January 26, 2024 - A recent study, carried out on behalf of Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) by independent research firm MacAlister Elliott and Partners Ltd (MEP), has identified that ASC certification can deliver socio-economic and environmental benefits for Vietnamese shrimp farms and their workforce.
The study identified that ASC certification offers tangible economic benefits, including increased prices and improved profitability, as well as fostering positive environmental practices and enhancing working conditions.
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The study, completed in November 2023, focused on intensive farming of whiteleg shrimp. Thirty shrimp farmers and community members were interviewed in July and August 2023 at individual farm sites within the communities of Hoa Dong, Hoa Tu 2 and Vinh Phuo.
What was the goal of conducting a third-party study on the environmental and socio-economic impacts of ASC certification?
ASC want to understand the real impacts that ASC certification has on those engaged in their programme and provide stakeholders with more complete information on those impacts. They rely on this information to demonstrate their impact, measure progress towards their mission and inform further development of our certification system and other services.
In this case, ASC recognised that the benefits of an independent study would provide stakeholders, as well as themselves, with an objective assessment of the impacts and effectiveness of their certification system. This is in alignment with ASC's commitment to transparency and a requirement under ISEAL's Code of Good Practice.
Who supported ASC with this study and what approach has been taken?
ASC commissioned the study and from 13 proposals with varying approaches and scopes, they selected MacAlister, Elliott and Partners (MEP).
The case study looked at the potential socio-economic and environmental benefits realised by ASC certified shrimp producers in Vietnam. The study categorised three clusters of farming operations to represent ASC certified farms, non-certified farms and farms certified under the VietGap (Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices) programme; this third group represents partial certification. MEP reviewed ASC data, and field staff conducted interviews and focus group discussions with representative shrimp farmers and communities to collect data on farm performance and assess benefits and perceptions of certification.
The study took about nine months to complete, and given the small scope, ASC acknowledge this as a case study that has helped them identify strengths, weaknesses and methodological opportunities to apply to future studies.
What are the main benefits of the ASC certification?
The case study identified that ASC certification can deliver many advantages for Vietnamese shrimp farms and their workforce. The scheme may offer tangible economic benefits, including increased prices and improved profitability, as well as fostering positive environmental practices and enhancing working conditions.
Community-level impacts are less clear and difficult to quantify without long-term and repeated data collection activities to assess whether impacts are being realised and/or felt outside of the farm. However, ASC certified farms were found to have demonstrable benefits and positive perceptions of certification in the communities though these farms also tend to have larger operations.
Return on investment
The study identified that although ASC certified farms faced higher costs in electricity, production, and feed, farmers were able to secure better prices per tonne at the farmgate level (up to 76.4 percent higher), resulting in a more robust net income. This demonstrates the ASC scheme's potential to enhance the profitability of farms and offset increased operational costs.
Interviews also revealed that ASC certified farms had to meet more stringent requirements in relation to antibiotic usage and wastewater treatment, and this could result in higher quality product that could attain a higher selling price for their shrimp.
ASC certified farms, which tend to be larger operations, were also found to have better scalability and greater environmental responsibility due to the strict operational requirements of ASC standards.
Dedicated markets for ASC certified farmers
in terms of sales, ASC carried farms were found to sell directly to processing companies, enabling them to expand their markets globally (Europe, America, Middle East). Farmers interviewed believe that the direct relationship between ASC certified farms and the buyer improves profitability.
Stricter farm management and environmental stewardship
Requirements for monitoring environmental impact and adopting management practices embedded in the ASC Shrimp Standard, such as for water quality, provided for stronger environmental stewardship on ASC certified farms. However, it is not clear whether the surrounding community can also benefit from this. The VietGap programme, in contrast to ASC, is tailored specifically to the Vietnamese shrimp industry and therefore is more widely recognised and likely provides environmental benefits at scale.
Improved working conditions
Surveys found a perceived improvement in working conditions at ASC certified farms, suggesting a direct benefit to workers because of certification. ASC certification comes wit a cost to implement many of the requirements - such as those related to the working environment - and it has been shown that employees benefit from these changes, such as employment opportunities, farmer networks and enhanced worker health and safety.
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The Aquaculturists
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