Community fisheries organizations of Cambodia. Sharing processes, results and lessons learned in the context of the implementation of the SSF Guidelines
The institution of community fisheries (CFi) organizations in Cambodia provides an interesting case for the empowerment of small-scale fisheries. The document pulls together findings from two activities carried out in the context of the development and implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) in Cambodia. These activities aimed at gaining a better understanding of the small-scale fisheries sector in Cambodia in general, with particular emphasis on the functioning of the CFi.
Part 1 documents a national consultation process on small-scale fisheries which took place in 2012 to inform the development of the SSF Guidelines. This process provided a comprehensive assessment of the CFi organizations at the local, provincial and national level, and generated Guidelines for a brighter future for small-scale fisheries in Cambodia through community fisheries.
Part 2 consists of a scoping study to explore the community fisheries organizations through Elinor Ostrom’s eight principles for the governance of the commons.
According to the data from the Community Fisheries Development Department (CFDD) there were 507 CFi institutions in Cambodia in 2015. This attempt to understand whether the Community Fisheries organizations of Cambodia are an example of a ‘modern commons’ was undertaken in August 2015.