RIO FISH
LOCATION
KENYA
SECTOR
AQUACULTURE
YEAR OF INVESTMENT
2024
Rio Fish is a social enterprise dedicated to providing sustainable livelihoods and enhancing food security by strengthening market systems around aquaculture in Lake Victoria. By promoting aquaculture practices, Rio Fish ensures a consistent supply of nutrient-rich fish to traders and provides stable livelihoods for fish farmers. The enterprise also plays a crucial role in connecting women fish farmers with economic opportunities, recognizing that women have been disproportionately affected by the decline in wild-caught fish supplies.
Climate change poses significant threats to global food systems, raising concerns about future food supply, security, livelihoods, and human nutrition. Additionally, women’s work in the blue economy is often informal, leaving them more vulnerable to climate shocks and job insecurity. Overfishing and climate change have led to dwindling fish stocks, placing women at greater risk, as the fish supply chain is frequently marred by unfair practices, including prevalent sexual exploitation to access fish from fishermen.
Rio Fish addresses these challenges by linking fish farmers to economic opportunities and facilitating access to fish supplies for traders, with a focus on supporting women, who constitute the majority of these traders. The enterprise promotes climate-adaptive, sustainable fish farming methods that protect the environment and improve food security. By providing a rich source of protein, Rio Fish contributes to better nutrition and resilience against climate-related threats.