A key element in food security is creating
employment, particularly in rural areas. But social and environmental
considerations must form a key part of investments, or the longer term impacts
can leave rural communities worse off, and while supplying food to global
markets deprive local communities of food.
A growing number of investments in developing countries in
intensive shrimp farming are justified on the grounds of promoting jobs, but
prompted by the severe crisis in the global fisheries brought about
over-exploitation of the world's oceans.
One Rs.3 billion (US$83 million) semi-intensive aquaculture
project on the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh in India, funded partly by the
World Bank, was intended to generate two million jobs to rural people(1). To
maintain dense stocking rates, artificial feed, chemical additives and
antibiotics are used. Pesticides are used intensively, including many hazardous
active ingredients such as malathion, parathion, methamidophos, paraquat and
endosulfan.
Intensive shrimp farming frequently has many negative impacts
on delicate ecosystems, and on the long-term livelihood of the local population.
A recent Christian Aid report(2), for example, draws attention to deforestation,
salination of ground water, displacement of local people and pollution among
other consequences.