Tales you should know
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2024), total fisheries and aquaculture production reached an all-time high of 223.2 million tonnes in 2022, with 185.4 million tonnes of aquatic animals' production, indicating significant growth in these sectors. However, women comprise only 24% of the total workforce in fisheries and aquaculture production.
Plastics in fisheries are largely synonymous with fishing gear, and consequently, abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), including nets, lines, etc., is the largest contributor to seabased sources of marine plastic debris. Since men are dominant in the harvest sector and use boats and gear composed of plastics, loss of gear, especially large nets, is seen to affect them economically.
The GeNA project - “Making nature-based climate solutions in Southeast Asia monitoring more gender responsive Southeast Asia: What gets measured gets done” - supported by IDRC’s AQUADAPT program, officially began in September 2023. Upon seeing the call for proposal, the ExeComm team members of Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section (GAFS) of the Asian Fisheries Society started discussing what is needed for gender mainstreaming in aquaculture.
Economic analysis of market data was conducted by the research team to understand quantitative differences in livelihood outcomes for women and men engaging in the same trading activities at the same markets. Results from economic models show that gender is a key factor influencing earnings in fish trade and that other important drivers, including processing type and selling market size and location, are also shaped by gender. The team found that while women and men participate in fish trade in near-equal numbers in Malawi, women are earning less money per unit than men and tend to trade in smaller volumes.
Traditional knowledge and belief systems can play an important role in contemporary governance systems, making valuable contributions towards sustainable fisheries; however, understanding the role that taboos play in mediating human interactions with ocean resources, especially those limiting women’s access to such resources, is necessary for advancing gender equity in small-scale fisheries.
The Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section (GAFS) of the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS) has been awarded a 46 months project titled “Making nature-based climate solutions (NbCS) in aquaculture in Southeast Asia monitoring more gender-responsive: What gets measured gets done.” GeNA or Gender-responsive NbCS in Aquaculture for short is supported by IDRC Canada’s AQUADAPT-SEAPAC grant.
A recent project in Lagos, Nigeria focused on the use of participatory action research (PAR) to change the beliefs, dispositions, and interactions between fish smokers and researchers. It demonstrated how PAR stimulated interest among fish smokers in biomass briquettes and a prototype drum smoking kiln. It also encouraged co-ownership of the research and the readiness to use contemporary technology.
Vijay Mahajan and SS Tabrez Nasar ask what can the people living in precarious locations in the Indian Sundarbans do to survive rapidly encroaching climate and ecosystem threats? The communities will need to quickly adapt to “Amphibious Living,” including by choosing “Amphibious Living Opportunities.” Abbreviated as ALO (আলো) in the local language, Bengali , this means “illumination” or “light” and also signifies “dawn”.
Physical strength, toughness, and endurance. These are some of the most common bodily attributes associated with men. These attributes play an important role in defining whether one is a fisher or not, as these masculinity expressions are generally present in fishing. Therefore, people who do not participate in harvesting (fishing) and who do not reflect these characteristics, such as women, are not usually considered part of the sector, even when according to official data, they make up half of the fisheries workforce worldwide, when pre- and post-production activities are also considered.
The 13th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum (13AFAF) was a watershed for how gender was included in Asian Fisheries Society’s triennial Forums. Gender topics were in the Plenary, as a topic session and in the Forum’s graphic elements. The gender theme has come a long way in Asian Fisheries Society and can still go much further. Three messages to take home: why and how research is practices is critical to gender; need to focus more on women’s agency rather than their victimhood and marginality; and gender relations are dynamic under changes in resources and even new technologies.
The assumption that the tuna industry is dominated by men, or that only men fish, is not only wrong, but also damaging. As women make up half of the population, it is important to know if the development of fishing industries benefits both women and men. To do that, a first step is making women visible through gender-disaggregated data to have a better picture of how women are impacted in their societies.
Getting to the Core Principles of Gender and Fisheries: The Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section of the Asian Fisheries Society (GAFS), celebrates International Women’s Day 2022 by releasing its Core Principles statement. The GAFS Core Principles are based on the formal Objectives in our By Laws, and our own and others’ experiences working in gender equality. The Principles have been drafted, discussed and put through open consultation among GAFS members and other interested experts.
Read the latest E-Newsletter of the Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section (GAFS) of the Asian Fisheries Society, our second COVID-19 era edition. The E-Newsletter Editor, Surendran Rajaratnam pointed out, “COVID-19 continues to disrupt our lives and livelihoods, we have learned to endure and continue to live with the disease and the uncertainties it brings. Although the pandemic has exposed political, health, economic and social vulnerabilities of many countries, the show of resilience and global cooperation to weather the virus is applaudable.”
Local Sama-Bajau do not passively accept the conservation regulations imposed upon their communities. Instead, they continue to access marine and coastal resources for their culture and livelihoods in ways that they consider to be morally fair. Despite much ‘women’s work’ being made illegal by the protected area, and social stigmatization, the women are important providers and contributors to household livelihoods.
This webinar – “Women Work in Fisheries, Too!” – on gender and labor in fisheries will be conducted to increase awareness and recommend cooperative actions that are necessary in having a gender and social inclusive approach to address labor issues in the fisheries sector.
