Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

Fisheries have traditionally been managed on the principle of “the bigger the better," with legal minimum size. This has a negative impact on fecundity and consequently on recruitment, as the bigger animals have a higher fecundity. Which means that fisheries are based upon the exploitation of the reproductive stock. My proposal is to change from minimum legal size to a maximum legal size, preventing the catch of the reproductive stock and inducing the catch of the juvenile and sub adult fraction of the population. This measure will recover the reproductive potential of most exploited populations and give a surplus of juveniles for commercial fishing. This could easily be implemented on benthic resources, and stratified fish populations.

Privatization of marine resources will hurt global food security

For as long as we can remember coastal communities globally have harvested from the ocean. The wild fish stocks of the world are common resources, thus, it is important that the resources contribute to local welfare.

Community-based management, with non-transferable, community-owned exclusive access right would boost the stewardship of fishing communities. The mechanism needed is therefore the effective empowerment of small-scale fishers organizations. Moreover, successful connection between the communities/organization and national/transnational management bodies should be favored so that the managers take decisions informed and

guided by the needs and interests of resource users, to establish an effective bottom-up management.

Currently a privatization of marine resources through so-called right-based fisheries, through e.g. individual transferable quotas (ITQs) is taking place. We fear this leads to financial speculation in marine resources, and ocean grabbing, where the ownership to resources is concentrated to both national and foreign capital. Local communities and fishers are thereby excluded from the right to fish, and loose a direct access to food and money.

The local resources should instead contribute to local community welfare. Fishing rights should only be allocated for a limited amount of time and the community should take part in the allocation. Also the owner of the boats and the fishing rights must physically take part in the fishery, to prevent financial speculation. To stimulate local value-addition fish should be

landed and processed locally.

To further gain value addition locally and nationally there needs to be established regional markets, and prevent a raise in prices through bilateral free trade agreements. Also the social consequences for fisheries communities should be assessed before trade agreements are put into action.

Most importantly food security and good sustainable fishing practices will be achieved only by empowering local communities promoting stewardship and knowledge, and taking the entire value-chain in to consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Harald Sakarias Brøvig Hansen

President of Spire

[email protected]

En ce qui concerne les moyens d'existences les populations rurales du Nord et de l’Extrême Nord du Cameroun, régions  aux risques élevés d’insécurité alimentaire car situe dans la zone sahélienne, elles tirent essentiellement leurs revenus de  l’agriculture, de l’élevage, du petit commerce et parfois de la pêche.

Selon la CFSVA 2007, l’agriculture est importante pour 71 pourcent des ménages; avec une proportion de revenu de l’ordre de 43 pourcent, elle constitue leur principale source de revenus alors que l’élevage en rapporte 10 pourcent. Cette dernière activité vient en complément de l’agriculture pour beaucoup de ménages et occupe environs un tiers de ces derniers. L'élevage en termes de stratégie de résilience aux chocs est une importante source de revenu en période de soudure. La plupart des ménages agricoles pratiquant l’élevage vendent leur bétail pendant la période de soudure. Les agriculteurs éleveurs sont présents dans tous le Cameroun et pratiquent en général du petit élevage (chèvres, vollailles en petite quantité et en divagation). La présence du petit élevage sur les marchés traduit un besoin monétaire immédiat qui ne peut pas être assuré par la vente de denrées alimentaires.  

Les éleveurs spécialisés dans la production bovine qui constitue leur principale source de revenus jouent un rôle important dans la sécurité alimentaire de la partie septentrionale du pays en achetant du bétail aux agriculteurs nécessiteux en période de soudure (juillet, août et septembre) et en étant une source d emprunt pour le financement des activités agricoles et sociales des paysans.

A  l’Extrême-Nord et au Nord, respectivement 8% et 5,6% de ménages pratiquent la pêche.

 

Alain Simplice AZEUFOUET

Senior Statistician Manager

Spécialisée sur les questions de Sécurité Alimentaire et Statistiques Agricoles

Direction des Enquêtes et des Statistiques Agricoles (MINADER)

Cellule des Informations et de l'Alerte Rapide

Greetings,

Here's my contribution:

See Chapter 1: M. Ben-Yami.  2011.  Marine Farming: Perspectives on its Inevitability and Sustainability, pp. 1-25. In: A. Chircop et al (eds) Ocean Yearbook 25. (Martinus Nijhoff Publ. Leiden-Boston). 876 p, 2011.

See attached draft for a chapter in A.S. Issar (Ed.). PROGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT.  (Springer, 2010).  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Best wishes,

MB-Y

Menakhem Ben-Yami

Dr. hc, Kaliningr.St.Tech.Univ.

Fisheries Adviser

18 Alexander Penn St.

Tel Aviv-69641, ISRAEL

Food security does not just concern food production. It can be defined as the physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food to meet dietary need. Fish and aquaculture provide the main source of animal protein to about one billion people globally, it contributed around 16% of animal protein intake and support to the livelihood of 10-12% of the world population. In 2010 the fishery sector represented an employment for 4.2% of the 1.3 billion people economically active in the broad agricultural sectors worldwide, compared with 2.7% in 1990.

Fish is an important source of protein, employment, and foreign income for many  African countries. Africa depends on access agreements with fishing nations, and fisheries aid from developed countries. Increasingly, Africa confronted with competition from Asia for export fish markets.

The value of total fish export from Africa was around US$ 4.4 billion and the total iùmports US$ 2.6 billion. The EU market absorbs 63% of Africa’s fish exports whereas the intra regional is merely 12.3%.

The EU is embracing a broad-based liberalization measures which will lead to erosion of preference margins African countries have enjoyed. Thus, African countries should look into various options to reposition themselves in international fish trade. Other export markets: USA, China, East- Asia and other non-EU Europe accounting for 24 % of Africa’s export value. These markets could expand for African suppliers Intra-African trade is another potential opportunity for the Continent. In the past decade, the significance of the intra-African export trade in fish and fish products grown from 1 to 8 % in value terms

Challenges for Africa:

•         Exploitation of natural fish stocks is reaching limits;

•         Erosion of market shares in major markets;

•         Intra regional trade is low and

•         Aquaculture production has not yet fulfilled its potential. 

