Desmond Chow Zhan Hong is a Singaporean business strategist, entrepreneur, lecturer, and government advisor with over a decade of experience in ASEAN market entry, business strategy, stakeholder management, sustainability, and government consulting. He is the Founder of Singapore Crawfish Pte Ltd and Executive Chairman of D’Cadre Pte Ltd, with extensive experience in sustainable food production, food security, international business development, and cross-border projects. He has served as an adjunct lecturer at several international universities and has advised and mentored startups across various industries. Desmond holds an MSc in Marketing from the University of Manchester and a BSc in Marketing from University College Dublin. His expertise spans business strategy, market expansion, food security, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and strategic leadership.

Crawfish & Aquaculture Sustainability: A New Frontier in Food Security and Farm Resilience                                                                                                                                                                     Aquaculture stands at the intersection of food security, climate resilience, and rural economic transformation and crawfish is quietly emerging as one of its most powerful catalysts. This presentation explores how crawfish cultivation has delivered a transformative impact on smallholder rice farmers across Southeast Asia, generating income increases of up to 400% through integrated rice-crawfish farming systems. By converting underutilized paddy fields into high-yield, multi-income ecosystems, crawfish offers farmers a sustainable pathway out of subsistence agriculture without displacing existing crop cycles or requiring significant capital outlay. Beyond economics, crawfish presents a compelling climate adaptation story. As one of the most resource-efficient protein sources available requiring minimal land conversion, thriving in existing water bodies, and supporting circular nutrient cycles, crawfish cultivation actively reduces a farm's environmental footprint while simultaneously increasing its productivity. For farmers on the frontlines of climate disruption, this means a high-value crop that works with nature, not against it. Central to this discussion is the role of technology in scaling sustainable aquaculture. Singapore Crawfish has pioneered proprietary patented hatchery technologies including its own Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) and AI-driven water monitoring technologies that dramatically improve survival rates, reduce resource waste, and enable consistent, traceable yields, setting a new benchmark for what responsible aquaculture can look like in the 21st century. This session will equip policymakers, agrifood investors, and farming communities with a clear, evidence-based case for crawfish as a cornerstone crop in the global food security agenda