Synthesis of aquaculture policy and development approaches in Africa

The WorldFish Center was tasked to undertake a study to access, collate and develop background materials to produce an internationally linked and Africa-wide perspective on sectorally relevant policy issues. The specific objective of the study was to assess and define conditions and impact pathways, in Africa or elsewhere, where markets, policies, resources and technologies have combined to promote steady and sustainable growth of aquaculture, and where have been clear direct impacts on food supply, income, employment and consumption opportunities, as well as increase in supply that has led to stabilised prices. The study was also aimed at providing guidelines for scaling up the implementation of the synthesis study via Afri-FishNet (CAADP Fish Expert Pools) at the national and regional levels.

Institutional, policy and regulatory framework for sustainable development of the Egyptian aquaculture sector

This report presents the findings of a mission to critically review the institutional, policy and regulatory framework for sustainable development of the Egyptian aquaculture sector. The study was undertaken by an International Expert on Aquaculture Policy, and a National Expert on Institutions, on behalf of the Project “Improving Employment and Income through the Development of Egypt’s Aquaculture Sector“, implemented by WorldFish and CARE, and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation(SDC). The objective of the mission was to assess the current status of the Egyptian aquaculture sector, in terms of the policy, legal and institutional environment, with a view to suggesting the major issues to be addressed within a future policy dialogue.

Sea level rise adaptation: emerging lessons for local policy development

Many coastal communities across the United States are beginning to plan for climate-related sea level rise. While impacts and solutions will vary with local conditions, jurisdictions which have begun this process seem to pass through three common stages when developing policy for local sea level rise adaptation: l) building awareness about local sea level rise threats, 2) undertaking analyses of local vulnerabilities, and 3) developing plans and policies to deal with these vulnerabilities. The purpose of this paper is to help advance community dialogue and further inform local decision-makers about key elements and steps for addressing climate-related sea level rise. It summarizes the results of a project the Marine Policy Institute (MPI) undertook during 2011-12 to review experiences from fourteen U.S. coastal jurisdictions representing a variety of city, county, and state efforts with sea level adaptation. There are many more initiatives underway than those reflected in this sample, but the “focus jurisdictions” were selected because of the extensive information publically available on their experiences and lessons being learned that could provide insights for coastal communities, especially in Southwest Florida.

Agriculture, irrigation and poverty reduction in Cambodia: Policy narratives and ground realities compared

This report is a contribution to an assessment of the current status of agriculture in Cambodia, focusing on the linkages between agriculture and water, mainly in the form of irrigation. It seeks to view current government policies on agriculture and irrigation in the context of experiences on the ground, as communicated through the many field studies that cover varied aspects of performance in the agriculture sector and irrigation schemes. In an effort to identify future research areas, this review examines the status quo, and connects or disconnects with stated policy through a broad lens to capture strengths and challenges across crop production, irrigation management and post-harvest contexts. It places irrigation under scrutiny in terms of its value as a major area of government expenditure in recent years, and asks whether it presents the best potential for future gains in productivity, when compared with the prospects offered by investments in other aspects of agriculture. The fieldwork and review of current literature that form the basis of this report were undertaken at the request of, and partly funded by, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). It is also intended to contribute knowledge to the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) led by WorldFish, who co-funded the activities.

Dialogue to address the roots of resource competition: Lessons for policy and practice

Conflict management is an intrinsic element of natural resource management, and becomes increasingly important amid growing pressure on natural resources from local uses, as well as from external drivers such as climate change and international investment. If policymakers and practitioners aim to truly improve livelihood resilience and reduce vulnerabilities of poor rural households, issues of resource competition and conflict management cannot be ignored. This synthesis report summarizes outcomes and lessons from three ecoregions: Lake Victoria, with a focus on Uganda; Lake Kariba, with a focus on Zambia; and Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. Partners used a common approach to stakeholder engagement and action research that we call “Collaborating for Resilience”. In each region, partners assisted local stakeholders in developing a shared understanding of risks and opportunities, weighing alternative actions, developing action plans, and evaluating and learning from the outcomes. These experiences demonstrate that investing in capacities for conflict management is practical and can contribute to broader improvements in resource governance.