Action needed

·         Conservation and sustainable resource use and benefits;

·         Promotion of small-scale fisheries development

·         Sustainable aquaculture development;

·         Promotion of responsible and equity fish trade and marketing;

·         Strengthening of bilateral and regional cooperation;

·         Enhanced human capacity development

30 March 2013

“The study on the role of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture for Food security and nutrition”

Comments by Md. Ghulam Kibria – MFMR/Namibia

Current state of knowledge

Poverty "alleviation" and poverty "reduction" are often used interchangeably even in the learned literature but they are quite different. Poverty alleviation addresses symptoms of poverty and mitigates the effects, it does not lift people out of poverty, which is what poverty reduction is about.

Also it is useful to define what is meant by poverty. There is endless debate in the literature on this and there are concepts such as absolute poverty and the dollar a day measure and then there is relative poverty where poverty is measured against some local contextual standard (e.g. people in the Namibian Caprivi say a poor person is one with less than 10 head of cattle.) Poverty has also been measured in the past in terms of material welfare, income, health, education, etc. But now there is thinking that poverty also includes vulnerability to shocks, lack of assets, dis-empowerment / lack of voice etc. and is also linked to human rights. So again it is important to have a useful and practical definition of poverty that does not require a huge amount of data gathering and monitoring to measure.

Major issues and trends during the last decade

The Bangkok Declaration and Strategy for Aquaculture of 2000 was a comprehensive and well thought through document, virtually all of which is still relevant today.

In the case of subsistence aquaculture Government facilitation is essential to provide extension services, hatchery development for fingerlings etc., resulting in the foundation necessary for essential knowledge and infrastructure. Generally speaking aquaculture only becomes commercially viable if done on a large scale. Consequently input costs for subsistence aquaculture need to be kept at a minimum through using agricultural farm wastes as feed, and then utilising the small fish crop as an additional nutritional source for the farming family / community, or to sell parts of the limited harvest for money to purchase other household essentials.  

The FAO 2005 Regional Review on Aquaculture Development in Sub-Saharan Africa states that “it is highly unlikely that the non-commercial sector will make any significant contribution to fish supply and demand or GDP in the target countries in the short to medium term. This can only be achieved by the commercial sector, which is emerging rapidly in a number of countries”.

A trend in Southern Africa is that Government’s are identifying development of small to medium enterprises (SME’s) as the powerhouse for economic growth, particularly in rural areas.

As stated in the Bangkok Declaration, there is a need to integrate aquaculture into overall rural development programmes. Agriculture development tends to be far advanced over aquaculture development and piggybacking on the extension services of government departments who are already well established in rural sectors will help in the integration process. These other sectors also need continued awareness raising of the potential for aquaculture to improve livelihoods, including participatory approaches to involve stakeholders in policy-making, planning, implementation and monitoring.

It should be noted that small scale aquaculture does not mean subsistence aquaculture. Consequently, with regard to small scale aquaculture, the FAO review recommends mobilizing and organizing rural fish farmers around nucleus commercial producers and/or input suppliers for sustainable support to rural aquaculture.

One of the major challenges when looking at small scale commercial aquaculture production is the ability to provide reasonably priced fish feed, since imported feed becomes expensive due to high freight costs. Until there is the required volumes of fish production generating good demand for fish feed, local feed manufacturers are not keen to embark on producing fish feed, for fear of not being able to sell it. Small scale aquaculture farmers need to get innovative, for example pooling their resources and jointly buying a small fish feed producing machine, where they utilising other agricultural feeds and add additional nutrients that meet the requirements of the fish they are farming. As well as development of good aquaculture feed manufacturing practice, this needs to be followed up with good on-farm feed management. 

In the case of large commercial operations in Africa, they offer employment for their workers which results in financial benefits not only to the workers, but their extended families as well, helping lift them out of poverty.

Has aquaculture development through poverty alleviation, food security and rural development met the expectations and commitments expressed in the Bangkok Declaration

Within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), there is active commitment amongst some countries to pursue the aquaculture developmental ideals of the Bangkok Declaration. In South Africa with its larger economy the commercial aquaculture sector is effectively establishing itself. Countries such as Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe also have established commercial aquaculture farms.

A view that has been noted, however, is that some large commercial farms feel government is not concerned to assist them. It appears they are considered large enough to look after themselves, but this tends to make them feel isolated. Good communication with government, and also with regional and international facilitating organisations would help solve this.

The general emphasis of governments appears to be aimed at rural development, promoting the indigenous population through development of small to medium enterprises (SME’s). As compared to SE Asia, in most instances aquaculture is a relative unknown, so requires a lot of education support to create momentum. Government resources alone are generally not enough to have a lasting impact, so successful SME’s are needed to also champion the cause. Also, costs significantly increase when trying to up production, so farms have tended to stay in the subsistence category. By linking aquaculture SME’s to larger commercial aquaculture operations, this will help create production momentum.    

In the Bangkok Declaration, under Strengthening Institutional Support, it stated that incentives, especially economic incentives, deserve to be given more attention in the planning and management of aquaculture development. This is very true but more input resources are needed to convince government institutions providing those incentives, that it is worthwhile doing so.

Again as stated in the Declaration, African countries are now developing clear aquaculture policy, and a lead agency has been identified to play a strong co-ordinating role. As always though, it generally takes a lot of effort to get the ball rolling, and these lead agencies need more resources to achieve the adequate organisational stature necessary to make real progress.

There needs to be ongoing work in clarifying legal frameworks and policy objectives regarding access and user rights for farmers. Security of tenure is critical for investment to take place, and in many cases this still needs to be made clear.

Also identified in the Declaration is the need to improve the capacity of institutions to develop and implement strategies targeting poor people. Although international development assistance is becoming increasingly directed towards poverty alleviation, much work in the field of aquaculture is still required to achieve this. Consequently, as recommended in the Bangkok Declaration, there is a continued need for donors to adopt more cohesive approaches and procedures, as otherwise the enormity of the job will result in effort being spread too thinly with little evidence of results.

