FAO Fisheries Circular No. 1021

FIIT/C1021 (En)

LIVELIHOOD AND MICRO-ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN COASTAL FISHING
COMMUNITIES IN INDIA

Case studies of Orissa and Maharashtra

by
U. Tietze
FAO Consultant

S. Siar
Fishing Technology Service
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department

Suchitra M. Upare
FAO Consultant

M.A. Upare
FAO Consultant

Table of Contents

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product 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 or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.

Tietze, U., Siar, S., Upare, S. M. & Upare, M.A. 2007..
Livelihood and micro-enterprise development opportunities for women in coastal fishing communities in India – Case studies of Orissa and Maharashtra. FAO Fisheries Circular. No. 1021. Rome, FAO. 2007. 69 p.

ABSTRACT

The studies on livelihood and micro-enterprise development opportunities for women in coastal fishing communities in India are a follow-up to the national workshop on best practices in microfinance programmes for women in coastal fishing communities in India, held in Panaji, Goa, India, from 1 to 4 July 2003. The proceedings and outcomes of the workshop are reported in FAO Fisheries Report No. 724.

The studies found that poverty has remained a serious problem in fishing communities in Orissa and Maharashtra, made even more severe by the widespread absence of rural infrastructure and services such as safe drinking water, electricity, waste and sewage disposal facilities, health care and educational services and facilities, all-weather link roads as well as a lack of adequate housing facilities. Over the last two decades, fishing effort and the cost of fishing have considerably increased. Over the same period, a diversification of livelihoods of fisherfolk households has taken place, and many household members, particularly women, are now working part-time as unskilled agricultural labourers or construction workers.

In recent years, through the efforts of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the marine wing of the Fisheries Department of Orissa and the initiative of other government departments, many women self-help groups (SHGs) and cooperatives have been formed and training has been provided to their members in the field of fish processing and marketing. Only a minority of the SHGs and cooperatives in Maharashtra and Orissa though, which have been formed in fishing communities, have so far been linked to financial institutions and there is a severe lack of rural fish storage and processing infrastructure and facilities.

The findings of the studies suggest that through actively promoting self-help groups and cooperatives among women in coastal fishing communities and through linking these associations with financial institutions, investment and working capital needs of their members can be met. To make the best use of capital inputs, SHGs and their federations need vocational and enterprise development training from NGOs and from fisheries training and research institutions as well as assistance for establishing links to new market outlets for their products, both domestically and for export. The state-level workshops in Orissa and Maharashtra made specific recommendations as to what kind of assistance is needed so that poverty in coastal fishing communities can be reduced and livelihoods improved and diversified through micro-enterprise development and microfinance and training support.