An overview of the Brazilian frog farming

Abstract World population growth demands an accelerated increase in food production especially that of animal origin. One of the main global challenges is to couple such a production with environmental health. The production of aquatic animals, i.e., aquaculture, tends to be less harmful to the environment due to the reduction of crop yield requirements and the decrease in land areas for cultivation and grazing. In addition, it is associated with a wide range of cultivated species and production systems, which is related to the resilience of the global food system. The bullfrog, Aquarana catesbeiana (Shaw, 1802), production, known as frog farming or ranaculture, could represent an economically competitive and environmentally conscious production opportunity. Brazil is a pioneer and one of the world's largest bullfrog producers. However, up to this date there is no data compilation about its current and past production. Here, we present current data on bullfrog production, national and international trade, and relevant environmental issues related to frog farming in this country. We compiled information about Brazilian bullfrog farms from February 2019 to January 2020, and obtained information on production and trade directly from the producers. We described the frog farming workflow and classified the farms by the processes they accomplish. We mapped 151 bullfrog farms distributed mostly in southeastern Brazil. In 2019 we estimated a production of about 400 tons (gross weight), which generated roughly 200 net tons of bullfrog meat, moving about 1.9 million USD. In addition, we mapped the local, interstate, and international bullfrog production commercial routes. Brazilian frog farming has great expansion potential; nevertheless, improvements are required, both in the consumer market, as well as in the production and overall frog farming workflow. We highlight the main aspects that need improvement to expand and generate visibility for frog farming in Brazil, from an economic and environmental feasible perspective.