Systemic Integrative View of Aquaculture‐Environment‐Food Security Nexus: Fostering Literacy Through Strategic Capacity Building

This chapter presents the interconnections between the United Nations International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture and different International Decades related to aquaculture, and how these interconnections address challenges to achieve a sustainable aquaculture. Based on this background, a pathway to design and implement capacity building in aquaculture as public policy is analyzed based on a Brazilian case study project. The project was designed to be implemented as a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called “Multiplicadores aquícolas” (aquaculture multipliers), totaling 160 hours. The MOOC's main objective was to strengthen aquaculture practitioners and make policymakers promote and encourage aquaculture in the country by understanding the aquaculture regulations and licensing. The educational directives proposed to offer a systemic integrative view of aquaculture-environment-food security nexus. Although the initial agreement was around an integrative and sustainable view, its implementation was full of conflicts, due to the divergences between the economic, governmental, and conservation sectors.