 |
WORKING PAPERS - BOBP/WP/76 A View from the Beach: Understanding the status and needs of fisherfolk in the Meemu, Vaavu and Faafu Atolls of the Republic of Maldivesby |
|
Executing Agency: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Bay of Bengal Programme Madras, India, 1991 |
| The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. |
All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Chief, Publishing and Multimedia Service, Information Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy or by email to [email protected]
© FAO 2004
|
This paper summarizes and analyzes the information collected from fisherfolk communities in the Meemu, Vaavu and Faafu Atolls of the Maldives, by the staff of the Extension and Projects Section of the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture (MOFA), Republic of Maldives. The information was gathered as part of an internal exercise of the Extension and Projects Section to help it get acquainted with these atolls, which were the selected target area of a BOBP-sponsored subproject to assist MOFA to develop a fisheries extension service, to build rapport with the fisherfolk and to get a working understanding of their socio-economic status, the dynamics of their communities and their needs and concerns. The document is intended for the day-to-day use of the extension staff in generating objectives, prioritizing actions and in guiding and facilitating their work, It is not a benchmark study representative of the situation prevailing in the country as a whole. The information was collected in a series of participatory rapid appraisals and community focus group discussions undertaken by Aminath Zaheera, Aminath Latheefa, Abdulla Jaufar, Adam Maniku and Shereen Nahida of the Extension and Projects Section and Ahmed Naseer of the Woridview International Foundation, an NGO, under the direction of N T Hasen Didi, Director, Extension and Projects Section, during the latter half of 1989, and analyzed by them with support from the BOBP. |
PREFACE
1. BACKGROUND
2. OBJECTIVES
3. METHODOLOGY
4. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
5. THE AREA OF THE STUDY
6. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF FISHERFOLK
6.1 Demographic trends
6.2 Occupational patterns
6.3 Economic status of fisherfolk
6.4 Occupational shifts
7. PROBLEMS, NEEDS AND CONCERNS OF FISHERFOLK COMMUNITIES
7.1 Community Perceptions vs Island Chief’s Perceptions
7.2 The Crisis in the Fishery
7.3 The Energy Crisis
7.4 Inter-Sector Labour Shift and Emigration
7.5 The Quality of the Environment
7.6 Community Health
8. CONCLUSIONS
FIGURES
I. Problems, Causal Linkages and Impacts — The Crisis in the Fishery
II. Problems, Causal Linkages and Impacts — The Energy Crisis
III. Problems, Causal Linkages and Impacts — Inter-Sector Labour Shifts and Emigration
IV. Problems, Causal Linkages and Impacts — The Quality of the Environment
V Problems, Causal Linkages and Impacts — Community Health
TABLES
I. Population Trends in the Islands of Meemu, Vaavu and Faafu Atolls
II. Occupation Pattern in Meemu, Vaavu and Faafu Atolls
III. Employment Status in Meemu, Vaavu and Faafu Atolls
IV. Ownership of Assets in Sampled Households in Meemu, Vaavu and Faafu Atolls
V. Perception of Relative Economic Status in Sampled Households in Meemu, Vaavu and Faafu Atolls
VI. Occupational Shifts in Meemu, Vaavu and Faafu Atolls
VII. Reasons for Occupational Shifts in Meemu, Vaavu and Faafu Atolls
VIII. Perception of Utilization of Additional Income in Meemu, Vaavu and Faafu Atolls
IX. Problems, Needs and Concerns in Order of Community Priority — Meemu Atoll
X. Problems, Needs and Concerns in Order of Community Priority — Vaavu Atoll
XI. Problems, Needs and Concerns in Order of Community Priority — Faafu Atoll
XII. Problems, Needs and Concerns in Order of Community Priority — A Comparison
XIII. Problems, Needs and Concerns Perceived by Island Chiefs (Not Prioritized) — Meemu Atoll
XIV. Problems, Needs and Concerns Perceived by Island Chiefs (Not Prioritized) — Vaavu Atoll
XV. Problems, Needs and Concerns Perceived by Island Chiefs (Not Prioritized) — Faafu Atoll
I. Sampling for Household Questionnaires and Dates of Survey
II. Island Fact Sheets
III. Glossary
IV. Questionnaires
MAPS
1. Map of Maldives showing project area
2. Map of Faafu Atoll
3. Map of Meemu Atoll
4. Map of Vaavu Atoll
PUBLICATIONS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL PROGRAMME