Full title: Advancing food systems through sustainable seaweed aquaculture for climate resilience and health benefits
Project lead: Xinxin Wang, Akvaplan-niva
Partners: Akvaplan-niva (lead), NIVA, Nofima, Norway Naturals, Norwegian Seaweed Association, Lerøy Seafood/Ocean Forest
Funding: The Research Council of Norway (Project no. 353009)
Primary objective: Seaweed aquaculture offers a sustainable solution, requiring no freshwater, land, or fertilizer. However, in Norway, it constitutes less than 0.1% of total aquaculture production, highlighting its untapped potential. Sea4Health's objective is to evaluate the potential of seaweed as a healthy food source while addressing its impact and contributions to environmental sustainability, climate mitigation in Norway
Secondary objectives:
•To assess the impact of seaweed aquaculture on marine biodiversity & its potential for climate change mitigation
•To develop adaptation strategies for seaweed cultivation
•To enhance the availability of nutritional values in seaweed products, while ensuring the safety levels of potential toxic elements
•To mitigate the communication gap between industrial buyers & sellers and to reveal effective marketing strategies for seaweed •To increase relevance & uptake of Sea4Health outcomes by applying a co-creation approach with relevant stakeholders to develop an early warning system and a marketing strategy
•To engage the general public in the concept of using seaweed as nutritious, ecologically & climate friendly food, ensuring FAIR communication efforts
By fostering sustainable and nutritious food production, the project aligns with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and Norway's goals for safe and sustainable ocean-based food systems.