Dried fish is considered a ‘hidden’ sub-sector within small-scale fisheries, and is particularly important in Asia and Africa. Women make up a significant portion of the workforce in this sub-sector. A new framework may reveal a thick description of gender relations.
Vietnam has seen its economy undergo many drastic changes during the past 40 years, going from a centrally planned economy to a market-driven one. Since the transition to a market-driven economy, many studies on the economics of commodities have been conducted but this story reports on the first study of women in the purchasing node of tuna.
Seaweed farming is an important livelihood source for tens of thousands of families in the Southeast Asia. Using a gendered analysis in the Philippines, this story reveals essential gender aspects of production and risk mitigation strategies.
The recently completed project, USAID Oceans and Fisheries Partnership (USAID Oceans: 2015-2020) had human welfare and gender (HWGE) in fisheries as one of its workstreams, along with technology development for an electronic Catch Documentation and Traceability system (eCDT), Ecosystems Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM), Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Regional Collaboration.
In the Pacific, the ocean is home. It connects social and cultural life, while providing key resources such as food and economic benefits, as well as connecting infrastructure and leisure opportunities. The Pacific’s richness in culturally enshrined lifestyles, its vast diversity of Polynesian, Micronesian and Melanesian traditions and its co-existence with...
Despite evidence of women’s contribution to the sustainability of fisheries worldwide, their roles in fisheries remain poorly understood and most often unrecognized altogether. The main hurdle in assessing women’s contribution is the lack of gender disaggregated data in fisheries, a well understood and nearly universal impediment to understanding women’s participation.
Women work in all stages of the fish value chain, producing, processing and selling fish and through their work support the economy, their households, and communities in rural and coastal regions. They are said to make up half the fisheries workforce, yet their work goes unrecognized in most official Read more about Latest special issue of Gender, Technology & Development examines new learnings on women and fisheries ...
Social relations are important in small-scale fisheries value chains. This study addresses the question of how social relations affect engagement and outcomes of women who participate in the fish value chains. The social relations approach was useful to the study as it helped in understanding the social relations within the household and between the actors in the fish value chains.
Three new reports have been released on the 7th Global Conference on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries (GAF7), held in Bangkok 18-21 October 2018. These all present different types of important reportage on GAF7 and, from their different perspectives, help fill out the detail on the event. In addition, a number of presentations from GAF7...
Regardless of the natural resource sector in which we work (i.e., agriculture, forestry or fisheries), we are all guided by a common set of governance principles. These principles may include commitments to sustainable modes of resource management, protection of biodiversity, or participation of stakeholders.
A call to the seafood community: time for commitment and change is now! By Marie Christine Monfort, Natalia Briceno-Lagos, Meryl Williams, Jayne Gallagher, Leonie Noble, Editrudith Lukanga, Tamara Espiñeira, Marja Bekendam and Katia Frangoudes In honor of International Women’s Day 2019, this Opinion also appeared on the following sites: AKTEA, Blog Activ EU, Industrias Pesqueras (Spanish), International Collective in Support of FishWorkers (ICSF), Fisheries ...
GAF-India was held in Kochi, Kerala, India from 21-24 November 2017. Previously, the prize winners of the M.C. Nandeesha Photo Competition were announced (link). Now we are happy to announce the student prize winners for GAF-India presentations and posters, and the winner of the first Asian Fisheries Society Indian Branch Prof. M.C. Nandeesha Gender Justice and...
On 1 August, at the 13th World Women’s Congress, held in Florianopolis, Brazil, Maria do Rosário de Fátima Andrade Leitão and Maria Helena Santana Cruz coordinated the Gender and Fisheries Thematic Symposium. Researchers at the Symposium presented studies about Brazilian women in fishery activities, plus a contribution on women in fisheries in Mexico.
Rights1,2 and rights-based management (RBM) 3 have long been fundamental concepts examined in theory and practice in the search for sustainable and socially just fisheries management. However, few studies have engaged this discourse on the practical issue of women’s rights in fisheries. One exception is a study presented at the North American Association for Fisheries...
The May 2017 issue of Yemaya, the gender in fisheries newsletter of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers, is now out. This issue is full of stimulating and diverse articles from around the world – Mexico, India, Fiji and more, many with a focus on the implications of Sustainable Development Goal #5 on gender...
The first 2017 issue of Yemaya, the gender and fisheries newsletter of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), recognizes that implementing the gender equality provisions of the Voluntary Guidelines on Small Scale Fisheries is a struggle at two levels. The first struggle is in the household and community, and the second is the level Read more about Yemaya: gender equality in small-scale fisheries is a struggle at two levels...
Market structures of small-scale “economically developing” country fisheries (SSF) have remained relatively under-examined in the academic literature and the work done has focused primarily on relations between fishers and traders. However, most studies have focused only on economic transactions and this has likely skewed our understanding of the...
WSI Press release, Paris, Tuesday 24 January 2017 WSI, an international association for Women in the Seafood Industry was created in December 2016 by specialists at the cross-road between the seafood industry and gender issues. WSI’s goals are to highlight women’s contribution to the seafood industry, to raise awareness of gender issues within this industry and to promote...
Dr. Mudnakudu C. Nandeesha (1957-2012), who instigated many women/gender in aquaculture and fisheries initiatives, passed away on 27 December 2012. On the 4th anniversary of his passing, we pause to remember him and acknowledge his contributions on many fronts, including on gender awareness and action. Dr Nandeeshabegan his work in aquaculture research and development in Karnataka...
FAO has released a publication, “Promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in fisheries and aquaculture”, prepared jointly by the Social Policies and Rural Institutions Division and the Fisheries Department within FAO. The publication provides an overview of current gender equality and women’s empowerment issues in the fisheries and...
In 2013, a group of organisation, led by WOCAN (Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management) produced a very useful distillation of good practices for including women in key climate change mitigation programs, especially REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). Most of the good advice in the “Scoping study of ...
The September 2016 issue of Yemaya (Issue 52), the gender and fisheries newsletter of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) is full of articles that explore the structural inequalities affecting women in fisheries and aquaculture. This is recommended reading! Contents (below) and link to Issue 52 Gathering cooperation (Costa Rica mollusk gatherers) by Aracelly Jimenez ...
The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), an autonomous body within the framework of the European Union policies and initiatives, has developed a profile on the relevance of gender in maritime affairs and fisheries. In a clear and attractive interactive display, the profile covers the relevant policies, the issues concerning gender equality, the objectives, how ...
Also see our overview of gleaning and gender: Discover Gleaning The Philippines is one of Southeast Asia’s many diverse cultural regions, and together with other Asian nations is in an area that has gone through tremendous changes, economic, social and environmental. Changes which ...
Yemaya, the gender and fisheries newsletter of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has published its 50th newsletter. As usual, Yemaya is an excellent read from its varied and thoughtful articles, to the wry Yemaya Mama cartoons, to reviews and news. The contents in this December 2015 edition are: Editorial by Nilanjana Biswas...
On 27th December 2012, Dr M.C. Nandeesha, who initiated the first efforts to address gender in aquaculture and fisheries in Asia, passed away. We honor his memory and achievements and hope that his legacy will continue to grow through the gender efforts of the Asian Fisheries Society and other professional and grassroots groups. In collaboration with...
The latest Secretariat of the Pacific Community Women in Fisheries Information Bulletin (#26), “highlights gender roles in coastal fisheries and development, and women’s fishing activities in urban and rural communities”, said its editor, Veikila Vuki. The issue contains the following articles, and can be downloaded here: Guest editorial: Gender in aquaculture and fisheries – Navigating change, by...
Brief report on the Proceedings of the Seafood Industry and Social Development Conference 21-22 September 2015, Annapolis, Maryland, USA By Arlene Nietes Satapornvanit In early 2015, NACA (Network for Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific) was invited by Oxfam/SFP/UNDP to participate in the Seafood Industry and Social Development Conference to present the work we are doing on...
As part of the European project Oceans Past Platform, a new working group on gender and fisheries history has been established. See our video introduction on Youtube. Gendered Seas will explore the different roles and responsibilities of women and men in the exploitation and management of living marine resources over time.
In the August 2015 issue of Samudra Report, the journal of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers, Marie Christine Monfort describes her expedition to “fish out” what was happening for women in the fish sector. She also provides an abridged version of the recent Globefish Report, “The Role of Women in the Seafood Industry”...
In a recent FAO report (A Review of Women’s Access to Fish in Small Scale Fisheries), Angela Lentisco and Robert Lee have gone beyond the typical portrayal of women as fish processors and marketers have reviewed and categorized three main ways in which women access fish in small scale fisheries. First is primary access through...
Women are particularly important in the key industrial tuna and coastal fish value chains in the Solomon Islands. They are active inshore fishers, critical in providing labour in the large SolTuna at Noro in Western Province, and in certain domains of local fish marketing. A recent World Bank study [“Gender, Fisher, Trader, Processer: Towards Gender-Equitable...
Charlotte Moser worked among Lao fishers in the Sekong River basin that begins in Vietnam, traverses Lao PDR and flows into the Mekong in Cambodia. The project on which she worked, in Samakhixay and Saysettha districts of Attapeu Province in southern Laos, involved Lao PDR, World Bank and IUCN support. She reports [“Listening to Women Fishers on...
The 34 year old series of FAO-Norwegian fisheries projects based on capacity building and use of the Research Vessel (R/V) Dr Fridtjof Nansen has released the report of its first gender audit. The latest phase of the Nansen work is based on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF), hence the need to take a much more ...
The latest issue of Yemaya, the newsletter on gender and fisheries put out three times a year by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers, is full of interesting and thought-provoking articles, several centered around International Women’s Day and continuing struggles for decent lives and rights around the world. The whole issue or individual Read more about Latest ICSF Yemaya Newsletter Now Out ...
This International Women’s Day we are pleased to share a heartening and forward looking set of messages from Asian women in the aquaculture sector. The presentation comes courtesy of the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific and Aquaculture without Frontiers. Click on the picture above to launch the slide show, which starts with the challenges...
The Secretariat for the Pacific Community’s recent regional workshop on the “Future of coastal/inshore fisheries management,” 3 to 6 March 2015 included the role of women (along with youth and culture) in fisheries management as one of the main topics. Other topics included community based resource management, livelihoods and the private sector, and the role of tuna in...
Food security is often presented as a gender-neutral problem, but unequal access to food affects women and girls disproportionately and so gender-sensitive solutions are needed. The UK-based BRIDGE gender and development initiative has just released a policy brief and report on gender, food security and nutrition exploring the evidence and providing a new vision of gender-justice with implementing...
A tremendous emphasis in agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture research is given to developing new, more efficient and profitable technologies for farmers and fishers. Governments all around the world support research and extension institutes, and the private sector also has a huge influence. But how are women faring in having a say in what their priorities...
A new report from the CGIAR Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) research program picks out some early lessons from the floodplains of Bangladesh and Zambia where the gender transformative approach is being tested in the field. The approach, which the AAS program seeks to apply, tries to go beyond simple gender approaches and checklists that usually...
On 27 December 2012, we lost Dr M.C. Nandeesha, who brought awareness to the importance of women in Asian and global fisheries, and who initiated the first substantive activities to address gender inequality to the work and the considerations of the Asian Fisheries Society. Beginning with the 1990 Women in Fisheries in India Workshop, held...
COP20, the UN climate conference is now underway in Lima, Peru (20th session of the Conference of the Parties and the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol). Concerted efforts are being made to engender the new climate agreement that the countries are...
The November 2014 edition of Samudra Report, the global periodical on fisheries issues published by the International in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), highlighted the 5th Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries (GAF5) in its article “Still a Long Way to Go.” The article, by Katia Frangoudes and Shuddhawati Peke, give an overview of GAF5...
In earlier posts on this site, we highlighted papers arising from the work of Danika Kleiber and her colleagues on gender in the Northern Bohol section of the Danajon Bank in the Central Philippines and on a global overview of gender in small scale fisheries. With pleasure, we draw your attention to Danika’s doctoral thesis, recently ...
Voice and Agency: Empowering women and girls for shared prosperity In his Foreword to this strong, empirical book recently released by the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, the World Bank Group President and himself a physician and anthropologist, says: “Our flagship World Development Report 2012 demonstrated that gender equality and economic development are inextricably linked.
More development research institute leaders, researchers and project developers are aware of the importance of gender equality in programs and project activities. Some have made public commitments to action through their work. Often, however, these good intentions are thwarted by lack of knowledge and expertise on how to go about it. Of course, in an...
Many agencies and projects find themselves in the same situation as the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem project (BOBLME), which realised that it had not taken gender into account in formulating its strategies and project priorities. To overcome this gap, BOBLME undertook an ex post analysis of the gender dimension of their work and...
A new CGIAR report, “Bangladesh small and medium-scale aquaculture value chain development: Past trends, current status and likely future directions” by Niaz Ahmed Apu reviews a wealth of recent information and and also endeavours to do justice to available knowledge on the contributions and opportunities for women in the value chains. Gendered knowledge is still Read more about Bangladesh aquaculture value chain analysis...
In a recent publication in the journal Feminist Economics, “Fishing Na Everybody Business”: Women’s Work and Gender Relations in Sierra Leone’s Fisheries, Andy Thorpe and co-authors take three sets of data (from the National Frame Surveys of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, a survey of women fish processors by the Institute of Marine Biology...
A new report, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture for Food Security and Nutrition, has provided probably “the most comprehensive recent attempt to review and synthesize the current knowledge” said Dr Christophe Béné. Dr Béné, of the Institute of Development Studies, chaired the team of the High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) on Food Security and Nutrition of...
A new report from the World Bank provides practical and strong arguments for making gender equality explicit in the workplace. The report also continually makes the case that gender equality in the world of work is a win-win on many fronts. The new report accompanies two World Development reports from the World Bank: 2012 World...
From sardines and mackerels to cockles and oysters, the fisheries and fish processing activities of the Republic of the Gambia in West Africa are important to people and to the economy. A new report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), called “The fisheries sector in the Gambia: trade, value addition and social inclusiveness, with...
Yemaya, the gender and fisheries newsletter of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has recently released its April 2014 issue. This issue, Yemaya has a special focus on the progress and shortcomings of the coverage of women’s equity strategies in the forthcoming Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale fisheries in the Context of Food Security ...
A new Norad report by Cecile Brugere and Bodil Maal has delved into gender roles in the fisheries and aquaculture value chains in Mozambique, finding that women play a large role in the fisheries value chain, but their social organization is not strong. Women dominate aquaculture production but the aquaculture value chain is still only...
Barbara Neis, Siri Gerrard and Nicole G. Power have written a reflective paper on the social-ecological systems of cod (Gadus morhua) fisheries in Atlantic Canada and Norway. Their study revealed similarities but also many differences between the ways small scale fishing communities in the two countries have reacted to changes in the fish stocks and ...
Women’s as well as men’s fishing should be taken into account in marine ecology assessments, according to the recent global review, “Gender and small-scale fisheries: a case for counting women and beyond“, by Danika Kleiber, Leila Harris and Amanda Vincent. Typically, they point out, women’s participation is only considered from a social perspective. After reviewing ...
