La pérdida y el desperdicio de alimentos en las cadenas de valor del pescado
©FAO/Ansen Ward
  • Supportive Policy Environment
  • Application of Appropriate Technology
  • Skills and Knowledge
  • Services and Infrastructure
  • Regulatory Environment
  • Social and Gender Equity
  • Markets

Equitable Social and Gender Environment for Canning

Women often make up a high proportion of cannery workers. In Fiji, for example, women make up the bulk of cannery workers (90 percent) and in other than tuna canning establishments, they comprise between 30 and 80 percent of the workers.

Gender is important because men and women often perform different tasks within fish value chains, and have different assets, skills, experience, knowledge and decision-making roles. However, the invisibility of women’s roles in official fisheries and aquaculture statistics, coupled with the negative impacts of gender-blind policies, leave women facing discrimination and marginalization within the sector. Modern small-scale fisheries using improved technologies (such as motor engines, modern navigation and communication equipment, and processing and cold storage facilities) and meeting international food safety standards can produce high-quality, high-value products for export markets. Attention needs to be given to equal access to productivity-enhancing innovations that improve the overall productivity and quality of products.

Wholesale markets offer business opportunities for both women and men. Wholesale markets are places of trade where fish are sold and bought, providing and important link between production and retail markets. Non gender bias policies and implementation processes are required to give equal access to productive inputs such as fish, credit, skills and knowledge, and market access so that both men and women are able to perform optimally in terms of producing and selling quality, food safe products and minimize food loss and waste (FLW).

Key Publications

Good practice policies to eliminate gender inequalities in fish value chains

This publication highlights key gender inequalities in fisheries and aquaculture value chains that lead to underperformance by women, and proposes good practice policies that can influence increases in production and processing of high-quality fish.

 


The Role of Women in the Seafood Industry

This report aims to increase awareness of the value women bring to the seafood industry, and to encourage business leaders and policymakers to consider women when developing a new project or a policy.

A Guide To Gender Sensitive Microfinance

Included is guidance for those involved in microfinance programmes to ensure consideration of socio-economic and gender issues when developing microfinance programmes, designing national policies, and disaggregating microfinance markets to learn more about clients.

More Resources

More Resources

Women play a critical role throughout the fisheries and aquaculture value chain, accounting for almost half of the total workforce. As they have a particularly strong presence in pre-harvest activities, women have the opportunity to...
The 4th All Africa Postharvest Congress and Exhibition (AAPHCE) is a follow up to the series of biennial events together diverse stakeholders aimed at addressing the pertinent issue of postharvest loss reduction in the African...
One of the major issues prevailing in the fisheries and aquaculture industry in Sri Lanka is the high loss and waste of fish, and it has become necessary to introduce strategies aimed at preventing and...