CFI in Cabo Verde
For a country where 80 percent of the population lives in near the coast, coastal fisheries play a huge part in the food, nutrition, livelihoods and local economies of Cabo Verde.
Fisheries contribute almost two percent to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and provide ten percent of all animal protein for Cape Verdeans. Coastal fisheries provide over 5 800 jobs, and women make up 16 percent of those involved in post-harvest activities, such as fish processing, which is the biggest employer in São Vicente Island.
However, overfishing, pollution and climate change are putting increasing pressure on fisheries resources in the nine-inhabited islands archipelagic small State.
In Cabo Verde, the Coastal Fisheries Initiative (CFI) works on innovative ways to make coastal fisheries sustainable, protecting the environment while delivering economic and social benefits.
The CFI has local fishing communities at the heart of its work and aims to benefit between 2 000-2 500 people, 23 percent of them women, including fishers, fish workers, local craftspeople, and local authorities.
The CFI has two pilot sites, where the FAO and partners will carry out a number of activities to make Cabo Verde's coastal fisheries more sustainable, including:
- Improving fisheries governance and management;
- Strengthening the seafood chain for fish products;
- Capacity building and best practices in coastal fisheries.