Danika Kleiber and her co-authors have made a welcome contribution to the information on total fisheries harvest and the often un-recorded harvests of women and men, especially by reef gleaning. Working with local communities who live and work on the reefs on Danajon Bank, Bohol Province Central Philippines, and 4 Cebuano-speaking research assistants (see photo), they ...
One of the biggest challenges for achieving gender equality is educating the present generation of leaders, project managers and other experts on the basic concepts and how they apply in daily work. Dr Anne Coles, a gender expert with extensive experience of research in migration, gender, development and social change, and also in delivering in-service ...
In 2013, the Genderaquafish website continued to develop as a global source of information sharing and news. Compared to 2012, the number of visitors grew by 16%, to over 17,000 for the year. The visitors came from even more countries than last year (163 countries, compared to 154 countries in 2012). The top 5 countries of our ...
“So though Nandeesh is not with us physically, his thoughts and deeds are there to guide us through these difficult times” Rajeswari Dayal B. (his loving wife) . This marks the first anniversary of the passing of our dear friend Dr Mudnakudu C. Nandeesha, who was the person who brought gender awareness to the Asian...
The Gender Strategy for the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish is designed to “operates along a continuum of gender integration approaches, from the accommodating to the transformative, and will contribute to understanding under what conditions each approach has the potential to advance chain performance and the outcomes of poor women and other marginalized...
In coastal communities in India, fisheries and aquaculture can provide women and men with many opportunities for work and livelihood. In Tamil Nadu state, the Central Institute for Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) has long worked on the ground and out in the villages to improve those opportunities with science and people-based projects. Recently, CIBA published two...
Christine Okali’s latest blog challenges policy makers to scrap the handy (and often unsupported) narratives on women/gender and climate change. Here is some of what she said – but do read the whole blog! “It is time to re-socialise gender policies. For real progress to be made towards gender equity and transforming gender relations across...
Christine Okali’s latest blog challenges policy makers to scrap the handy (and often unsupported) narratives on women/gender and climate change. Here is some of what she said – but do read the whole blog! “It is time to re-socialise gender policies. For real progress to be made towards gender equity and transforming gender relations across...
Angela Lentisco reports on the Centre for Maritime Research (MARE) Conference in Amsterdam (26 to 28th June 2013), panel sessions led by Easkey Britton on Engaging Gender for Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods and Improved Social Wellbeing: Perspectives from the Global North and South. “The panel presentations (which you can download from the links on this website) were food for...
Most marine and fisheries development projects are gender blind, even though, in recent years, they generally pay much more attention to reaching out to fishing communities. What does a major, multi-country project do when it wants to get serious on overcoming its gender-blindness? For sure, the project partners face a steep learning curve, but the...
This FAO publication is a very welcome addition to the material on the problems and solutions to gender inequality all along fish supply chains. Good practice policies to eliminate gender inequalities in fish value chains, by Jennie Dey de Pryck analyses the facts, as they are known and provides guidance to action to address the inequalities across the sector,...
Change is often gendered as revealed in a recent FAO post harvest fisheries report. FAO introduced simple but highly effective fish drying racks to local processors in Burundi in a project in 2004 and local people have continued to develop and use the new effective technology. An FAO short report “Simple fish-drying racks improve livelihoods and...
This website, genderaquafish.org, will be 3 years old next month. Recently, as I undertook some long overdue maintenance, I reflected on the joys and pains of a maturing website. First the joys! Thanks to a steady feed of good and relevant material on women/gender in aquaculture and fisheries, and supporting material from...
Naila Kabeer and Luisa Natali recently published a review for the Institute of Development Studies into the two-way relationships between gender equality and economic growth, across sectors and countries. They reviewed studies of labour market participation in different sectors and services, earnings and well-being and rights. Their conclusion is that the relationship between gender equality...
In 2012, the European Union (EU) Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), through the Joint Research Centre of the EU, published a report on the Economic Performance of the EU Fish Processing Industry Sector (STECF-OWP-12-01). In aggregate from the reporting countries, the 2011 employment statistics show that women and men are almost evenly balanced, in terms of...
A bold new Nigerian initiative to support Nigerian rural women and women academics has launched, led by Dr Stella Williams, well know to many of the genderaquafish.org followers. The Nigerian Women in Agricultural Research for Development (NIWARD) initiative will be hosted at the Centre for Gender Issues in Science and Technology (CEGIST) of the Federal University...
The FAO-Spain Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and Southeast Asia has taken their more formal gender materials (especially the RFLP gender mainstreaming manual) and their on the ground experience and produced this attractive, easy to read and yet very rich guide to what to do. Get the guide here: Download The clear lessons from experience include...
Good gender-sensitive research starts with good data. IFPRI has just released a discussion paper to the 2011 FAO “State of Food and Agriculture 2010-2011: Women and Agriculture: Closing the Gender Gap for Development“. The Discussion Paper provides “guidelines on how to collect better gendered data through surveys. It details who should be interviewed; how the Read more about New IFPRI release: data needs for gender analysis in agriculture...
Ending violence against women is the important theme of this 2013 International Women’s Day and many websites and media have excellent messages on the theme. Therefore, I will take the opportunity of International Women’s Day to highlight instead the global estimates of the “gender gap” – differences in attainments against several indices between women and ...
