something disruptive and who can explore an ocean of opportunity. After all, it is a continental country with climatic and environmental characteristics to develop various branches of aquaculture. The relationship tools between companies and research institutions needs to be improved to facilitate knowledge transfer, generating mutual benefits. Another aspect is the paradigm shift in the training of national scientists, inserting the theme of entrepreneurship and innovation, so that research products are not restricted to journal articles and can be converted into products and processes. The scientific-professional exchange is important so that scientist-entrepreneurs can get to know production sites, especially with high-tech viable implantation in Brazil. This includes the training of young scientists who can create their startups and spinoffs. For example, the technological incubator “Aquário de Ideias” at the Aquaculture Center at UNESP / Caunesp, an innovation and entrepreneurship hub offers training and mentoring to undergraduate and graduate students to develop their ideas and create their aqua- businesses (Fig. 8). Thus, initiatives like this make it possible to transform science into business. Another challenge for digitalization and implementation of technologies and innovative processes in aquaculture operations in Brazil is in the complexity of the regulatory system and market governance. It is often observed that investment funds allocated to aquaculture, including those earmarked for the development of innovative solutions and the modernization of production processes, are not fully used. The main bottlenecks in accessing credit are the difficulties farmers face in providing the requested documents. Besides that, the low level of knowledge of bank loan officers about aquaculture increases uncertainties in the sector. Regulatory uncertainties generate difficulties in obtaining permits and hence to legalize the activity and access credit. Environmental laws are unclear and considered to be very complex, which makes compliance much more difficult. For example, many products such as animal health medications, new food ingredients and feed additives that multinational companies sell in other countries find it difficult and time-consuming process to register these products with regulatory authorities for the Brazilian market. This is due to the need to present many certificates, protocol validations and tests, which have often been done and approved by other international regulatory agencies. This also happens with imported equipment that are subjected to national tax and fees which reflects an impractical price for their marketing. This is a challenge that new Brazilian startups like Aruanã and Sample are looking for technologies to solve. Another challenge is the cultural question of producers who not investing or not having a regular use and maintenance of equipment, annotating data on zootechnical and economic performance and environmental conditions. One of the facts that may increase the challenge of implementing Aquaculture 4.0 in Brazil is that the bulk of production comes from small farms —more than 80 percent are less than 2 ha. The question of distance and geographical size where aquaculture farms are located is another factor that makes it difficult to implement various technological solutions that require the use and access to the Internet or a GPS signal that works minimally. For example, only a farm in the central-west, north or northeast of Brazil can be 20 ha in size and 800 km from the nearest city, laboratory or specialized technical center. As demonstrated, there are major challenges for the development of Aquaculture 4.0 in Brazil. However, the country can be one of the main global protagonists to end hunger and become a place of great opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs in this sector. The challenge is to develop sustainable and innovative systems that optimize production efficiency through innovations and that produce positive or neutral changes in natural resource stocks and environmental quality. ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 4 2 ) FIGURE 8. Young scientists presenting business plans for their aquaculture startups and spin-offs at the technological incubator “Aquário de Ideias” at the Aquaculture Center at UNESP / CAUNESP (Photos: GuilhermeWolff Bueno).