Expectations of aquaculture development through poverty alleviation, food security and rural development in the future

To further SME development in the rural setting, economies of scale need to be created, where the small farms are linked to larger commercial operations, improving logistics and shortcutting the learning curve, as the larger companies, who have already learnt from their own mistakes, can pass this experience on to smaller SME’s linked to them.

To date there are not very many large commercial aquaculture operations, partly because the industry is new in much of Africa, and partly because they have tended to operate in the marine environment, not moving into inland rural freshwater settings, which are generally considered less financially viable. For this reason, African governments will need to also concentrate on helping introduce more large commercial operations which will likely require foreign investment to create momentum, which in turn will assist development of SME’s in aquaculture.

While identified under the heading “Investing in aquaculture development” in the Bangkok Declaration, there is a considerable need to continue fostering a greater understanding within financial institutions and bilateral and multilateral assistance agencies regarding aquaculture development and its financial needs. Also in terms of poverty reduction, there is a need to encourage establishment of credit schemes that support sustainable aquaculture such as micro-credit programmes, particularly for small-scale development.  The risk is always that these small-scale developments do not have the necessary training and logistical support depth for them to succeed financially, so in addition to government support, somehow linking them to on the ground larger commercial players will help in this regard.

The Bangkok Declaration identified fisheries enhancements in inland and coastal waters including culture-based fisheries and habitat modifications in common pool aquatic resources, which require minimal food and energy inputs. These practises provide important opportunities for resource poor sections of the population to benefit from relevant aquaculture technologies and permit efficient use of under-utilised, new or degraded resources. The Declaration pointed out that this has considerable potential for increasing fish supplies from both freshwater and marine fisheries and generating income in rural inland and coastal areas.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been working in the Namibian Caprivi with local community conservancies, and is successfully assisting communities to enhance fish production for local consumption, with little or no input costs. It has also been identified in Mozambique that the Zambezi River basin is suffering from increased fishing pressure as local fishermen harvest resources to undertake small-scale fish trade into surrounding countries. While small-scale, the concern is that the volumes of this trade are on the increase, and effort should be undertaken to assess whether fisheries enhancement could assist these poor Zambezi fishing communities. Also in Mozambique there are a lot of irrigation channels for agricultural production. The concern is that if fisheries enhancement was allowed to occur in these channels, the channels may become damaged. However, continued dialogue needs to occur with the government institutions running the irrigation channels to see if there are opportunities for low input fisheries enhancement. There is also the opportunity to stock fish in flooded rice fields, as occurs in Asia.    

Salient and emerging issues

Value chain analysis is more and more gaining popularity as a means to quantify where the best benefits can be achieved.

In the case of subsistence farmers, aquaculture can just be a sideline to their normal livelihood, utilising what would otherwise be farm wastes, improving human nutrition, and perhaps providing a small income to the farmers.

Small-scale aquaculture operators tend to be more entrepreneurial by nature than subsistence farmers. They often remain restricted by logistical challenges, however, such as not having cold storage facilities for the product once harvested, meaning they can be at the mercy of distributors who can force the price down on the harvested product.

By linking small-scale operators to larger commercial aquaculture operations, a lot of the logistical challenges are overcome, but there is a general suspicion that the large operators will still control the smaller operators, squeezing them financially. Research is needed to see whether this is an issue, and if so, how it can be overcome.

Marketing of products is always crucial, and aquaculture is no exception, where initial technical production problems on being overcome can suddenly result in exponential production, resulting in flooded markets. The New Zealand Green shell Mussel case study is an example of this, the marketing issue being initially overcome by professional promotion at international food trade shows, and exposure through international food magazines. A producer organisation was also established, co-ordinating priorities. Lake Harvest tilapia farm in Zimbabwe did a very good job, initially marketing through a well established marketing company in Europe before developing its own brand, resulting in continued demand for its products, and at good prices.

As well as exporting overseas, Africa is now developing its own middle class with good buying power. There is also a large demand for cheap fish amongst the greater African population, and fisheries enhancement may provide a means for fishers to maintain a livelihood, thereby reducing the threat of overfishing due to increasing population pressure.       

The way forward

My understandings from African experience is that (54 countries) fish productions in the African continent are still insignificant i.e. only 1.3% of the global total productions. One of the reasons behind the low production is poorly planned extension strategy and services at the respective government level. In this connection, we may consider following steps through proper consultation among governments, NGOs, development partners, inter-governmental organizations:

1.The respective ministry of each country should have a National extension strategy which can assist to implement below initiatives:

• to organize an extensive On-Site TNA (Training Need Assessment) nationwide. The long term objective of this TNA program is to improve skills and capacity building of all role players in the fisheries/aquaculture and other allied sectors in respective countries leading to enhanced production, economic returns and livelihoods amongst communities involved. The program can also lead to better delivery of training and other capacity building initiatives based on regional needs and environment.

• Nationwide On-Site TNA will result in several outcomes  such as On-site TNA report, identification of various type of trainings and TOT (short-term and long-term tailor made theory and practical hands-on training courses for different stakeholders including farmers, extension workers, senior trainers etc), review of previous (last 10-12 years) and existing extension materials by various development projects, NGOs etc, development of field-tested extension materials and modules/course-curriculum at Universities level (leaf-lets, pamphlets, posters, flip-charts, manuals, simple record-keeping books etc) for the different target groups (farmers, extension workers, senior trainers etc) level. The extension materials need to be produced in English as well as local vernacular languages.

• To establish and replicate some of few tangible and sustainable extension models (FFS; Farmers field school, FC; Farmers club, VDP; T &V; The training and visit, Village development plan, TDS; Trickle down system etc) from Asia (especially from India, Vietnam, Thailand and Bangladesh) in African countries under the National extension strategy which will obviously assist and harmonize as well as strengthen the infant extension and outreach programme of developing African countries.

