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Enhancing the contribution of small-scale aquaculture to food security, poverty alleviation and socio-economic development

FAO Expert Workshop 21-24 April 2010 Hanoi, Viet Nam










Bondad-Reantaso, M.G. and Subasinghe, R.P., eds. 2013. Enhancing the contribution of small-scale aquaculture to food security, poverty alleviation and socio-economic development. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Proceedings No. 31. Rome. FAO. 255 pp.


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    Technical and socio-economic characteristics of small-scale coastal fishing communities, and opportunities for poverty alleviation and empowerment 2016
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    The document provides an overview of the situation that small-scale fishers in developing countries face in terms of: financial and economic performance of fishery enterprises; vulnerabilities and poverty; adaptations to a changing environment including, climate variability and change; and access to technology, infrastructure, financial services and social protection schemes. It also gives due attention to the role of women and gender equality in small-scale fisheries (SSFs). The document also d iscusses SSF issues in a few selected developed countries, states and provinces in order to compare similar issues of importance in SSFs in developed and developing countries and to examine whether something can be learned from the comparison. Most of the studies reviewed show that SSFs are generally profitable. However, many of the studies also point out that this does not mean that the earnings from fishing alone are sufficient to sustain households at a level above the poverty line or above a country’s minimum wage level. Studies found that, particularly during bad fishing seasons and poor catches, households are very dependent on income from non-fishery-related activities and on government assistance.
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    Increasing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security. 2007
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    The objectives of this Technical Paper are to highlight the contribution that inland and coastal small-scale fisheries can make to poverty alleviation and food security and to make practical suggestions on ways that this contribution can be maximized. This paper is organized into three main sections. The first section discusses the concepts of poverty, vulnerability and food security, and briefly outlines how these concepts have evolved in recent years within the field of fisheries (in line with the rest of the development literature). The second section reviews the actual and potential contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security. It illustrates, through use of examples, the role that small-scale fisheries can play in economic growth at the national level and poverty alleviation and rural development at the local level. The third and main section of the document discusses ways of increasing the contribution of small-scale fisheri es to poverty alleviation and food security through nine main entry points. First, the paper revisits conventional fisheries policies and legislation and makes suggestions on how those can be made more pro-poor. Next, the paper emphasizes the importance of capacity building and highlights how cross-sectoral interventions can greatly improve the livelihoods of fish-dependent communities. The paper then proposes a series of broad pro-poor or pro-small-scale fisheries principles, before discussing in greater detail three of the main management instruments adopted in fisheries: (i) property right approaches; (ii) co-management; and (iii) protected areas. The next two sub-sections discuss markets and how to make them work for the poor, and the important issue of pro-poor financing systems and subsidies. The paper highlights the complexity of the issues and reflects the current debate on the ambiguous impacts of markets and trade on poverty alleviation. The last sub-sec tion examines the information, research agenda and communication strategies that are needed to complement or support other interventions and to ensure the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security.
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    Increasing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security. 2005
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    These guidelines focus on small-scale fisheries and their current and potential role in contributing to poverty alleviation and food security. They are complementary to existing Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries. Most small-scale fishers are in developing countries and many live in poor and food insecure communities. The guidelines explore ways through which the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security could be enhanced. A vision for t he future of small-scale fisheries is presented as a goal towards which the subsector should develop. Ensuring greater participation by small-scale fishers and their communities in the formulation of policies, the development of related legislation and regulations, and in management decision-making and implementation processes, is vital to the realization of this vision. The central role of effective fisheries management, the importance of considering cross-sectoral uses of fisheries and related resources, the special role of women in fish marketing, processing and value addition, the significant scope for trade, the critical role that adequate financing can have in enabling transitions for effective fisheries management and the role of knowledge in making informed decisions are all discussed in these guidelines.

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