National AMR context
Malaysia’s aquaculture industry, particularly shrimp farming, plays an important role in national food security and export earnings. As the ninth-largest shrimp producer globally, Malaysia’s production is dominated by Penaeus vannamei, accounting for about 90% of total farmed shrimp. However, the industry faces recurring bacterial diseases such as Vibrio infections and Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND), which have caused severe economic losses and led to widespread antibiotic use. Misuse and overreliance on antimicrobials have increased the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in aquatic environments, threatening both productivity and ecosystem health.
To address this, Malaysia established the National Antimicrobial Resistance Committee (NARC) in 2016 and launched the Malaysian Action Plan on AMR (MyAP-AMR 2022–2026), guided by the One Health approach. The plan promotes responsible antimicrobial use, enhances surveillance, and supports Good Aquaculture Practices (Gap) to reduce antibiotic dependency. The Department of Fisheries (DOF) implements biosecurity standards, farm accreditation, and residue monitoring to ensure food safety and sustainability. Malaysia also collaborates with WHO, FAO, and WOAH to strengthen AMR governance. These efforts aim to minimize antimicrobial misuse, integrate gender and equity into AMR strategies, and ensure the long-term resilience of the aquaculture sector through sustainable, evidence-based disease management.
Problem
Shrimp farms in Malaysia face recurrent bacterial diseases, including AHPND, which has led to routine antibiotic use in ponds and feed. This practice drives antimicrobial resistance (AMR), contaminates effluents, and undermines food safety and market confidence. Quorum-sensing inhibition (QSI) using microalgae–bacteria systems offer a practical, non-antibiotic alternative to reduce disease pressure and antibiotic dependence.
The challenge is to ensure that the deployment of this alternative is socially responsive and equitable. Adoption can be constrained by unequal access to training and extension, affordability barriers for smallholders, and gendered roles along the value chain (men in pond operations; women in feed preparation, post-harvest, and household aquaculture) that create uneven information flow and decision power. Migrant workers may face language or documentation barriers; incentives often remain short-term and misaligned with stewardship; and feedback loops on antimicrobial use/resistance at the farm level may not reach all groups.
This project focuses on integrating gender- and equity-responsive approaches into the use of QSI systems—co-designing training, tailoring materials to different roles and literacy levels, enabling women’s participation in decisions, and strengthening inclusive monitoring of AMU/AMR outcomes so the benefits of AMR mitigation are accessible, acceptable, and sustainable for all stakeholders.
“Sustainable aquaculture begins with people. By addressing antimicrobial resistance through gender and equity inclusive innovation, this project aims to transform shrimp-farming communities, enabling healthier livelihoods and more resilient ecosystems” – Associate Professor Dr Hanina Halimatussadiah Hamsan, Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia
Project overview
Guided by Morgan et al.’s Health Systems Research Framework, this project will engage 102 informants, including farm owners, general workers, and key stakeholders such as extension officers and policymakers, from 21 shrimp farms across six Malaysian regions including three Innovet 2.0 partner sites. Using semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions, the study will explore who makes decisions on antimicrobial use, how men and women access AMR-related information, and the perceptions of different actors in the farming community (farm owners/managers and general workers) toward the new invention of QSI algae–bacteria “green-water” system.
Through thematic and intersectional analyses, the project will examine how gender, equity, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, farm scale, and employment type (local or migrant) influence antimicrobial decision-making, risk perception, and adoption of new technologies. Expected outputs include evidence-based guidelines for implementing QSI systems, practical insights into behavior change, and policy recommendations.
The project addresses AMR in shrimp farming by promoting behavioral and attitudinal change among farmers, workers, and operators. It combines scientific inventions with a gender and equity lens to ensure all participants, men and women alike, can equally engage in and benefit from sustainable aquaculture practices. Through gender-responsive data collection and analysis, the project will identify how different social roles influence AMR awareness, decision-making, and adoption of responsible practices.
Solutions include tailored training, equitable participation mechanisms, and locally adapted action plans informed by gender and equity insights. These will improve the effectiveness and acceptance of AMR-reduction strategies. The outcomes are expected to include lower antimicrobial use, enhanced food safety, and improved equity in aquaculture governance. Beyond the project, gender and equity integration is aimed to be sustained through community ownership, capacity building, and policy recommendations that embed equity into Malaysia’s aquaculture and AMR frameworks.
Intended outcomes
The project addresses AMR in shrimp farming by promoting behavioral and attitudinal change among farmers, workers, and operators. It combines scientific inventions with a gender and equity lens to ensure all participants, men and women alike, can equally engage in and benefit from sustainable aquaculture practices. Through gender-responsive data collection and analysis, the project will identify how different social roles influence AMR awareness, decision-making, and adoption of responsible practices.
Solutions include tailored training, equitable participation mechanisms, and locally adapted action plans informed by gender and equity insights. These will improve the effectiveness and acceptance of AMR-reduction strategies. The outcomes are expected to include lower antimicrobial use, enhanced food safety, and improved equity in aquaculture governance. Beyond the project, gender and equity integration is aimed to be sustained through community ownership, capacity building, and policy recommendations that embed equity into Malaysia’s aquaculture and AMR frameworks.
About the Gender and Equity Stream
Photo credit: Kelvin Zyteng, Unsplash