2. Some instances for African countries like in western Kenya, six new shops have recently been opened to supply high quality inputs to fish farming businesses called one-stop fish farming shop (Aquashops), the shops are part of a franchise, and are managed by local entrepreneurs, who must invest in order to buy stock and establish their shops. Under the franchise model, all Aquashops stock the same inputs and also offer advice, information and marketing services. As such, they fit very well with recent government investment in fish farming, being implemented as part of a national economic stimulus programme. Franchised shops are rare in rural Africa, but could be an exciting way to improve the availability of services in farming areas.

3. Another example from Eastern Africa such as in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda one of the development Pilot projects called RKN (The Rural Knowledge Network) supports the emergence of commercially viable market access service which are building effective and efficient rural marketing chains for the benefit of all stakeholders. This network encompasses market access networks in these 3 countries with all actors at national, district and local level keeping a constant and effective communication links (e-mail, telephone, SMS, face to face meetings, internet etc) for information sharing and business to business learning

4...Gender itself is a HCD (Human Capital Development) issue where men and women both (involving 100% human resources) should have education and training on aquaculture technologies and knowledge to contribute more food supply and security and earn more capital. Besides, gender awareness among aquaculture experts, scientists and fisher folk is vital in developing Aquaculture a fair and productive sector rather than merely forming policies.

ü  It should identify the existing situation of research, development and policies on gender issues in the fisheries and aquaculture sector of different developing and developed countries and continents.

5. FAO and other agricultural organization might have gender policy and strategic plan to mainstream gender into program and project activities. In spite of this, many project and program are not gender sensitive at all. Gender issue is overlooked in many pond/fish farming activities. How gender inequality can impact on development sector like aquaculture is hardly addressed in education and training program.

ü  It should set-up linkage among various fisheries societies/development partners, NGO-INGO (especially PADEK-Cambodia) for the effective exchange of information, lessons on gender issues.

6. The numbers of training- education and skill training have increased in this sector, women participation in fish farming has increased too. Yet women should come under training of how to get micro-credit and invest capital in trade and business.

ü  To achieve gender equity, changes should have to occur at various levels. The existing gender-related programmes have resulted in awareness on gender issues. This awareness should need to be translated into more visible actions. Continued and coordinated efforts are needful to bring about long-lasting changes in the area of gender.

7. Awareness training aimed at harvesting marketing and pond record keeping could increase the participation but control over those activities is done mostly by men especially in marketing and credit or capital investment. The conference should focus on those issues too related to how to increase women’s control over resources and decision making.

ü  It should increase gender awareness among fisheries professionals and promote the development of gender sensitive research and development projects.

8. Despite this higher involvement, women are usually reluctant to attend the training programs often due to heavy responsibilities at home.

ü  Discussions should be held with both women and men to understand the factors that affected women’s effective participation in aquaculture and to identify the problems and constraints faced by them. The workshop should find out the direction and mechanism to increase women active participation reducing and sharing household responsibility so that higher involvement of women in farming might not increase their heavy work burden.

9. It is very much true that most of the aquaculture scientists improving linkages between research, extension and producers; in many case extension workers are reluctant to talk about gender disparity and its impact on society for socio culture discourse exist in their mind set.

It is no secret that African aquaculture is currently facing a number of development challenges that are an obstacle to rapid development of the sector. These include finance, expertise, juvenile supplies, infrastructure problems, lack of market access, inadequate legislation etc. Not all the countries in the region have developed legislation that deal with aquaculture, although a few countries, for example Namibia, has had such legislation for some years n

In conclusion, I’d like to say that “Traditional Extension Techniques” could not be supplanted until and unless those above challenges are being solved. In this case WE need to establish “A Regional Cooperation” in order to strengthen the extension strategy, capacity building of some selective African countries as a model

.

I trust my above reflections will strengthen our capacity and ability, as AU (African Union) platform to respond, as well as other relevant parties like CAADP, AFAAS, and NEPAD will come forward to collaborate with development partners to formulate an agricultural extension blue print.

Subsistence aquaculture needs continued government support through extension services training and infrastructure development such as initiating small-scale/Mini hatcheries.

By linking small scale aquaculture operations to larger commercial aquaculture companies, this will act as the driver for the development of small scale aquaculture. One should not forget the role of government in this process. The on the ground experience and logistics of the commercial companies as well as their close and regular contact to the small scale farmers, needs to be linked to generic facilitating support of government in areas that commercial companies cannot afford to do on their own such as genetic research.

Governments also have a role in encouraging large scale aquaculture by making commercial aquaculture investment in their countries attractive to skilled investors by offering long-term aquaculture leases that provide security for investment and security to lending agencies such as banks. Governments also need to provide attractive tax benefits to kick start the sector, and facilitate co-ordinated permit approvals between different government departments and municipalities on issues such as area approvals for different types of aquaculture, and effective assessment of environmental impact studies where necessary etc.

Both for small scale and large scale aquaculture operations, governments should prioritise facilitation of financing of aquaculture operations through development and agricultural banks, as well as education and training support of mainstream financial institutions who, without necessary expertise would otherwise not risk getting involved in loans to the emerging aquaculture sector. 

Regarding “Implementation” of the Bangkok Declaration and Strategy for Aquaculture Development, point 1.5 stated “....Where effective regional inter-governmental organisations to promote co-operation in aquaculture development do not exist, such as in Africa ..., building of such mechanisms, and sharing experiences with the existing regional networks, is recommended.

Since the Bangkok Declaration, NEPAD, through the African Union is now creating momentum in promoting development of aquaculture in Africa and to establish a “Common African Agenda”. This promotion at Ministerial level is important to generate support at a high level, so as to encourage future governmental and donor support. NEPAD also has strong links with the FAO, who in turn have a lot of expertise in aquaculture development within Africa, and can provide good perspective regarding the way forward. Within Southern Africa this can be further pursued by organisations such as the SADC Secretariat getting financial support for development of aquaculture in the SADC Region. Institutions such as INFOSA, the Namibian based SADC Regional Office of INFOPECHE, the Intergovernmental Organisation for Marketing Information and Co-operation Services for Fish and Fishery Products in Africa are also promoting aquaculture in Southern Africa. They are doing this in conjunction with the Aquaculture Association of Southern Africa, based in South Africa. The WorldFish Centre is also promoting aquaculture in countries such as Malawi and Zambia.

