Empowering women in small-scale fisheries for sustainable food systems


Book Description

In March 2020, a regional inception workshop was held in Ghana a project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) entitled Enhancing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and sustainable livelihoods through better policies, strategies and initiatives. This is the report from the workshop. The project promotes the application of the principles of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (the SSF Guidelines) in FAO member countries and regions. The project end date was originally in December 2019 but was extended for another year into 2020 to focus on the issue of empowering women in fisheries for sustainable food systems. Accordingly, the project will support women in small-scale fisheries, particularly in the postharvest sector, with a view to improving food security and nutrition and promoting gender equality. In 2020, related activities will begin in Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. The project will also support sharing lessons learned and good practices, and it will help to strengthen institutional structures at the regional and global levels.




STRENGTHENING SECTOR POLICIES FOR BETTER FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION RESULTS


Book Description

One hundred million people worldwide earn an income from fisheries and aquaculture and many more rely on fish for a nutritious diet. The policy agenda of the sector tends to be oriented towards commercial interests. Often, food security, nutrition and livelihoods concerns are not well factored into fisheries-related policy measures due to the overall lack of knowledge about their linkages, as well as poor coordination across the respective policy domains. This fisheries and aquaculture guidance note highlights the importance of fisheries in local and global food systems and demonstrates how related policy measures can contribute to nutrition and health, particularly for the poor. It also discusses a range of issues to be taken into account when attempting to harmonize fisheries policies with food security and nutrition concerns.




Diversifying Food and Diets


Book Description

Currently 868 million people are undernourished and 195 million children under five years of age are stunted. At the same time, over 1 billion people are overweight and obese in both the developed and developing world. Diseases previously associated with affluence, such as cancer, diabetes and cardio-vascular disease, are on the rise. Food system-based approaches to addressing these problems that could enhance food availability and diet quality through local production and agricultural biodiversity often fall outside the traditional scope of nutrition, and have been under-researched. As a consequence, there remains insufficient evidence to support well-defined, scalable agricultural biodiversity interventions that can be linked to improvements in nutrition outcomes. Agricultural biodiversity is important for food and nutritional security, as a safeguard against hunger, a source of nutrients for improved dietary diversity and quality, and strengthening local food systems and environmental sustainability. This book explores the current state of knowledge on the role of agricultural biodiversity in improving diets, nutrition and food security. Using examples and case studies from around the globe, the book explores current strategies for improving nutrition and diets and identifies key research and implementation gaps that need to be addressed to successfully promote the better use of agricultural biodiversity for rural and urban populations and societies in transition.




The contribution of small-scale fisheries to healthy food systems and sustainable livelihoods in the Southern African Development Community


Book Description

This Small-scale Fisheries Brief is tailored to provide insight into the contribution of small-scale fisheries to healthy food systems and sustainable livelihoods in the the Southern African Development Community (SADC). [Author] SADC comprises 16 Member States that lie in southern sub-Saharan Africa. [Author] The region is rich in aquatic resources, with vast inland waterbodies and marine waters. [Author] The fisheries sector generates immense social, economic and nutritional value, which acts as a lifeline for millions of people within the region. [Author] In 2021, over 3. [Author]1 million tonnes of fish were harvested from freshwater and marine capture fisheries in the SADC region. [Author] Capture fisheries are dominated by small-scale fisheries, with many countries having almost exclusively small-scale fisheries relative to large-scale ones. [Author] More than 22. [Author]7 million women and men depend on small-scale fisheries for their livelihoods and subsistence. [Author] Strengthening the commitment and implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) within national policies and plans can help safeguard and enhance small-scale fisheries’ contributions to sustainable development and food systems in the SADC region. [Author] The Illuminating Hidden Harvests initiative has generated new evidence about the value of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development globally and within the SADC; evidence that has informed this brief. [Author]




Improving our knowledge on small-scale fisheries: data needs and methodologies


Book Description

Small-scale fisheries play an important role in contributing to food security, nutrition, livelihoods and local and national economies. However, there is often limited data and information available (or not easily accessible) on their contributions, and hence small scale fisheries tend to be overlooked and marginalized in policy processes, leading to low levels of support for the sector. The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and P overty Eradication (the SSF Guidelines), adopted by the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in 2014, provide a policy framework for how to ensure sustainability for small-scale fisheries through a holistic and integrated approach. However, this transformational process needs substantial support to take place and be successful, which may be difficult to obtain in the absence of better data and information on the socio-economic contributions of small-scale fisheries. For this reason, a new study has been proposed by FAO and WorldFish to build upon the 2012 World Bank, FAO and WorldFish Center report Hidden Harvest: The Global Contribution of Capture Fisheries. The new study would deepen the knowledge and encourage data-sharing on small-scale fisheries and their socio-economic contributions, and also aim to make policy- and decision-makers aware of the sector’s importance.




The Development Dimension Fishing for Development


Book Description

This publication highlights the main conclusions of the Fishing for Development joint meeting, held in Paris in April 2014 to initiate a dialogue between the fisheries and development policy communities.




Towards the implementation of the SSF Guidelines in West and Central Africa


Book Description

Following the endorsement of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) by the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in June 2014, and in line with Paragraph 13.6 of the SSF Guidelines promoting the development of regional plans of action for their implementation, a regional consultation was held to discuss the implementation of the SSF Guidelines in West and Central Africa. The objective of the consultation was to raise awareness of the important role of the small-scale fisheries sector and how this is addressed in the African Union’s Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa (PFRS), the ECOWAS regional fisheries and aquaculture policy (under development with support from the FIRST programme), and the SSF Guidelines. It also provided an opportunity to share experiences and identify actions needed to support and promote small-scale fisheries in the CECAF region.




Handbook on the Economics and Management of Sustainable Oceans


Book Description

The trans-disciplinary thematic areas of oceans management and policy require stocktaking of the state of knowledge on ecosystem services being derived from coastal and marine areas. Recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially Goals 14 and 15 explicitly focus on this. This Handbook brings together a carefully chosen set of world-class contributions from ecology, economics, and other development science and attempts to provide policy relevant scientific information on ecosystem services from marine and coastal ecosystems, nuances of economic valuation, relevant legal and sociological response policies for effective management of marine areas for enhanced human well being. The contributors focus on the possible nexus of science-society and science-policy with the objective of informing on decision makers of the governmental agencies, business and industry and civil society in general with respect to sustainable management of Oceans.




The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024


Book Description

The 2024 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture features the Blue Transformation in action, illustrated by activities and initiatives, led by FAO in collaboration with Members, partners and key stakeholders, to integrate aquatic foods into global food security and sustainability, enhance policy advocacy, scientific research and capacity building, disseminate sustainable practices and technological innovations, and support community involvement. Part 1 of this edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture benefits from significant improvements in data collection, analytical and assessment tools and methodologies to present the most up-to-date review of world fisheries and aquaculture production and utilization. Part 2 highlights the role of FAO and its partners to catalyse the transformational changes required to support aquaculture expansion and intensification, effective management of global fisheries and upgrading of aquatic value chains. Part 3 covers the high-impact challenges and opportunities of the untapped potential of utilizing whole fish and by-products to improve food security and nutrition, expounds on the role of aquatic food systems in providing critical climate, biodiversity and environmentally sound solutions, and highlights the importance of their integration into national and multilateral processes. It also presents an outlook on future trends up to 2032 based on projections. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024 provides the most up-to-date and evidence-based information, supporting policy, scientific and technical insights on challenges, opportunities and innovations shaping the present and future of the sector, for the benefit of a wide and expanding audience of policymakers, managers, scientists, fishers, farmers, traders, civil society activists and consumers.