Page 26 - AA 2023 Year Book Website

Egypt

EXPLORING NEW POSSIBILITIES WITH ARTIFICIAL

INTELLIGENCE-POWERED AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS IN EGYPT

aimed at equipping Egyptian aquacultur- world of possibilities for the fish farming
ists with various technical, innovative and sector. For instance, fish additives can be
practical skills. used with these technologies to improve
The investment is consistent with our the quality and taste of fish products,” said
long-standing partnership with the United Doaa Fawzi, human resource and training
States Soybean Export Council (USSEC) manager for WorldFish in Egypt.
and the United Soybean Board (USB). So
far, SEC delivered a series of 37 virtual
and 16 in-person trainings. These train-
ings were delivered to academicians,
• Cutting-edge nanotechnology as well small-scale fishers, fresh graduates, youth
as information and communications tech- entrepreneurs, founders of start-ups and
nology (ICT) can be utilized to increase private farms owners by 72 national and
the efficiency of fish farming production international experts.
in Egypt.
• The Soybean Excellence Centre (SEC)
hosted within WorldFish’s Abbassa facil- In a fast-paced environment such as
ity is catalyzing Egyptian aquaculturists Egypt’s blue economy, USSEC and World-
to adopt a set of transformative artificial Fish have expanded their presence to stay
intelligence (AI) practices.
up with the advancements in nanotechnol-
• AI-powered aquaculture systems have ogy, ICT and aquaculture systems. In Janu-
the potential to minimize environmental ary 2023, a three-day in-person workshop
impacts in terms of waste reduction, feed on feed additives and the application of
utilization and water quality control. nanotechnology in feed production was
“SEC has delivered a total of 53 aquacul-
Egypt is an ancient civilization with ture training programs since 2019. Those delivered to more than 50 participants
a long history of aquaculture. In recent trainings have been tailored-conceptual- in response to major developments and
years, the country has seen an increase in ized to basically touch on the most critical trends in fish feeding.
the adoption of aquaculture systems pow- themes and challenges in aquaculture and The workshop was inaugurated with
ered by artificial intelligence (AI). These fisheries like the use of technology in fish remarks from high-level representatives
systems are revolutionizing fish farming cages, additives, feed formulation, among of USSEC’s board, the Illinois Soybean As-
in Egypt by combining cutting-edge nan- others,” said Mousa Wakileh, SEC center sociation and WorldFish. The long-term
otechnology and information and com- lead and USSEC regional consultant for cooperation as well as potential partner-
munications technology (ICT) to develop the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) ships between different stakeholders –
more efficient and sustainable production region. now and in the future – were recognized in
techniques. Collaborating to train aquacultur- the opening remarks.
Furthermore, these systems enable ists and start-ups Adopting artificial intelligence in
farmers to experiment with novel fish ad- aquatic ecosystems
ditives, such as enhanced nutrition and Egypt ranks ninth in the world in fish
disease prevention. Egyptian aquaculture farming production and top among Afri- Moving away from traditional fish addi-
has seen significant growth in production can countries. The rapid expansion of the tives systems in aquaculture and fisheries
in recent decades. Aquaculture accounts industry in order to meet the needs of lo- towards AI-powered systems can improve
for more than 80 percent of total fisheries cal and regional markets has resulted in the nutritional content and shelf life of
production. more innovative practices in various pro- fresh and processed fish products. It can
Mainstreaming information and duction systems such as semi-intensive,
intensive culture in ponds, tanks, intensive
communication technology in production in cages and traditional exten-
aquaculture sive production systems.

In this regard, the Soybean Excellence “By investing in human skills, Egypt
Center (SEC) hosted within WorldFish’s can ensure that its fish farming industry
Abbassa facility has been investing in stays competitive on an international level
AI-powered aquaculture systems since while simultaneously helping to safe-
last year. This major investment has been guard its environment. The combination of
a result of a number of training sessions nanotechnology and ICT has opened up a

24 Arab Agriculture 2023