A number of SADC countries are pursuing aquaculture, including Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Namibian Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) as an example, has also been injecting a lot of money into promoting aquaculture, both marine and freshwater, and developing Regional Inland Freshwater Aquaculture Research facilities such as the multimillion dollar Kamutjonga Inland Fisheries Institute (KIFI), strategically placed along the Caprivi Strip close to Angola, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The African continent contributes only about 1.3% of the total world aquaculture production. The global food insecurity especially as it affected Southern Africa. It’s great pity that about 800 million people were estimated to go to bed on an empty stomach every night.  The majority of those people are from developing nations.

Our potential is much greater and must be enhanced for the benefit for the all African nations. We in Africa will be able to develop aquaculture and make use of the vast and untapped opportunities we have. Sometimes we are not even aware that these opportunities exist. For example, there are vast desert and most of SADC arid countries. But underneath the desert there are huge underground water resources. By conducting rigorous scientific research, these water resources could be utilized for inland aquaculture. We also have dams and perennial rivers. In order for us to make use of these natural resources for food production.

It is foreseeable that small-medium- to large-scale private investments in aquaculture as the key to a positive development. We have seen examples of this already in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Kenya. It is time it happens here especially in SADC regions, too.

It is imperative that to see the universities, polytechniques, research institutions and vocational training institutions to organize tailor-made aquaculture training courses along with hands-on practical training to cater for the human resources needs of our aquaculture industry in Africa.  

It is noted to invite both local and foreign investors to explore the unlimited potential opportunities offered by African continent.  Equally I would invite experts in aquaculture related field as well as of Institutions of higher learning, capacity building and research to consider Africa as a most appropriate aquaculture destination to impart and share their knowledge. Furthermore, I would invite various international organizations, development/strategic partners to assist Africa to reach our goal for aquaculture development. These all initiatives will enable African region to fight the ills of poverty, food insecurity and unemployment.   

While at the time of the Bangkok Declaration, aquaculture in much of Africa was embryonic, but now we are seeing positive signs of it developing into infancy, and in some cases there are genuine commercial success stories. Generally speaking though, a lot of nurturing still needs to be undertaken, as well as research to understand where to prioritise resources. The fact that there are success stories, however, gives strong hope that Africa can develop a vibrant aquaculture sector in the future, and the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010 had provided good tangible directions to achieve this.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MD. Ghulam Kibria

Special Aquaculture Advisor to the Hon Minister

Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR), 

The Government of Republic of Namibia

Private Bag 13355, Uhland Street, 4th Floor, Room 403

WINDHOEK-NAMIBIA 

Tel: 00264-61-2053110/2053101/2053002 (Off); 00264-61-233286 (Fax) 

Cell:00264-814007719; Fax2Email: 00264-088618910

Email: [email protected], [email protected], 

Skype: ghulam.kibria

Web: www.mfmr.gov.na

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“Teach a man/woman how to catch fish and he/she will have food for a day, 

and teach him/her how to grow fish and he/she will have food for life”

Australian Contribution to the High Level Panel of Experts for Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) scoping note on the role of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture for Food Security and Nutrition 

General Comments

Overall, Australia considers that the document is trying to cover too much ground and is poorly drafted. We suggest the committee choose the most important issues, where new work or thinking could be introduced. Some of the work proposed here has been covered in other and ongoing international processes including within FAO. For example, improving the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries is a standing topic of discussion in FAO’s Committee on Fisheries and small-scale fisheries are the specific subject of current FAO consultations. The jumble of issues and their description is unlikely to attract useful comment.

Many of the statements and observations about the state of wild capture fisheries and aquaculture are not relevant to the Australian experience. Some serious work on the potential for aquaculture to increase its contribution as a source of protein would be interesting. The issues of pollution and damage to wild capture fisheries to feed farmed fish are relevant.

Overall, Australia suggests that research into technical and policy improvements could be mentioned more emphatically, as increased human population and declining fish resources will require new systems and fish technologies. We consider that the increasing role of aquaculture in fish supply is worthy of separate programs as opposed to capture fisheries. In developing countries aquaculture is expanding at small farm level and is a source of diversification, income and nutrition that is often understated. The HLPE report could help address this issue.

It is true that total aquaculture production has increased rapidly in recent years and that this expansion has had/can have environmental impacts. The impact on small pelagic fisheries, targeted for fish meal for aquaculture, can be considerable and could increase. Aquaculture hasn’t expanded to the same extent and rate all over the world – it predominates in Asia. The drafters could avoid using global statistics to indicate a global problem.

Specific Comments

1. How can the implementation of the FAO “Code of Conduct “for Responsible Fisheries and Aquaculture” be further improved globally for sustainable aquatic resource management?

• Please refer to comment above in opening paragraph.

2.  How will nations maintain the integrity of the resource base (the source of food) in the face of these pressures, and the livelihoods dependent on them?

• Aside from the recognising the ecosystem-based limitations of marine resources, policy makers should recognise the role of political and social behaviour limitations; and, where relevant (i.e. coastal commercial fisheries), the market limitations.
• ‘Bottom up’ changes in social and political behaviour and market forces play an important role in fisheries management and are factors undermining any effort made at a national/regional policy level. 
• Policies which promote the protection of coral reef systems (ridge to reef inputs and preservation of upstream components)
• Noting that coastal resources around the world currently face significant pressures which are increasing (primarily due to populations growth and climate change), there is the need for stronger analysis of where the food insecurity problems lie now and into the future is needed.  Coastal reef productivity, population density, consumption and climate change should all be considered. Subsequently appropriate policy and decision making tools will need to be developed.

3. What are the key socioeconomic issues which affect the sustainability and development of fisheries and aquaculture?

• Transparency in political systems and decision making processes combined with sound fisheries management advice are fundamental to the process of turning resource users into resource stewards. 

