- 34 professionals from 16 countries across North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe participated in an advanced course held in Zaragoza
- Jointly organised by CIHEAM Zaragoza and the FAO, the programme brought together international experts to address sustainability challenges in aquatic food system
CIHEAM Zaragoza in collaboration with the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) organised the advanced course Transitioning to More Sustainable Aquatic Food Value Chains from 3 to 7 November 2025, attracting professionals from 16 countries across North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
Expert-led programme
The programme was delivered by experts from research centres (IRD, IRTA), universities (University of Cantabria, Heriot-Watt University), companies (Ingesom), administrations (SGP-MAPA Spain), and international organisations (FAO). The course welcomed 34 participants: 12 attended face-to-face from Algeria, Argentina, Egypt, Italy, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Tunisia, Türkiye, and Zambia, while 22 joined online from Algeria, Egypt, Gambia, India, Italy, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Spain, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Zambia.
The critical role of aquatic food value chains
Food systems, particularly aquatic food value chains, are drivers of economic growth and supporting progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Globalisation and the increasing complexity of markets, international concerns about natural resource sustainability, as well as ongoing market trends and consumer preferences require improved knowledge about how aquatic food value chains operate.
Aquatic food chains, derived from industrial and small-scale fisheries and aquaculture, are key aspects in global food security and livelihoods, especially in Mediterranean and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries. However, significant challenges threaten the sustainability of these value chains, including environmental concerns such as overfishing and unsustainable practices, post-harvest losses due to poor infrastructure (e.g. lack of proper cold chain facilities), illicit trade, lack of transparency, difficulties to access markets and social issues related to unequal benefit distribution.
A comprehensive approach to sustainability
Based on recent experiences, such as FAO's FISH4ACP programme, this course highlighted the role of aquatic food value chains in food security and nutrition. It adopted a comprehensive approach to understanding their components and identified pathways for transitioning to more sustainable systems that incorporate economic viability, social inclusion, and environmental responsibility. The course offered stakeholders a practical analytical framework and methodologies to analyse, design, and implement interventions aimed at enhancing sustainability across the aquatic food value chain.
Dynamic learning experience
The five-day programme combined theory and practice through case studies from aquaculture and pelagic fisheries value chains, participant presentations, and practical working group exercises on stakeholder mapping and analysis, and how to upgrade sustainable value chains. This enabled participants to better understand the sustainability challenges of aquatic food value chains and to analyse their functions through mapping.
Participants learned to evaluate market trends, requirements, and access conditions, applying stakeholder analysis and exploring enabling environments. They identified pathways to increase producers' incomes, enhance market access, add value to fish products, strengthen their economies, and contribute to healthy diets.
The programme emphasised the importance of making value chains more efficient and reduce food loss and waste by adding value to and utilising by-products. Participants learned how to minimise environmental and social impacts, and explore inclusive, circular, and equitable value chain models. They gained knowledge of governance mechanisms and learnt how to develop strategies to make aquatic food value chains more sustainable.
Impact on CIHEAM member countries
This advanced course was a significant opportunity for participants’ countries to strengthen their capacity in sustainable aquatic food systems management. The Mediterranean region faces unique challenges in balancing the economic importance of fisheries and aquaculture with environmental sustainability and social equity. By equipping professionals with advanced analytical tools, frameworks, and best practices, the course contributed to building regional expertise that can drive policy development, improve value chain governance, and foster innovation in the sector.
The knowledge gained and networks established during this training will enable participants to serve as catalysts for change in their respective countries, promoting the adoption of sustainable practices that align with both national development priorities and international commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, the cross-regional exchange of experiences between Mediterranean, African, and other participating countries enriched the learning process and facilitated the adaptation of successful models to diverse local contexts within the CIHEAM and FAO networks.
Building lasting partnerships
The collaboration between FAO and CIHEAM Zaragoza in organising this advanced course, together with the strong relationships built among participants, opened the door to future collaborations toward the development of more sustainable aquatic food value chains.