To empower marginalised actors to become willing and able to engage proactively with more powerful market actors.

Key findings from the Illuminating Hidden Harvests report - This brief presents the main results from the Illuminating Hidden Harvests (IHH) report, providing new, clearer insights to support the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This photostory book celebrates the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (IYAFA 2022) by showing the diversity of the small-scale fisheries and aquaculture sector in Asia, as home to the majority of the world's small-scale fishers, fish farmers, and fish workers.

Fisheries and aquaculture contribute to food security and livelihoods of millions of people in Asia. Both women and men are engaged in fisheries and aquaculture. In the past ten years, many actors have worked on raising awareness on women’s contribution as well as promoting gender equality in fisheries and aquaculture. This study aims to consolidate the efforts to date to provide recommendations for action and future studies.

This handbook has been developed to support the joint implementation of the SSF Guidelines and the Right to Food Guidelines through an integrated approach and to increase policy coherence and uptake. The document provides an overview of the contents of these voluntary guidelines and identifies potential synergies. It also explains the human rights-based approach and discusses some crucial areas, with special attention to the specific roles and responsibilities of key actors.

This document is part of a series of briefs framed under the provisions of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). The briefs aim to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods and sustainable development of the small-scale fisheries sector and provide examples of coping strategies.

This document includes eight studies showcasing good practices in support of sustainable small-scale fisheries. FAO commissioned these studies aiming to share experiences and promote the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines).

Post-harvest challenges faced by small-scale fisheries stakeholders have been the focus of numerous projects, programmes and investments in Africa. Many of these initiatives have aimed to benefit women, who often dominate processing and trade activities.

This report provides a summary of key findings from a desk review and primary data research that has aimed to identify successful post-harvest initiatives related to infrastructure design and management, improved post-harvest technology, value addition and access to finance.

A snapshot of findings from the Illuminating Hidden Harvests (IHH) report

This brief helps facilitators use, reflect on, and adapt gender-inclusive strategies in their work with communities.

This background paper presents the challenges, opportunities, and recommendations to tackle child labour in fisheries and aquaculture.

Territories of Life: 2021 Report is a local-to-global analysis of territories and areas conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities (sometimes abbreviated as “ICCAs” or “territories of life”). This multi-scale approach weaves together diverse perspectives, insights and new findings about the grassroots global phenomenon of territories of life while also creating space for nuance and complexity. Overall, the report adds to a growing body of literature on the incontrovertible role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in ensuring a healthy planet for all, and the urgent actions required to support them.

This report provides a baseline analysis of women’s economic empowerment in the fisheries sector in the blue economy of the Indian Ocean rim region. The report focuses on the 22 Member States of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and includes both marine and inland fisheries and aquaculture sectors.

The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) were adopted by member countries of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and were officially approved as an international instrument in June 2014. Tis document is only a summation of the contents of the Guidelines.

The contributions of women to fisheries are often invisible, ignored, and unrecognized even though they represent 47% of the global fisheries workforce, especially in pre- and post-production activities. Poor data systems lead to incorrect assumptions about the gender division of labor in fisheries. This causes the role of women in fisheries to be overlooked. To evaluate the contribution of women in the value chain, a participatory methodology was implemented in three small-scale, fisheries in Mexico: California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) fishery from the northern Mexican Pacific, penshell (Atrina maura) fishery from the Gulf of California, and Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) fishery from the Mesoamerican Reef region.

Collective action is recognized as a key element to successfully implementing sustainable fisheries. Nevertheless, gender equality, as an essential component in such actions, is often missing. In fisheries, women’s contributions are regularly invisible and remain unrepresented in statistics. In this paper, we examine the current status of women in Mexican fisheries based on governmental reports and programs, as well as five case studies from small-scale fishing communities.

The Monterey Framework is a collectively agreed-upon definition of socially responsible seafood with input and backing from over two-dozen environmental and human rights organizations and voluntary commitments from an equal number of seafood businesses.

Summary of recommendations for the revision of Ghana’s Fisheries Act

This report examines traditional management and tenure arrangements in the clam fishery of the Volta river estuary and provides recommendations for ensuring the sustainability of the clam fishery, which is critical for local livelihoods and food security.