4.  To what extent can contributions be made to policy development and have considerable impact on securing small-scale fisheries /artisanal fisheries in their fundamental rights and creating benefits, especially in terms of food security and poverty reduction?

There are a number of policies which may have significant impacts on ensuring food security. Referring specifically to the Pacific, where there is a large healthy resource of skipjack tuna, policies which give local communities greater access to these resources and their by-catch would improve food security. Examples of such policies could include:

• Increasing access of communities to by-catch from commercial vessels (with strong consideration of the local market conditions to ensure oversupply does not occur)
• a national requirement for fishing vessels to provide part of their catch for food security
• Increased Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) programs to give artisanal fishermen access to tuna resources

5.  How can the gender specific needs and rights of women be protected through enforceable rights over land, water resources, credit and other related matters?

• Given the prominent role of females in post harvesting, processing and markets, scope to promote female entrepreneurship 
• Social protection of women for issues arising from fishing vessels in ports
• Given the female dominance in fish processing plants, support to women moving from the informal to the  formal labour market

6.  What continuous improvements in institutional capacities (both national and regional) is critical for the success of management and governance of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture?

• Australia strongly supports the role and primacy of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) in fisheries management. As a network, these bodies cover most of the world’s oceans. We are mindful of major fishing entities that cooperate with RFMOs outside the FAO framework and we are concerned that FAO-based activities do not exclude or isolate such. Rather, we see a role for FAO in building national capacity for nations to participate in those regional institutions as well as implement effective monitoring, control and surveillance processes (question 6) in their national waters.
• Institutional capacity is fundamental to sound fisheries management.  Many national fisheries administrations have limited capacity and coordination of activities remains weak.
• Having in-country based technical assistance provides not only technical expertise, however it also provides a logical coordination point for meeting national and donor priorities.
• Transparency and political-will are also likely to be key constraints.

7. How sustainable aquaculture can be promoted for food security and nutrition, as well as livelihoods, into the longer term?

We agree that a review of aquaculture’s contribution to food security is desirable. In emerging industries/technologies there will always be things that go wrong and different states will always priorities social, economic and ecological considerations differently. Identifying policies which support science, research and development as well as environmental monitoring and mitigation are the more important issues.

• There is no guidance on what “pricing mechanisms” and “fund schemes” the drafters plan to include in the study.
• Sustainable aquaculture has the potential to improve livelihoods and promote food security and nutritional security. 
• Disease outbreaks have certainly reduced the effectiveness of food production and addressing this issue may give large gains in total aquaculture production.
• Implementation of World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines, exploration of shared veterinary services, national biosecurity assessments, biosecurity frameworks, better support for the siting of farms, and controlled development of aquaculture will all assist to reduce the impacts of disease.
• Another point worth mentioning is that we currently don’t disaggregate aquaculture into commercial and subsistence however the rationale for pursuing each requires different consideration. 
• In the Pacific, freshwater availability and feed costs remain key considerations for the development of the aquaculture industry

8. What policies are necessary for fair and improved trading?

• Aquaculture is a global, competitive industry and fish products are highly traded internationally. While we support free trade, we do not consider the FAO should be running agendas in this space.
• In recognition of the value of most seafood being at the ‘catch’ and ‘retail’ ends of the market chain, policies which promote greater vertical integration of seafood and direct value retained by the communities are needed.
• Expertise in the value chain analysis and marketing are needed to develop markets. 
• Good community fisheries/aquaculture governance is required to control and maintain supply.  Development of small farmer/fisher groups may be advantageous for the above causes. Solidarity amongst communities and farmers will remain key to ensuring maximum benefits are retained by producers.

9.  What would promote fish value chain development that supports food security and nutrition?

• Eco-certifications of any seafood commodities produced by communities
• Policies which promote the increase of value rather than volume

10.  What other policies and relevant technology options are available for waste minimisation, better resource accountability and management?

• In reference to the statement “small-scale fisheries generally have lower discard rates than industrial fisheries”, we note that this is not always the case and a regrettable regard to ‘trash fish’ is still common in some places.
• In Australia, we are currently conducting a routine review of our Commonwealth policy on fisheries bycatch, which seeks to improve the management of bycatch in Commonwealth fisheries by developing a revised policy framework.
• We disagree that “Most international fisheries management operates outside the public eye” (question 10). Observers participate in RFMO meetings and documents are made publicly available before and after meetings. While fisheries negotiations may be held in private, this is consistent with negotiations under most international agreements.
• Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is mentioned only briefly (question 10) but we note that it still undermines national, regional and global efforts towards sustainability in fisheries and fairness and equity for the many fishers who follow the rules.
• Increasing access of communities to by-catch from commercial vessels
• Increasing access to technologies for better handling of fish for small scale fleets
• Rights based management for communities
• Bottom up social changes which give communities a sense of pride in their resources.

Concluding Comments

The Australian Government thanks the HLPE for developing a scoping note for their report on Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture for Food Security and Nutrition. Australia is happy to engage with the HLPE to provide comment on future documents and draft reports and would appreciate an opportunity to review the studies terms of reference.

Dear Moderator,

RE ROLE OF FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE FOR FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION.

Fisheries and aquaculture are sea foods. They are rich in Nutrition and have high calories.Fisheries are an important addition to every meal, it is majorly eaten by both the poor and rich. Fishes have high calories and helps in food metabolism and enrich the food content and quality in each meal.

Fish and aquaculture are produced, on rivers, seas, oceans or on artificial ponds for use by households and for commercial purposes.

Medically fish helps in adding vitamins like vitamin A because of its rich oil content,vitamin C and others.It helps in food digestion and makes room for more quantity consumption of food.

There are over one hundred types of fishes in the waters. It ranges from Cat fish to tilapia  and other big sea foods like whale.. This makes available, Market and household income increase and substantial nutritional values.

Food security is an agenda of making food available to households in way and contents that add value to their health and enough provision of three square meals per day, for each families within a medium income bracket at an affordable price and at the right market or agreed exchange point.

Food security will indeed end up in archieves if the principles are not obeyed and its motive not archieved..Therefore food security must be measured in quantum and in quality.

