United Soybean Board Director Mike McCranie from South Dakota feeds a U.S. soy-based aquaculture feed at a newly constructed pond in Cambodia. McCranie and other U.S. soybean growers joined WISHH’s January 2020 trade team to Cambodia. They met with current or future customers and also witnessed Cambodia’s progress in developing aquaculture market systems that use U.S. soy-based feeds.

When visionary U.S. soybean growers founded WISHH 20 years ago, they anticipated the global trend of protein playing an essential role in human nutrition. Their vision also built an important foundation for WISHH’s work today, which includes the growth of market systems for aquaculture, poultry and livestock feeds.

As U.S. soy’s catalyst in emerging markets, WISHH is working to build U.S. soy trade through the improvement of health, nutrition and food security in emerging markets. WISHH’s aquaculture feed development strategies are key in countries like Cambodia and Nigeria, where fast-growing populations are also growing the demand for protein. By 2030, Asia will represent 65% of the world’s middle-class population and emerging economies like Cambodia already depend on fish as the primary source of protein.

WISHH is leveraging farmer investments in Cambodian aquaculture by implementing a USDA Food for Progress project designed to develop a lasting aquaculture industry in Cambodia. In January, WISHH also led a trade team of U.S. soybean growers to Cambodia as well as Myanmar, where they met with current and potential customers of U.S. soy protein. The trade team reinforced that U.S. soy delivers quality protein to emerging markets whether their need is feeding their fish, chickens or pigs—or they’re seeking a nutritious and affordable ingredient for human foods.