II. Fishery, nutrition and income: focus on small-scale
fisheries
The growing potential of the sector can possibly increase
employment opportunities and food security if adequate and specific policies
are implemented. Such policies must take into account all stakeholders
including small scale fisherfolks in order to effectively improve their food
security and reduce poverty in those communities.
1. Poverty alleviation through fishery activities
Poverty alleviation in the context of fisheries requires
sustainable management of marine resources. After defining poverty and the
concepts associated with it we will focus on the relation between sustainable
management of fisheries and poverty reduction.
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a. Concepts surrounding poverty
Dynamic and constantly evolving, fishery employs people
fulltime, part-time, seasonally or even when individuals experience punctual
reduced income. Small-scale fishery provides people in temporary need of quick
cash a safety net. Vulnerable households when faced with economic stress such
as loss of income or national economy destabilisation turn to small-scale
fishery for an additional or alternative source of income (FAO 2005). The
resilience to this type of behaviour among the poorest bears witness to the
fact that fishing contributes to poverty reduction (FAO 2008). The UNDP
described poverty in its 1997 report as:
«Poverty means that opportunities and choices most basic
to human development are denied Ð to lead a long, healthy, creative life
and to enjoy a decent standard of living, freedom, dignity, self-respect and
the respect of others» (UNDP 1997)
The concept of poverty can also include several different
forms of penury related to basic human needs such a s food security, dignity
and decent work (OECD 2001). In the context of fishery, poverty reduction can
be understood as:
«a process through which people are becoming
measurably better off over time due to their involvement/investment in
fisheries activities.» (FAO 2005)
Poverty can exist at 3 different but interconnected levels.
First at household level, when income does not allow the enjoyment of a proper
standard of living. Second, at community level and third at national level.
Poverty studies and analysis in general but also in Sierra Leone misjudged the
concept, regarding it as homogenous and capable of being applied uniformly to
all. On the contrary, poverty is a complex concept especially when it comes to
fisherfolks. For a long time, poverty research focused on income and assets
that a lot of fisherfolks don't own. While they of course play a substantial
role in their poverty their income is usually uncertain and seasonal (FAO
2008).
Poor people are more likely to be vulnerable given their
limited capacity to cope with the shock of change in their situation and their
lack of 'safety net'. They therefore depend highly on fishery for almost
everything linked to their household and livelihood including food security. As
they
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tend to allocate up to two-thirds of their income on food (FAO
2017), its variation can lead to more or food security. Vulnerability happens
when three conditions meet:
· Risk exposure: the kind of risk as
well as the degree to which an individual, a household or a community is
exposed
· Sensitivity to the risk in question:
in the context of fishery, it is the degree of dependence an individual, a
household or a community on the sector for wealth generation and food
security
· Adaptive capacity: meaning the
aptitude of an individual, a household or a community to deal with a shift in
circumstances (Adger, et al. 2004).
Fishery can contribute both directly and indirectly to food
security. The contribution is direct when fish is immediately used for food
from the catch, fishery then represents the mean of subsistence. It also
contributes indirectly through the income generated from being employed of
selling your own production which is then used to buy food. It must be noted
that due the asymmetry of demand compared to fish supply the prices of fish
rose preventing low income populations from accessing their main source of
protein. Therefore, people who purchase fish with their income have to allocate
a greater part, leaving them with little for other expenses (FAO 2014). It is
still unclear how the level of poverty impacts the proportion of the catch that
is sold compared to the part consumed. Either way, it is commonly presumed that
a larger portion is consumed than sold. What is clear one the other hand, is
that the poorer the people are the larger the portion sold is. These people,
then use the money to buy cheaper food as a coping mechanism. As a result, the
direct contribution of fishery to food security with extremely poor people is
lower, because they don't benefit from the fish's nutritional input (FAO
2005).
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