Getting gender into the fisheries and aquaculture agenda requires large and fundamental changes inside the organisations that support the sector, including the research institutes. Last year, the fisheries institutes of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), one of the world’s largest agricultural research systems, held a pioneering workshop to plan a future roadmap for Read more about A Future Gender Roadmap in Indian Fisheries Research...
The European Union Fisheries Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, and the Norwegian Fisheries Minister Lisbeth Berg-Hansen have recently discussed the need for a responsible approach to the Arctic region and and for governments to engage more closely with the people who live there. Concerns over climate change and its impact on Arctic fisheries and the people dependent on...
The Spain-FAO Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and South East Asia (RFLP) started its work in 2009 by undertaking comprehensive baseline studies in its selected coastal project sites in Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. RFLP published the baseline survey reports in traditional formats. Now, RFLP has turned the detailed reports into...
The new study by Zachary A. Kwena, Carol S. Camlin, Chris A. Shisanya, Isaac Mwanzo, Elizabeth A. Bukusi, carried out in Kisimu County, near Lake Victoria, Kenya, delves into social patterns of mobility and the risks it brings for contracting HIV/AIDS. Short-Term Mobility and the Risk of HIV Infection among Married Couples in the Fishing Communities along Lake Victoria.
The report from a recent CGIAR workshop at WorldFish Center, plus interviews with thought-leaders give insights into new ideas on a gender transformative approach. Building Coalitions, Creating Change: An Agenda for Gender Transformative Research in Development CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems. Penang, Malaysia. Workshop Report: AAS-2012-31. Abstract: There is compelling evidence that increased...
Gendered change in fisheries is starting to emerge as a significant field of research. This new research paper from Easkey Britton, published in Maritime Studies, finds that, over the last century – from the days of the independent “herring lassies” to the days of fisheries decline and factory closures – women have become less and...
Nelson Turgo’s paper, “Bugabug ang dagat” (Rough seas): Experiencing Foucault’s heterotopia in fish trading houses, in Social Science Diliman, provides intriguing analysis of how women and men fish traders use and view their daily spaces in fish trading houses of Mauban, Quezon province, Philippines. Abstract: Places in the contemporary world are subjected to the workings of differentiating logics, foremost R...
Women’s and men’s contributions are both critical to the success of aquaculture and fisheries. Statistics on the growing interest being shown in this website since its creation over two years ago (in September 2010) indicate that more people are taking an interest in research and development insights on gender in aquaculture and fisheries. In 2012, the...
With deep regret, I convey the sad news that Dr M.C. Nandeesha, the inspiration for starting the Asian Fisheries Society’s Gender/Women in Fisheries/Aquaculture activities in the early 1990s, has passed away in Chennai, India. The gender and fisheries community, and others such as the fisheries education and aquaculture research and development communities, convey their sincere...
“Gender equality thinking should not focus just on the numbers of women and men in fish supply chains”, said Gifty Anane-Taabeah (Ghana), the final panelist on Overcoming Gender Equalities in Fish Supply Chains. The panel and two presentation sessions (Markets and Value Chains for Small Aquaculture Enterprises and Looking at Fish Supply Chains with a...
The United Nations University – World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) held its first Research and Communication in Foreign Aid project workshop on gender equality (12-13 July 2012, Helsinki). Gender equality is one of the project’s five themes. The workshop identified key focus areas for what works, what could work, what is transferable, and...
A new working paper from WorldFish Center delves into some of the basic background information needed to develop research and development programs with a gender focus in aquaculture and fisheries production systems in Bangladesh, Cambodia, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Zambia. Transforming aquatic agricultural systems towards gender equality: a five country review Weeratunge, N., Chiuta,...
By Rosario H. Asong, PhD and Anna Razel Ramirez of The National Network on Women in Fisheries in the Philippines, Inc. NNWFP Holds 6th Biennial National Conference The National Network on Women in Fisheries in the Philippines, Inc. held its 6th Biennial National Conference on Gender and Fisheries on September 19-21, 2012 at Hotel Alejandro,,...
A new UNDP report – Powerful Synergies: Gender Equality, Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability – is aimed at the policy makers. It does not explicitly address fisheries and aquaculture, but this document nevertheless is useful background on how the global environment agreements and events have virtually ignored gender, and specifically women. Description. “This publication, Powerful Synergies: Gender,...
To highlight the importance of small scale capture fisheries contributions to employment, livelihood and the economy, the World Bank recently released its study on “Hidden Harvest: The Global Contribution of Capture Fisheries”. FAO and WorldFish Center also collaborated on the study. Download the report here Although cautious in its conclusions owing to the quality of ...
Seaweed farming has grown at much the same rapid rate as other forms of aquaculture in the last twenty years, but seaweeds are produced in far fewer countries than, for example, farmed fish. The Philippines and Tanzania are among the top 8 countries. India is not yet on the list but, on the Coromandel (southeast) ...
What Difference Does a Policy Brief Make? Penelope Beynon, Christelle Chapoy, Marie Gaarder and Edoardo Masset of the Institute of Development Studies, the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation and NORAD carried out an intriguing randomized control design survey involving over 800 experts to try to answer this question. The policy brief used in the study was ...
