Thumbnail Image

Enhancing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and sustainable livelihoods

An overview of the FAO Umbrella Programme for the promotion and application of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication












Also available in:

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Evaluation report
    Evaluation of the project “Enhancing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and sustainable livelihoods through better policies, strategies and initiatives"
    Project code: GCP/GLO/645/NOR
    2020
    Also available in:
    No results found.

    Small-scale fisheries (SSF) play an important role in food security and poverty reduction. However, this role is not always recognized and many SSF communities remain marginalized, both with regard to resource management and from a broader social and economic perspective. The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) are the first international instrument dedicated entirely to the immensely important small-scale fisheries sector. The project “Enhancing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and sustainable livelihoods through better policies, strategies and initiatives” is part of the FAO Umbrella Programme for the promotion and application of the SSF Guidelines. The evaluation of this project provides important lessons and recommendations that will inform the formulation and implementation of related on-going projects under the Umbrella Programme, for enhanced promotion and application of the SSF Guidelines. The evaluation found that the project has succeeded in firmly anchoring SSF considerations in the global fisheries policy and research agendas, and in increasing momentum in regional and national awareness of, and commitment to, the SSF Guidelines. The project has allowed a process of consolidation of the trajectory of change initiated with the adoption of the SSF Guidelines, but more time is needed for benefits to trickle to lower levels of governance and to SSF communities themselves.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Project
    Factsheet
    Enhancing Food Security and Livelihoods for Small-Scale Farmers in Lebanon - GCP/LEB/045/SWI-F 2025
    Also available in:
    No results found.

    Lebanon is currently facing a critical food security crisis. Its food system, meanwhile, faces multiple challenges, including fragmented land, reliance on imported agricultural inputs, inefficient water use and outdated infrastructure. These issues are exacerbated by an ongoing water crisis, as well as public health concerns such as cholera and hepatitis outbreaks. Given the region’s heavy dependence on agriculture, these factors significantly heighten its vulnerability. Over 1.05 million individuals – including Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian refugees – experiencing acute food insecurity, placing them in Phase 3 of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). This number is expected to rise to 1.65 million by March 2025.In this context, the Government of Switzerland has provided funds for FAO to develop a project document, which focuses on addressing a range of challenges affecting food security in Lebanon. The project formulated aims to tackle the country’s urgent food security challenges by promoting integrated water resource management, enhancing agricultural practices and strengthening the livelihoods of vulnerable small-scale farmers and workers.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    Technical book
    The contribution of small-scale fisheries to healthy food systems and sustainable livelihoods in the Southern African Development Community 2024
    Also available in:

    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).SADC comprises 16 Member States that lie in southern sub-Saharan Africa. The region is rich in aquatic resources, with vast inland waterbodies and marine waters. The fisheries sector generates immense social, economic and nutritional value, which acts as a lifeline for millions of people within the region. In 2021, over 3.1 million tonnes of fish were harvested from freshwater and marine capture fisheries in the SADC region. Capture fisheries are dominated by small-scale fisheries, with many countries having almost exclusively small-scale fisheries relative to large-scale ones. More than 22.7 million women and men depend on small-scale fisheries for their livelihoods and subsistence.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. 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.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Thumbnail Image
    Booklet
    High-profile
    FAO Strategy on Climate Change 2022–2031 2022
    The FAO Strategy on Climate Change 2022–2031 was endorsed by FAO Council in June 2022. This new strategy replaces the previous strategy from 2017 to better FAO's climate action with the Strategic Framework 2022-2031, and other FAO strategies that have been developed since then. The Strategy was elaborated following an inclusive process of consultation with FAO Members, FAO staff from headquarters and decentralized offices, as well as external partners. It articulates FAO's vision for agrifood systems by 2050, around three main pillars of action: at global and regional level, at country level, and at local level. The Strategy also encourages key guiding principles for action, such as science and innovation, inclusiveness, partnerships, and access to finance.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Flagship
    The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020
    Transforming food systems for affordable healthy diets
    2020
    Updates for many countries have made it possible to estimate hunger in the world with greater accuracy this year. In particular, newly accessible data enabled the revision of the entire series of undernourishment estimates for China back to 2000, resulting in a substantial downward shift of the series of the number of undernourished in the world. Nevertheless, the revision confirms the trend reported in past editions: the number of people affected by hunger globally has been slowly on the rise since 2014. The report also shows that the burden of malnutrition in all its forms continues to be a challenge. There has been some progress for child stunting, low birthweight and exclusive breastfeeding, but at a pace that is still too slow. Childhood overweight is not improving and adult obesity is on the rise in all regions.The report complements the usual assessment of food security and nutrition with projections of what the world may look like in 2030, if trends of the last decade continue. Projections show that the world is not on track to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030 and, despite some progress, most indicators are also not on track to meet global nutrition targets. The food security and nutritional status of the most vulnerable population groups is likely to deteriorate further due to the health and socio economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.The report puts a spotlight on diet quality as a critical link between food security and nutrition. Meeting SDG 2 targets will only be possible if people have enough food to eat and if what they are eating is nutritious and affordable. The report also introduces new analysis of the cost and affordability of healthy diets around the world, by region and in different development contexts. It presents valuations of the health and climate-change costs associated with current food consumption patterns, as well as the potential cost savings if food consumption patterns were to shift towards healthy diets that include sustainability considerations. The report then concludes with a discussion of the policies and strategies to transform food systems to ensure affordable healthy diets, as part of the required efforts to end both hunger and all forms of malnutrition.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Flagship
    The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021
    Transforming food systems for food security, improved nutrition and affordable healthy diets for all
    2021
    In recent years, several major drivers have put the world off track to ending world hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. The challenges have grown with the COVID-19 pandemic and related containment measures. This report presents the first global assessment of food insecurity and malnutrition for 2020 and offers some indication of what hunger might look like by 2030 in a scenario further complicated by the enduring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes new estimates of the cost and affordability of healthy diets, which provide an important link between the food security and nutrition indicators and the analysis of their trends. Altogether, the report highlights the need for a deeper reflection on how to better address the global food security and nutrition situation.To understand how hunger and malnutrition have reached these critical levels, this report draws on the analyses of the past four editions, which have produced a vast, evidence-based body of knowledge of the major drivers behind the recent changes in food security and nutrition. These drivers, which are increasing in frequency and intensity, include conflicts, climate variability and extremes, and economic slowdowns and downturns – all exacerbated by the underlying causes of poverty and very high and persistent levels of inequality. In addition, millions of people around the world suffer from food insecurity and different forms of malnutrition because they cannot afford the cost of healthy diets. From a synthesized understanding of this knowledge, updates and additional analyses are generated to create a holistic view of the combined effects of these drivers, both on each other and on food systems, and how they negatively affect food security and nutrition around the world.In turn, the evidence informs an in-depth look at how to move from silo solutions to integrated food systems solutions. In this regard, the report proposes transformative pathways that specifically address the challenges posed by the major drivers, also highlighting the types of policy and investment portfolios required to transform food systems for food security, improved nutrition, and affordable healthy diets for all. The report observes that, while the pandemic has caused major setbacks, there is much to be learned from the vulnerabilities and inequalities it has laid bare. If taken to heart, these new insights and wisdom can help get the world back on track towards the goal of ending hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition in all its forms.