Concertation Indépendante
Cible géographique:
Fidji, Inde, Philippines, Thaïlande
Major focus
Small scale fishers play a key role in ensuring food and nutrition security, and eradicating poverty. Aquatic food systems strategies can help address the complex issue of the “triple burden of malnutrition” (food insecurity, undernutrition and overweight). Many coastal and inland populations rely on fish as the most accessible source of animal protein. In addition to high-quality protein, fish, especially small fish consumed whole, can be rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, D and B, and minerals such as calcium, zinc, iodine and iron, while seaweed represents an excellent sou
... Lire la suiterce of fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. Fish farming is dominated by Asia, which has produced 89% of the global total of volume in the last 20 years. An estimated 59.51 million people were engaged (on a full-time, part-time or occasional basis) in the primary sector of capture fisheries (39.0 million people) and aquaculture (20.5 million people) in 2018. Women accounted for 14 percent of the total, with shares of 19 percent in aquaculture and 12 percent in capture fisheries. Of all those engaged in primary production, most are in developing countries, and most are small-scale, artisanal fishers and aquaculture workers. The highest numbers of workers are in Asia (85 percent), followed by Africa (9 percent), the Americas (4 percent), and Europe and Oceania (1 percent each). When post-harvest operations data are included, it is estimated that one in two workers in the sector is a woman. Small fishers are facing plethora of challenges in Asia and elsewhere. Owing to their poor economic status and often marginalized social status, their voices are not heard by the policy makers adequately. Small fishers are facing worst crises today. Apart from poverty and discrimination, the added perils are climate change induced extreme weather conditions and depletion of species. Access and control over natural resources has always been a contentious issue for poor fishers, who face hurdles to access sea beaches, to park their boats and dry their nets due to indiscriminate grabbing of coastal land for tourism and other industrial purposes. Also dumping effluent near the coast and in deep sea adversely affect their catches. Though there are rules restricting trawlers from fishing near the shore but violation of that rule is rampant and regulation is very weak. On social entitlement front too fishers are disadvantaged. Existing social schemes, various pensions and insurance schemes fall short to the need. This is simply because these schemes are not developed keeping fishers issues/challenges in mind majority of fisherwomen are in fish vending with no hygienic and secured workplace at markets. They suffer from lack of transportation facilities (often local regular transport refuse to take them due to smell of fish and dipping water etc), inadequate knowledge of market prices. Encroachment of big companies in the coast for industry, tourism and dumping of effluent etc further impoverished poor fishers and they are losing their grounds fast. Increased price of fuel and other essential items have added to their misery. Last but not the least lack of coordination among different government departments (lack of apt policies) has slowed down the pace of serving poor fishers through existing schemes. In the light of the contributions of the fisheries sector in food and nutrition security, and in the light of the issues and challenges faced by small scale women and men fishers who form the majority of the labor force in fisheries, this Independent Dialogue would like to gather together representatives of small scale fishers’ organizations in a discussion on the solutions they have undertaken to overcome these challenges while contributing to sustainability of the oceans, of the lands , and the eco system in general. In this Independent Dialogue, we would like to hear their voices, their perspectives, their solutions and their recommendation so that as small scale women and men fishers, they can play their utmost part in contributing to the global goals of ending hunger and poverty , first amongst their communities, and next, to the whole society. Lire moins
Piste(s) d'Action: 1, 3, 4, 5
Mots-clés : Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment