How to monitor implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries?
In 2014, the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) endorsed the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). They are a set of recommendations to states and other actors on how to make small-scale fisheries more sustainable. Key issues in the SSF Guidelines include allocating tenure rights equitably; managing resources responsibly; supporting social development and decent work; empowering fish workers along the entire value chain; promoting gender equality; and addressing climate change and disaster risks. The SSF Guidelines are the result of a participatory development process that brought together small-scale fisheries actors, governments, academia, NGOs, regional organizations and many other stakeholders. Their content reflects what these actors have identified as key issues for securing sustainable small-scale fisheries, as well as related guidance on how to address those issues.
The implementation of the SSF Guidelines will require engagement with and partnerships across different institutions, organizations and actors, which will have different roles to play to address issues in relation to fisheries governance, gender, post-harvest, food security and nutrition and other wider societal interests.
But, how can we know that the SSF Guidelines have an effect?
In chapter 13, the SSF Guidelines explicitly refer to the need for monitoring of their implementation. FAO is working towards developing guidance for measuring progress at the national level of the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. This e-consultation aims to solicit views, recommendations, suggestions, and good practices for monitoring the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. Your knowledge about and experience with small-scale fisheries is valuable as we work to develop a relevant, realistic and useful tool for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the SSF Guidelines.
Please share your opinions on what parts of the SSF Guidelines should be monitored and how. What defines progress towards securing sustainable small-scale fisheries? How can we measure progress? What would be meaningful and feasible indicators in your opinion? And, who would you suggest is suited to do the measuring? What could participatory monitoring look like?
We look forward to your insights and contributions. Thank you in advance for your time!
Nicole Franz, Amber Himes-Cornell and Katy Dalton
for the FAO SSF Guidelines Secretariat
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
We would like your feedback on the three topics and related guiding questions presented below.
Background information and links to relevant documents related to the SSF Guidelines, their context and the process by which they have been developed, are available at: www.fao.org/voluntary-guidelines-small-scale-fisheries/en.
To help us analyze your comments, please indicate clearly to which topic(s) you are responding.
1. Defining progress towards securing sustainable small-scale fisheries
The SSF Guidelines are divided into three parts. Part 1 sets out the overall objectives, the scope, the guiding principles and the relationship with other instruments. Part 2 covers five thematic areas, namely responsible governance of tenure and sustainable resource management; social development, employment and decent work; value chains, post-harvest and trade; gender equality; disaster risks and climate change. Part 3 provides guidance for ensuring an enabling environment and supporting implementation addresses policy coherence, institutional coordination and collaboration; information, research and communication; capacity development; and implementation support and monitoring.
- What do you think are the 5 most relevant chapters, paragraphs, and/or topics of the SSF Guidelines for assessing progress towards securing sustainable small-scale fisheries?
- Please describe why you believe these chapters, paragraphs, and/or topics are most relevant.
- At what geographical scale should progress be measured (e.g. local, national)?
2. Meaningful and feasible indicators: How can we measure progress?
There are many ways to measure progress - using quantitative or qualitative indicators that focus on outputs, processes and other aspects. In order to avoid additional burden and costs in relation to data and information collection it may be good to explore existing indicators for related global or national or sub-national objective and initiatives that relate to the issues addressed in the SSF Guidelines and the principles they are based on (e.g. for the Sustainable Development Goals, or national food security and development plans).
- Do you have suggestions for indicators that could be used to assess progress towards the priorities you identified under part 1? Please discuss whether you consider these indicators mandatory versus “nice to have.”
- If possible, please provide examples of where the indicators you suggest have been used successfully, including in data- and capacity-limited contexts.
- Please describe any monitoring and evaluation frameworks and data sources you are aware of that could be drawn on to measure these indicators.
3. Participatory monitoring: Key elements and experiences
Continuous learning and sharing of experiences is crucial for the effective implementation of the SSF Guidelines. Available lessons learned, best practices and tools should be used and reinventing the wheel avoided, but at the same time, the local context may differ to such a degree that specific tools and solutions must be modified or developed. Monitoring of progress will be important to keep track of what is working (and what is not) and participatory monitoring can help making information available and shared.