A new web-based data system from the World Bank and a report, “Removing Barriers to Economic Inclusion” provides valuable legal information on laws affecting businesses. In aquaculture and fisheries, many studies have found that access to investment credit, capital and rights over resources, land and other assets are not equal for women and men in...
The latest issue of “Yemaya”, the gender and fisheries newsletter of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers, has just been released, containing materials on global initiatives (Rio+20, FAO’s Committee on Fisheries work and CEDAW), and special reports on gender dimensions of fisheries in Africa (Gambia, Senegal, Tanzania), and profiles of leaders from Indonesia and...
Two papers published recently (see below) in Marine Policy journal examine in depth gendered roles in the fishing communities of Northern Ireland and northern England, respectively. In the Northern Island case, Easkey Britton and Sarah Coulthard used a three-dimensional framework to measuring social progress (material, relational and cognitive dimensions) and conclude that “fishing society is...
Many readers of Genderaquafish are interested in or already working on climate change projects in aquaculture and fisheries. Therefore, we especially thank Cornelie Quist for alerting us to the rich set of resources on gender and climate change that were recently released in BRIDGE Update, Issue No. 92, June 2012 http://archive.ids.ac.uk/bridge/cutting-edge-programmes/gender-and-climate-change.html In the BRIDGE Update...
The Women in Fisheries Information Bulletin is always welcome. The WIF Bulletin started in 1997 and always contains interesting information from the central and western Pacific ocean, the region where women have traditionally had a very active role in fisheries. Here is the line-up of articles from the 22nd issue. We thank the coordinator Veikila...
Mekong Gender and Fisheries Network Meets in Nong Khai, Thailand On 21 and 22 June 2012, the world’s longest running gender and fisheries network, the Mekong Network for Gender Promotion in Fisheries Development (NGF) held its 13th annual meeting and field visits to women’s groups for fish processing and aquaculture in the northwest of Thailand...
The Ostional National Wildlife Refuge on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica is well known for its turtle fisheries and allied turtle conservation efforts. Women and men are actively engaged in the fishery and protection activities, usually in different ways. This management analysis in Marine Policy (open access article) (“What makes them follow the rules? Empirical ...
We are delighted to announce that the “Proceedings of the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010: Farming the Waters for People and Food” has now been launched, including a chapter on gender and human capacity development, and the inclusion of gender in the Phuket Concensus statement. The inclusion of gender is a breakthrough and a first ...
Two new gender analysis tools could be useful for your research. One is the gender and asset toolkit, and the second is a mapper, specifically for agriculture and natural resources in Africa. 1. Gender and Asset Toolkit Assets, control over them and their ownership are a critical component of the well-being of individuals and households.
Updated February 2013! In her recent paper in the SPC Beche-de-mer Information Bulletin, Poh Sze Choo reported, among other results, on a survey of gender roles in sea cucumber fishing in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia. She found that “fishers who collect sea cucumbers in Semporna belong to either the Bajau Tempatan or Bajau Laut communities. Most...
Workshop short report by the following four colleagues from the Indian Council for Agricultural Research. Dr B. Shanthi, Senior Scientist, CIBA, Chennai Dr.B.Meenakumari, Deputy Director General, (Fisheries), New Delhi Dr.P.Jayashankar, Director, CIFA, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, and Dr.Vipinkumar,V.P, Senior Scientist, CMFRI, Kochi, Kerala. Under the UPM (Universiti Putra Malaysia) led ASEM Aquaculture Platform WP7 (ASEM stands for Asia-Europe...
Many aquaculture and fisheries agencies and research institutes are starting to wonder what they should be doing about getting gender into their work – “mainstreaming” is one of the buzz words we hear. Across the fence in agricultural research organizations, you can find some useful materials to guide your organizations’s emerging gender strategy. Start by taking a look...
What Works for Women: Proven approaches for empowering women smallholders and achieving food security This book has been produced by a group of nine international development agencies, including some of the biggest welfare NGOs. It distills their experiences from their efforts to promote gender equality and working with women smallholders and rural women over many...
Recently we posted on ‘Learning from gender research in agriculture’, now its time to pick up some materials and methods from work being done on gender in the livestock and rural poverty realms. Here are some useful websites and materials. I thank Beth Miller for alerting us to these livestock and gender resources. 1. Poverty...
The December 2011 RFLP Newsletter (FAO-Spain Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme) features several articles on projects that reach out to women, such as vocational training, skills enhancement in processing, and a case study gender analysis for Negombo and Puttalam Districts in Sri Lanka. To download the Newletter: Dec 2011 RFLP Newsletter Sri Lanka gender analysis report: Gender_Analysis_Puttalam_Negombo...
ransition in nori cultivation : evolution of household contribution and gendered division of labor by Dr A. Delaney ad@ifm.aau.dk In Cahiers de Biologie Marine Link [CdBM (2011) Vol 52(4):527-533] Abstract: Consumers throughout the world have gained familiarity with the seaweed nori (porphyra spp) thanks to the popularity of Asian cuisine, particularly Japanese sushi. Few actually know...
