PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

FAO.

Report of the Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (GCP/INT/735/UK) and FAO Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research Joint Working Party on Poverty in Small-Scale Fisheries. Promoting the Contribution of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach and the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries in Poverty Alleviation. Rome, 10 - 12 April 2002. FAO Fisheries Report. No. 678. Rome, FAO. 2002. 22p.

ABSTRACT

This report presents a summary of the presentations and discussions of the Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (SFLP) (GCP/INT/735/UK) and FAO Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research (ACFR) Joint Working Party on Poverty in Small-Scale Fisheries - Promoting the Contribution of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) and the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries in Poverty Alleviation. The objectives of the meeting were to (i) share experience and knowledge on this subject; (ii) identify clearly how the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries could serve as a tool in poverty alleviation in fishing communities; (iii) identify critical knowledge gaps and research needs; and (iv) elaborate a project framework and research methodologies. The meeting benefited from earlier discussions of this subject matter at the Third Session of ACFR, December 2000, and the Centre for the Economics and Management of Aquatic Resources (CEMARE), SFLP/FAO Cotonou Workshop, November 2001, and the background papers prepared for them.

The meeting agreed on the urgent need to obtain a better understanding of the manifestations and extent of poverty in fishing communities and on the causal factors of the dynamics of poverty. It recommended the development of appropriate guidance material on poverty assessment and poverty alleviation measures in small-scale fisheries including the application of the SLA and the potential contribution of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

The meeting noted that more research was required of the factors that influence the contribution of fisheries and aquatic resources to sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction especially in rural areas. In view of the close relationship between poverty and food security, a better understand was also needed of the actual contribution of fish to human nutrition, and reasons for changes over time. Improved knowledge and understanding of these aspects would contribute to a better recognition of fisheries in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP). There was also a need of a greater participatory role of fisheries stakeholders in the development of PRSPs. A focus on PRSPs, however, should not divert attention away from the importance of other types of poverty reduction strategies.

The research framework and methodologies should be tailored to the intended use of the information (e.g. to inform about appropriate situation-specific poverty reduction measures; to generate comparable information on the extent of poverty; etc.). The meeting noted that for an increasing number of countries Living Standard Measurement Surveys (LSMS) provide excellent data by household, and that the use of LSMS data in combination with census data might allow the application of poverty mapping techniques to measure poverty for small population groups such as fishing communities. Poverty mapping techniques and well-designed case studies provide powerful analytical tools for poverty assessment, to explain the causality of poverty and to help in prioritizing poverty reduction measures.

The meeting also considered the need for effective tools to disseminate research findings of project/case study results.