Please share any experiences, both good and bad, as well as lessons learned related to participatory monitoring.
- What do you think are key elements of successful participatory monitoring?
- What are your experiences with participatory monitoring?
- Who should be the key actors involved in or responsible for the design and implementation of a monitoring system for the SSF Guidelines?
- Read 45 contributions
TOPIC 2:
I think that all Chapters are linked to each other in account of Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines).
One of Monitoring and measures tool to assess progress towards priorities is Close Co-Ordination with all stakeholders like respective Government Institutions including academia and CSOs we can measures the progress the identified priorities of issues. For example in our respective country we have organized low cost activities with small scale fishers and collect the evidences, local wisdoms and experiences through Small Group Discussions’ ( SGD) after that engaged all stakeholder through workshops and presented all suggestions for with fully data and with fact and figures to improve Tenure and access rights, Management of resources responsible, gender equity, Decent work and Climate change to concerned Government representatives and legislators for legislations and Provincial Government of Sindh Pakistan has taken appropriate actions to develop the Small Scale Fisheries and also address climate change, sustain water quality and protection of natural heritages, this was successfully done.
TOPIC 3:
Key elements fo successful participatory monitoring are: participation of local actors, different genders and ages in the analysis and long term process. It needs to be flexible enough to permit returning to the indicators several times in time and reviewing what has been evaluted before. The process needs to have a lot of discussion on what is being measure and how each community perceives the situation.
It is a beautiful experience, and ever learning momment and a collective effort to move forward. We have evaluated the local initiatives of small scale fishers for several times now and it is always a learning process, a true moment, were we realized with them that maybe the changes are still going very slow.
The design and implemetnaiton of a monitoring system should be done by practical field technitians and local ssf community leaders, the process should be a learning one in practical sense and move on with the timing of the particular communities we are working with from my point of view.
TOPIC 1:
I believe that the relevant 5 chapters for securing sustainable SSF are: Tenure and access rights, Management of resources responsible, gender equity, Decent work and Climate change.
There is no possibility of reaching sustainable use of marine resources without a human rights base approach to it, small scale fishers ( men, women and youth) have been marginalized in most countries without accessing this basic human rights which need to be in place to move on with this communities for an adequate governance of their territories of life and the sustainable use of fishing resources. In the case of climate, adaptation and knowledge from this communities are urgent issues to be considered in the framework of the already impacting results of these climatic effects.
I think that the geographical scale needs to approach both national, local. Different monitoring and evaluation techniques and indicators will need to be developed to advanced. Also global analyisis of advance need to be put in place. We have used the annexed methodology for communities self evaluation of the guidelines subjects of interest.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NZjbfaxRQkPtg_hCsrJsVPLTNb3QYTQ-/view
Dear colleagues and forum participants,
I am pleased to welcome you to this e-consultation on how to monitor the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). We have come a long way since the SSF Guidelines were endorsed by COFI in 2014, but effective implementation requires knowledge of progress in order to make well-informed decisions. For this reason, the FAO SSF Guidelines Secretariat is focusing efforts on developing guidance for monitoring and evaluation of the SSF Guidelines, and your inputs will be vital in steering this process and determining the best path forward. Thank you for your dedication to securing sustainable small-scale fisheries and your embrace of the participatory process! We look forward to an engaging and productive discussion.
Regards,
Katy Dalton –
for the FAO SSF Guidelines Secretariat
Participatory monitory has its own indicators depending on the targeted project yet most of them can have the basic similarity with key elements:
- Household (the project direct user or direct impact expected)
- Stakeholders who will have a direct and indirect contribution to the project
- Enablers those who will have an indirect impact on the project to facilitate and solve opportunities and constraints, like policymakers, other institutions.
We had different monitoring experiences related to technology users and adopters in the research system.
The smallholders are the implementer of the project (the project should be designed with participatory or involvement of SSF for its long term sustainability), yet the monitoring should be by the project designer or the funder or PI team or external body for its impact and it's true to type validation.
This activity is now closed. Please contact [email protected] for any further information.