The directors of AquaFarm, International Conference & Trade Show on Aquaculture, Seaweed and Fishing Industry, whose fifth edition will be held on February 16 and 17 in the Italian city of Pordenone, announced that it is proud to support the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (IYAFA 2022). The business meeting will feature a conference program, which will take place on February 18.
This was stated by Renato Pujatti, president of Pordenone Fiere, together with Pier Antonio Salvador, president of API Associazione Piscicoltori Italiani (Italian Fish Farmers Association). “We are committed to communicating the importance of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture for the sustainable development of food systems and environmental protection”, they added.
That will be precisely one of the key themes of AquaFarm, one of the most important events on the Italian Fiere calendar and an essential event for operators in the aquaculture supply chain.
This is a fast-growing event that in the last edition has reached numbers that make it one of the leading European trade shows in the sector: 122 exhibitors (35% from abroad), over 2.500 visitors from 43 countries around the world and a calendar of meetings of highest scientific value that will reach its peak in the 2022 edition with the seminar dedicated to IYAFA scheduled for February 18.
“Some of the international participants came from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Portugal, France, USA and Norway.“
There will be speeches by members of FAO, international experts in the sector and the testimony of entrepreneurs of micro and small aquaculture companies in Italy and abroad.
Precisely in order to give the widest communication and enhancement to the themes of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture, AquaFarm 2022 will present its first out-of-show ‘Aquafarm In The City’, an intense program of workshops, show-cooking, tastings, cooking classes dedicated to children, live streaming directly from the fair, among others activities.
During five days, the world of AquaFarm will involve the entire city of Pordenone to promote knowledge of aquaculture products and food education with a view to environmental sustainability, they report in a press releasse.
Fish farmers contribute to human well-being
The UN General Assembly has declared 2022 the International Year of Artisanal Fishing and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022), an opportunity to give visibility and support to a key sector in the process of reaching several of the objectives under the Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030).
The reasons of that choice highlight how small-scale artisanal fishers, fish farmers and fish workers contribute to human well-being, healthy agri-food systems and poverty eradication through the responsible and sustainable use of fisheries and aquaculture resources.
“A vision of the small-scale fisheries sector which, in the words of Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Director-General Qu Dongyu, underpins how the year is aligned with FAO’s “4 Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all – leaving no one behind.”
A recent FAO WorldFish study indicates that the small-scale sector may account for the bulk of production considering that about 80 percent of the world’s aquaculture production comes from developing countries, with the number of artisanal farmers being much higher than those employed at farm level in medium- and large-scale aquaculture.
Fair postponed
Last April, the AquaFarm organizers announced that, given the global situation resulting from the covid-19 crisis, they had decided to postpone the business meeting. to grant a safety exhibition and satisfy all participants, exhibitors and visitors. In that moment, and following the success of the Digital Preview, held on March, 25th, the physical exhibition will be anticipated by a digital preview that, alongside live streaming sessions of conferences, will offer companies the possibility of both promoting and networking on a dedicated platform.
The organization also has reported that AlgaeFarm is born, the new project by PordenoneFiere and the first Italian event dedicated to algae and microalgae. The appointment will take place simultaneously with the next edition of AquaFarm and NovelFarm, the International Conference & Tradeshow on new cultivation techniques, soilless and vertical farming.
“The third Farm was created to give centrality to a sector, that of algaeculture. Already scheduled for the 2021 edition, AlgaeFarm will bring together both, the world of professionals and of the academics specialized in this very promising sector.“
The formula is by now confirmed: in the exhibition area it will be possible to meet start-ups, companies and professionals engaged in the production, processing and application of algae and microalgae. An unmissable opportunity to create new contacts, exchange experiences and discover all the latest innovations in algoculture. Not only that, in fact, there will be many ideas that can be proposed to those looking for new business opportunities in a view to environmental sustainability.
