Intensification is the application o f additional resources to increase shrimp farm productivity. Such resources include management, labor, land, water, feeds, postlarvae, energy, aeration, and agrochemicals, among others. Ideally, intensification results in those additional resources getting amortized over the additional production in such a way that less of each resource ends up been used by unit of shrimp produced. Typically, intensification implies higher total investment and operation costs, but lower cost of production per kg of shrimp. As intensity increases biological and business risks also increase.
The concept of sustainability i s subjective and can have different meanings under different disciplines. It normally encompasses environmental, economic, and social components with a fourth dimension of corporate governance. In this presentation I will mostly use a utilitarian definition based on the quantifying of resources used by unit of shrimp produced.
There are two main reasons to intensify s hrimp farms: (1) to make more efficient use of resources and (2) to improve enterprise profitability and competitiveness. A recent study showed that 94% of all farmed shrimp production comes from only 58% of the farming area, or conversely that only 6% comes from the remaining 42% of the area. A large portion of the global pond area is highly inefficient and hides large environmental costs.
Intensive systems can be better for the environment because they use less land; especially pristine or highly sensible land, exchange less water and contaminants, and make generally more efficient use of resources such as feeds.
Examples of intensive systems, and of areas or countries that have intensified, are presented, and reasons for resistance to intensification are shown together with possible solutions and opportunities.