World Aquaculture Magazine - June 2021

WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • JUNE 2021 37 agile and decentralized intelligence based on different technological trends such as the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), nanotechnology, blockchain, machine learning and optimized sensors, increasingly uniting the physical, digital and biological dimensions for the production of knowledge and the innovation of products and services on a larger scale. Thus, the use of technologies to produce more sustainable food, with reuse of natural resources, at scale and accessible to the entire population that needs quality protein is a path that several countries should put on their agendas and development goals, especially those that have the potential for clean “green” production, as is the case of Brazil. Brazil is expected to be one of the main producers of aquatic foods for the world. In a recent article, Valenti et al. (2021) showed relevant information about Brazil’s potential to become a leader in the production of aquatic organisms. Such perspective is also due to Brazil’s current success and world leader in poultry and beef cattle production (USDA 2021). Brazil is a country of continental dimensions, with an area of 8,547,404 km 2 , politically and administratively divided into 27 federated units, 26 states and one Federal District. These are further divided into more than 5,500 municipalities with a population of ~220 million inhabitants. The country is grouped into five geographic regions (North, Northeast, Midwest, Southeast and South), each with its own environmental, economic and social characteristics (Valenti et al. 2021). The country has one of the largest hydrographic basins in the world, containing approximately 12 percent of all the surface fresh water on the planet and more than 4 million ha of artificial dams and water reservoirs of different sizes. In addition, the country has an extensive coastline (~8,700 km long) with several estuaries and T he United Nations 2030 sustainable development agenda and the international community have committed substantial efforts to ending world hunger. These initiatives includes aquaculture, which is highlighted as one of the most promising agricultural activities to provide quality food and use water resources in a sustainable manner, and consisting of a wide biodiversity of species with potential for farming (FAO 2019). However, has the growth of aquaculture in Brazil allowed it to be one of the main protagonists to end world hunger? How close is it to reach this objective? When considering the estimated demand from continuous population growth worldwide, by the year 2050 we will need to produce 55 percent more food (OECD 2019). This unfavorable prospect is perhaps related to scant innovation in the industry in recent years, of which only a few developments have shown promise in abating food scarcity and hunger in the coming decades. Thus, agricultural practices need drastic change because current activities and initiatives are inadequate for future challenges associated with food security (Asche and Smith 2018). Several factors have hindered advancements in the capacity of aquatic food production to meet future protein demands, including the scarcity of natural resources, climate change, feed wastes and the pollution of aquatic ecosystems. These challenges will require a concerted effort by governments and investors and the development and implementation of innovative agricultural technologies. It can be done, but we must disrupt conventional knowledge and the continued acceptance of traditional production systems. According to the OECD (2019), we are currently living in a period known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0. This period of economic development began in the early 21st century and is characterized by the rigid and centralized systems that controlled industries that gradually gave way to an Challenges to Advance Aquaculture 4.0 in Brazil Guilherme Wolff Bueno, Tavani R. Camargo, Fernanda G. Sampaio, Levi P. Machado and Rodrigo Roubach FIGURE 1. a) Tilapia production in cages in a hydroelectric reservoir in southeastern Brazil. b) Production system of marine shrimp in ponds and integrated use of the area with wind energy in northeastern Brazil. c) Fish farm with ponds for tilapia and pacu production in the south of Brazil (Photos: Guilherme Wolff Bueno). ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 3 8 ) The use of technologies to produce more sustainable food, with reuse of natural resources, at scale and accessible to the entire population that needs quality protein is a path that several countries should put on their agendas and development goals, especially those that have the potential for clean “green” production, as is the case of Brazil.