This blog post was co-authored by Samuel Ajadi and Bilal Qureshi.

Aquaculture is expected to provide close to two-thirds of global food fish consumption by 2030, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). With annual aquaculture production of more than five million tonnes, Indonesia has the third largest aquaculture output globally, behind only China and India. While this output is significant, Indonesia’s aquaculture sector has yet to reach its full potential. Over 80 per cent of the country’s 3.34 million aquaculture fishers and fish farmers still use manual methods. For instance, fish feeding, which accounts for up to 60 to 90 per cent of total production costs in commercial aquaculture, is primarily done using hand-feeding methods. These methods often result in underfeeding or overfeeding, leading to malnourishment, feed wastage and negative environmental impact.

To solve these challenges, eFishery has launched an Internet of Things (IoT) mobile-based solution that boosts the efficiency and productivity of fish and shrimp farmers. The solution, Smart Feeder, uses sensors to detect the appetite of fish and shrimp and automatically feeds them the optimal amount. The sensors collect and send data (such as feed volumes, feed consumption and transactional data) to the cloud where the data is aggregated, stored and analysed. Farmers can then access and track these actionable data and insights. Also, eFishery’s technology allows farmers to manage their ponds remotely via their phones.

As of October 2018, over 1,300 fish and shrimp farmers in the country have used eFishery’s solution, and the start-up has installed its devices in more than 3,000 fish and shrimp ponds across Indonesia. On average, fish farmers using the eFishery solution have increased profits by over 20 per cent.
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The Ecosystem Accelerator programme is supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Australian Government, the GSMA and its members.