This Fisheries Technical Paper is divided into four parts. Part I places microfinance in the global context of poverty reduction in general and its role in and contribution to small-scale fishing and fish farming communities in particular. Part II contains guidelines on microfinance programmes in fisheries and aquaculture. Part III summarizes the proceedings and recommendations of the Regional Workshop on Microfinance Programmes in Support of Responsible Aquaculture and Marine Capture Fisheries in Asia, held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 16 to 20 December 2002. Two annexes contain conceptual papers on microfinance, both globally and in the context of India, which were presented and discussed at the workshop. Part IV consists of two case studies of FAO-executed projects - one on artisanal marine fisheries and the other on small-scale fish farming.
Dr Uwe Tietze of the Fishery Industries Division and Lolita V. Villareal, FAO Consultant, jointly wrote the guidelines and case studies. The summary of the proceedings and recommendations of the regional workshop was written by Lolita V. Villareal and the conceptual papers presented at the workshop were written by Shreekantha Shetty, M.A. Upare and S.K. Bhatnagar.