Nutrition is the intake of foods that have the ingridients to give requisite bodily needs rich in vitamins, power and capable of giving enzymes required by the bodies.

Therefore the sources of getting these needs must be removed from abuse and must come under a counties recurrent budjet and capital expenditure.

Sustainable fishries will  improve the economy of small scale farmers, and give households regular source of income. Sustainability means an increase in the production of fish by farmers  and available market and at good prices to encourage more investments and more productios

Sustainable fisheries will entail opening up of viable linkages of Agriculture fundings and value additions and putting away profits made in the business as capital for reinvestments..

Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture are a sure way of making money and ensurering food security and Nutrition for all.

LIZZY IGBINE

NIGERIAN WOMEN AGRO ALLIED FARMERS ASSOCIATION.

Dear Mr. Swaminathan,

I am writing to you in my capacity as Special Rapporteur on the right to food pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 13/4.

I note that the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), at its 39th session,

recognized the significant role played by fisheries and aquaculture in food security and nutrition, and requested the High Level Panel of Experts for Food Security and nutrition (HLPE) to undertake a study on the role of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture for food security and nutrition to be presented to the CFS plenary in 2014. In this connection, I understand that an e-consultation has been launched to seek views, public feedback and comments on the pertinence and relative importance of some key questions that the report proposes to address.

I welcome this decision by the CFS to address such a timely and salient issue

because, too often, a gap has existed between the import role played by fisheries and aquaculture and the degree of attention it is given in discussions concerning food and nutrition security. In order to address this gap, I prepared a report on fisheries and the right to food that I presented to the United Nations General Assembly in October 2012 (enclosed). The report assesses the contribution of fisheries to global food security, and examines how the right to food can guide our efforts toward sustainable fisheries.

I would like to seize the opportunity of the e-consultation to contribute two of my reports on fisheries and women’s rights, which I hope will be useful to the HLPE. I also offer the following comments on the questions raised in the e-consultation.

The right to food is primarily the right to food oneself in dignity, and is realized when every man, woman and child, alone or in community with others, has physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or means for its procurement. The right to food is universal and applies to all sectors. For example, the importance of applying the right to food is evidenced in international policy discussions on fisheries. The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries advanced the obligation of States to promote food security and the rights of small-scale fishers. In 2007, the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) committed to promote a human rights-based approach, arguing that “the recognition and adoption of human rights principles can help achieve poverty eradication and facilitate the adoption of responsible fisheries practices.”

The commitment to human rights is being developed further in the proposed

FAO “International Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries,” which follows the recommendation made by COFI during its 29th session (February 2011).

This process is based on the increasing recognition of small-scale fisheries as a major contributor to poverty alleviation and food security, an acknowledgment that figured prominently in the Global Conference on Small-Scale Fisheries in Bangkok in 2008, which also reaffirmed that human rights are critical to achieving sustainable development in the field of fisheries management.

It would seem to me essential to link the content of the HLPE report on the role of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture for food security and nutrition to the norms and standards of international human rights law, including the right to food.

1. How can the implementation of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and Aquaculture be further improved globally for sustainable aquatic resource management?

As awareness has grown of the threat posed by overfishing, international

agreements and guidelines have been drawn up to address various dimensions of the problem, including the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries,

which adopt precautionary and ecosystems approaches to fisheries. Coastal

States and landlocked States with inland fisheries should respect existing

international instruments, and involve local fishing communities in the design, implementation and assessment of the fisheries policies and interventions affecting them. See for developments A/67/268, paras. 43–46, 60 and 61.

2. How will nations maintain the integrity of the resource base (the source of food) in the face of these pressures, and the livelihoods dependent on them?

Global marine and inland fisheries play an important role in the food security of millions of people, providing a vital source of high-quality dietary protein and supporting individuals’ livelihoods and income. It is widely acknowledged,however, that the productivity of global fisheries as a source of food is in a state of decline, which is primarily caused by unsustainable and destructive fishing practices and perverse subsidies, and is aggravated by climate change, pollution and habitat loss. States will have to strike a balancing act in the face of the emerging challenges that are emerging. In doing so, States should involve local fishing communities in accordance with human rights norms and standards. See the developments in A/67/268, paras. 20–28, 60, 61(c), (e), and 62(a),(b),(c),(d).

3. What are the key socioeconomic issues which affect the sustainability and

development of fisheries and aquaculture?

The contribution made by the global fisheries sector to the right to food and food security it critical, as noted in paragraph 113 of the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 66/288. Yet, in part because data are insufficient, it is often underappreciated. Nonetheless, fisheries play a role as a source of income security and poverty reduction. This latter function can be seen where fishing operates as a safety-net for groups vulnerable to poverty and food security.

Food security is a matter of political economy and social inclusion. In many

places, those reliant on the fisheries sector face enormous insecurity and high levels of poverty, and the contribution that this sector could make to food security at local and national levels are seriously limited by current policies and practices. There are a range of contributing factors, such as poor access to education, declining or absent infrastructure, limited access to credit (or credit provided on unfair terms), lack of preferential access to fishing grounds, tariff and non-tariff barriers to international trade, competition from cheaper imports, corruption in fisheries management, etc. Improving the socioeconomic functions of fishing and the contributions made by fishers to poverty reduction and food security requires active steps to secure all aspects of human rights for fishing communities; including the rights to food, health, education, information, participation, equality and non-discrimination and access to justice. See the developments in A/67/268, paras. 6–8, 10–19.

4. To what extent can contributions be made to policy development and have

considerable impact on securing small-scale fisheries/artisanal fisheries in their fundamental rights and creating benefits, especially in terms of food security and poverty reduction?

The small-scale sector, particularly in developing countries, plays a significant role in food security for millions of people, both through income security for fishing communities and also through the supply of fish for local, national and increasingly international markets.

It is critical for States to collaborate with small-scale and artisanal fishers and civil society in policy development. Free, active and meaningful participation of small-scale and artisanal fishers is key in the management of fisheries. It is also important that small-scale and artisanal fishers participate in wider decisionmaking processes that affect them. Linked to the exercise of participation is the right to information and transparency, which are essential to accountability.