With world attention on climate change, two recent publications on gender and climate change, though not focused on fisheries and aquaculture, deliver a similar message: yes, women and men have different vulnerabilities to climate change, gendered analysis and approaches are needed but women and men’s agency, not just women and men’s vulnerabilities should be considered.
Here are excerpts from the abstract of this interesting new review of the scientific evidence on fish consumption and health, including gender-based distinctions in advice. In response to growing public concern in recent years regarding the presence of chemical contaminants in fish as well as emerging evidence on the multiple nutritional benefits of...
The World Bank has released two new resources to complment its recent 2012 World Development Report (see our post). These resources will be useful to researchers and experts seeking statistics to give context to their work. World Bank Little Data Book on Gender (2011) Available online only as e-book, ‘this handy pocket guide is a ...
New from the Spain-FAO-RFLP! ‘Women play a significant role in fisheries, yet lack of attention to gender roles and relations can result in policies or programmes failing to improve livelihoods or reduce vulnerability of fishing communities. The largely ‘invisible’ role of women in small-scale fisheries must be addressed if actions aimed at improving the livelihoods ...
Gender research is still sparse for gender and aquaculture, fisheries and the coasts. Gender studies are a little further advanced in agriculture and natural resource management. Very useful resource materials can be found from the work of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), one of the CGIAR Centers. Here are 5 links to IFPRI ...
FAO has just released a new handbook, “Communicating Gender for Rural Development.” This handbook contains good materials and clarifies some concepts. “Gender is at once a sociological concept, a development approach, an operational strategy and an analytical method”. Have a look especially at the schematic on page 16.
Another gender ‘first’ – the World Bank’s flagship World Development Report 2012 has gender as its theme for the first time: Gender Equality and Development. Released on 19 September 2011, the Bank says: “Gender equality matters in its own right but is also smart economics: Countries that create better opportunities and conditions for women and...
WorldFish Center has released an Issues Brief on Gender and Aquaculture, “Gender and aquaculture: sharing the benefits equitably” Download at: http://www.worldfishcenter.org/resource_centre/WF_2832.pdf The issues brief focuses on 5 themes that draw on many of the papers from previous AFS GAF Symposia and proceedings (see https://www.genderaquafish.org/events/ for hand access to all the previous proceedings and publications) Markets, trade...
Over the last several months, studies, blogs and news articles have highlighted the challenges of assessing and understanding the various impacts of microfinance. Although not directly addressing fisheries and aquaculture, the findings are relevant to those studying gender in aquaculture and fisheries as microfinance is often part of a development initiative targeted at women in small scale...
HIV and syphilis prevalence and associated risk factors among fishing communities of Lake Victoria, Uganda By Gershim Asiki, Juliet Mpendo, Andrew Abaasa, Collins Agaba, Annet Nanvubya, Leslie Nielsen, Janet Seeley, Pontiano Kaleebu, Heiner Grosskurth, Anatoli Kamali Link (access required for full paper) Correspondence to Dr Gershim Asiki, Medical Research Council Research Unit on AIDS...
In studying peoples’ livelihoods in the Pinguino de Humboldt National Reserve and Isla Choro and Isla Damas Marine Reserve, Susan Qashu used a political ecology framework to study women’s and men’s strategies in adapting to a national marine reserve, national park, and tourism development while retaining their traditional fisheries. She found that women and men...
Urbanization trends and the social impacts of economic change are macro social and economic themes today but rarely do we look more closely at the impacts on local and rural people. Anna Karlsdóttir has recently looked more closely at the women’s perspectives in Husavık village, NE Iceland, in a study done after Iceland’s economic collapse. Over...
Recommended reading! “Influencing Change: Mainstreaming Gender Perspectives in Agricultural Research and Development in Eastern and Central Africa.” Edited by: Barun Gurung, Elizabeth Ssendiwala, Michael Waithaka Link to download publication Part of the CGIAR Particiaptory Research and Gender Analysis Program, the project from which this very useful report came sought to influence the policies of agricultural ...
Rigorous studies on the effects of introduced fish pond and vegetable technologies in Bangladesh show that “..women’s assets increase more relative to men’s when technologies are disseminated through women’s groups”, indicating that the gendered outcomes of new technologies depend on how they are introduced. This and related studies are reported in papers in the latest...
The good news: 2011 is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the world’s first veterinary science school (in Lyon, France) and the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. To celebrate, Prof. Mathuram of Madras Veterinary College (MVC), Tamil Nadu, India, spoke on gender issues in veterinary science (News story, Presentation). In many countries, women...
Opening Keynote Address at the 9th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum – Better Science, Better Fish, Better Life-w links – includes women’s contributions to production, fish value chains and the changing gender balance among university graduates for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has just released the latest edition of its triannual newsletter on gender and fisheries, Yemaya. Yemaya No. 36, dated March 2011, carries several articles from around the world on women in fisheries, and how gender and power relations play out in small-scale fisheries. A report on a...
In 2010-11, FAO’s annual flagship publication, The State of Food and Agriculture, is devoted almost totally to the role of women in agriculture, including some coverage of women in fisheries and aquaculture. Sub-titled, ‘Closing the gender gap for development’, it highlights that women face a serious gender gap in access to the most productive agricultural...