Prawn culture and policy options: technology import and culture through fishermen vis a vis industry

Recent developments in aquaculture has created an awareness that prawn culture is a dollar spinner, in which industry can step in to earn foreign exchange by producing an expensive food iten which has a high market demand abroad. The Government has to take a policy decision whether the prawn culture should be done through small fishermen to improve their socio-economic condition or through private industry with the high technology input and predefined objectives of export trade. Perhaps a simultaneous operation of the two could be allowed best in the interest of India. Perhaps in the interest of quick development and adoption of high production technology, through fishermen organization, the development is encouraged through the implimentation of welfare and area development schemes. In some selected areas private industry may be encoureged to use high production technology to develop prawns.

Report of the Regional Policy Review Workshop, Penang, Malaysia, 2-4 October, 2012

The objectives of the workshop were to validate the contents and findings of the regional synthesis of policy instruments,processes and implementation, which the BOBLME project had produced in 2011; to identify areas of policy needs and gaps and constraints in policy implementation; and to develop a work plan and recommendations for future action work on harmonising policies and strengthening policy making capacity in the Bay of Bengal region.

Fisheries, marine environment, and integrated coastal management policy processes, content and implementation in the BOBLME countries: regional synthesis and country questionnaires

This paper examines policy processes, policy trends and policy implementation with regards to capture fisheries, the marine environment and Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) in BOBLME countries. Individual country information was analyzed to generate a regional synthesis.

Workshop on assessing governance in the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem, Bangkok, Thailand, October 28-30, 2014: workshop summary and messages for Bay of Bengal marine resource policy-makers and other stakeholders

This brochure suggests casting a wider net when dealing with governance assessment to include other players.

Policies on poverty and the fisheries sector in Uganda: the current policy trends

There are concerns, at least among the proponents of development, on how to link policy development processes in Uganda and the associated transformation of the poor to high standards of living. In fact some questions have been posed as to whether it's the absence of poverty-targeted policies that a good proportion of individuals or communities are still poor. In the fisheries sector where most of the fish dependent communities live, poverty indications are still prevalent although arguments have been put that current reforms in the sector have transformed the lives of the fish dependent communities. The 1999/2000 household survey report indicates that the poverty levels reduced to 35% of Uganda's total population from 44% in 1997. The question that arose, which still arises anyway, was to define who is actually poor. When measuring poverty one is ultimately interested in the 'standards of living' of individuals especially those, whose standards of living are inadequate. The basic element of measuring this inadequacy/adequacy, at least in Uganda, is to use the household income or consumption per adult equivalent. Studies have demonstrated that household consumption expenditure is a good approximation of household income1. Therefore, for purpose of this report, we define poor households to mean based on that that one adopted by the Ministry of Finance to mean "households whose expenditure per adult equivalent falls below the poverty line 3 ". Many government documents report that the poverty line is one dollar a day. Therefore someone is below the poverty line if he or she lives on less than one dollar a day. In this paper, we analyse the evolution of poverty-driven policies that have been put in place by government and how these policies are shifting or are likely to shift the lives of fish dependent communities. We argue that combinations of poverty-policies are being translated into increased incomes and welfare of most individuals in the fisheries sector. The reasons for this shift, we argue, is as a result of a combination of factors all supported by non other that poverty-led government policies.

Strengthening effectiveness of policy directives of the LVFO Council of Ministers on Lake Victoria, Uganda

Research was done to assess the dissemination and implementation by the Fisheries Department, Local Govemments and beach management units and the awareness, acceptance and compliance among fishers to the CoM Directives on management of Lake Victoria fisheries. Conducted by the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI), the research focused on the implementation and effectiveness of measures following the LYFO Council of Ministers (CoM) Directives for improved management of the fisheries of Lake Victoria, with particular reference to the 2009 CoM Directives as a case study, it was established that many of the Directives have not been implemented. In cases where the directives were implemented, their effectiveness remains questionable. While steps were taken to disseminate and implement the Directives, there were some challenges, including the unclear legal status of the directives, limited dissemination materials and poor methods of dissemination, language barriers and inadequate resources for enforcement.