Fishing communities must have access to information regarding relevant

policies and programmes to enable them to recognize and understand the

possible implications for them. Moreover, increasing access to information and transparency is not only necessary to facilitate participation, but also to create buy in. Lastly, it is essential to ensure accountability through adequate monitoring and follow up. States should also implement the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the context of national food security. See the developments in A/67/268, paras. 24–28, 52–59, 61(d) and 62(a).

5. How can the gender specific needs and rights of women be protected through enforceable rights over land, water resources, credit and other related matters?

Women comprise about half of the global fisheries workface, typically

concentrated in the pre-harvest and post-harvest sectors, with many coming from rural communities where alternative income activities may be limited. States should take measures that support women’s role in the fisheries sector, for instance by ensuring access to credit for women and providing adequate facilities for them at landing sites, among others. See for developments A/67/268, paras. 6, 8, 61(d), as well as A/HRC/22/50 (on women’s rights and the right to food).

6. What continuous improvements in institutional capacities (both national and regional) are critical for the success of management and governance of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture?

Global fisheries face challenges as a result of weak governance at the national, regional and international levels. Since the 1996 World Food Summit there has been a tremendous improvement in the understanding of how to address food insecurity and how the right to food should be approached at the national level.

In this regard, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has

elaborated in its General Comment No. 12 (1999) the steps States should take

towards the adoption of a national strategy to ensure food and nutrition security for all, based on human rights norms and standards that define the objectives, and the formulation of policies and corresponding benchmarks.

Accordingly, a national strategy should include the establishment of appropriate institutional mechanism, in particular to: (i) identify, at the earliest stage possible, emerging threats to the right to food, by adequate monitoring systems;

(ii) improve coordination between different relevant ministries, and between the national and sub-national levels of government; (iii) improve accountability, with a clear allocation of responsibilities, and the setting of precise timeframes for the realization of the dimensions of the right to food that require progressive implementation; and (iv) ensure active and meaningful participation, particularly of the most food-insecure segments of the population. The same can be applied to regional strategies. See the developments in A/67/268, paras. 61(b) and 61(f).

7. How sustainable aquaculture can be promoted for food security and nutrition, as well as livelihoods, into the longer term?

Food security concerns created by the decline in production from wild capture fisheries, as well as an increasing demand for seafood, has led to an expanding interest in the current and potential contribution to food supply by aquaculture (or fish farming). The positive contribution to food security by fish farming needs to be considered, among others, in terms of its environmental externalities and labour practices (the two being closely related as often it is the workers who suffer most from poor environmental regulation). Some forms of fish farming generate pollution, coastal habitat degradation, contamination of wild stocks with farmed stocks, etc. These can have negative impacts on both coastal communities and marine ecosystems. Moreover, there have been several reports of commercial fish farming in developing countries that have relied on extremely poor standards of employment, with women in particular being vulnerable to exploitation, lack of employment security and basic entitlements.

The progressive realization of the right to food is not simply indicated by

absolute growth in production, but rather how access to farmed food is provided to the most marginalized and most food insecure must be considered. See the developments in A/67/268, 33–37, 61(e).

8. What policies are necessary for fair and improved trading?

The fisheries sector has become an increasingly important, but undervalued,

economic sector, both as a source of export revenue and as a source of State

revenue from selling access to distant-water fishing fleets, particularly for lowincome food-deficit countries or developing countries. The overall economic, social and food security impacts of this increase in international trade of fish products are, however, ambiguous. In some cases trade has opened up new opportunities for increased incomes for local fishers, although the benefits are not always distributed well or reach the most food insecure populations. The industrialization of some fisheries, encouraged through an increase in exportoriented fisheries, has also worked to squeeze out some local fishers, but has also provided new jobs for those outside traditional fishing communities. For example, in some countries, increase in export fisheries has led to an impressive expansion of employment in value-added activities, particularly in the postharvest sector and in countries that have benefited from importing fish for processing and re-export. See for developments A/67/268, paras. 29–32, 47, 50–51, 61(g) and 62(b); and see A/HRC/19/59/Add.5 (on the steps for the preparation of human rights impact assessments of trade and investment agreements).

9. What would promote fish value chain development that supports food security and nutrition?

Many fishers, particularly small-scale and artisanal fishers, face difficulties in

increasing their share of profits in national, regional and international supply

chains. In many countries fishers complain that the majority of profits in supply chains are made by relatively few middlemen or export companies, while the price paid to small-scale fishers for fish can be low. There are some examples where small-scale fisheries have improved their vertical integration into national and international supply chains, which has resulted in greater profits and profit sharing in coastal communities. See for developments A/67/268, paras.61(d)(iii), (iv), and A/66/262 (on business models that could benefit the livelihoods of small-scale farmers by improving access to markets and contribute to the realization of the right to food).

10. What other policies and relevant technology options are available for waste minimization, better resource accountability and management?

Adopting policies and practices that are sustainable are crucial to reduce waste and ensure better resource management. It is important to combat illegal fishing practices, the targeting and trading of protected species, and the use of banned fishing gear, among others. The other issues that must be urgently tackled are overfishing, high-grading, foreign access arrangements in developing countries, and fishing sector subsidies, etc. See for developments A/67/268, paras. 13–15, 47–49 and 63.

I remain at your disposal and that of the HLPE Steering Committee. I can be

reached through the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

I would like to seize the opportunity to commend the High-Level Panel of

Experts for its invaluable contribution to the deliberations of the CFS, under your esteemed leadership.

Sincerely,

Olivier De Schutter

Special Rapporteur on the right to food

Asian food securuty due to many reasons is bound with water and both cultured and capturured marine resources are important in ensuring economy. Yet the big question remains: Is this income contributing to food security and nutritional security? For an example small scale shrimp aquaculture farmers in Sri Lanka directly imports their product and they do not use it for their consumption and income is mostly invested for next years farming. Any excess is invested on education of young generations and building up financial assets for the young as both are considered as duties of parents.