A review of challenges affecting feed availability and use in Ghana’s aquaculture sector

It is important to study feeding practices and factors accounting for the high cost of feed among aquaculture practitioners to come up with policy interventions to improve the output of fish farmers. This literature review aims to analyze and assess the factors that contribute to the high cost of feeding in the aquaculture industry in Ghana and suggest a possible alternative way of getting quality and nutritional feed. Specifically, we reviewed selected published articles and reports that focus on the local feeding practices among aquaculture practitioners in Ghana and critically examined the factors accounting for the high cost of feeding in fish farming. The selected articles were read and reviewed extensively to fully immerse ourselves in the findings to obtain a sense of the whole. We then highlighted key findings from the articles that seem to answer our study objectives. Our review suggests that the type of fish feed being used is determined by the cost of feed, its accessibility, and availability as the sector still heavily relies on these prime ingredients in specific formulations for a range of aquatic feeds for the fish. Additionally, feed formulation acts as an important coping strategy in the context of small-scale farmers with limited financial resources in areas where commercial feeds are not available or accessible. Experimental studies are highly recommended and will be crucial to identifying the best and most cost-effective combination of locally available raw materials and optimal combinations of own-formulated feeds and commercial feeds which will minimize the high cost of the feeding challenges.

Keywords: Ghana, Aquaculture, feed availability, food security, and sustainability.