The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has released the latest edition of Yemaya, its newsletter on gender and fisheries.
Yemaya No. 68, dated December 2023, features articles from Costa Rica, Chile, Malawi, Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana and Southeast Asia on Inland fisheries, fisheries management, fish processing, social capital, gendered economy of dried fish, climate change, women in fisheries profile from Africa, and a review of a book on women in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in Asia.
Articles from Costa Rica and Chile show, in cases where government support was made available to facilitate women’s participation in decision making in cooperative fisheries groups, it led to improved earnings for women; better representation of women in leadership; and better environmental outcomes.
The case study from Malawi shows how important it is for mainstreaming efforts to go beyond the issue of equitable access to markets for women engaged in fish trade, and to include equity in pricing and returns for both women and men. The study also shows the importance of addressing gender biases in the ways in which women and men perceive discrimination.
When women’s work receives focused attention, the importance of their contributions to the sector is duly revealed. Several research projects on mapping dried fish presented at the GAF-8 Conference in Kochi in November 2022, shed light on the substantial contributions made by women fishers in postharvest processing and trade.
The article from Tamil Nadu in India shows how in families, forced to migrate to larger cities due to dwindling economic opportunities in their native villages, women play significant and cohesive roles within the migrant community, often facilitating financial upscaling and social stability.
In the interview with Edithrudith Lukanga, Secretary General of AWFishnet and Technical Advisor at EMEDO, she argues that the challenges women facing are similar across the world but they are contextual. If there are national platforms, then they can amplify their united voice.
The Profile column by Peter L.A. looks at how Lydia Sasu became a community leader in Ghana and her work in organizing women in small-scale fisheries in Ghana has received international recognition.
In What’s New, Webby? Vishakha Gupta looks at how CAOPA, The African Confederation of Professional Organizations of Artisanal Fisheries launched an exciting new series on its website that captures the stories, lives, struggles, challenges and achievements of women leaders in African fisheries.
The Milestones column by Ahana Lakshmi looks at the recently published, Taking Stock: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Climate Commitments: A Global Review and focuses on one key concept –impact. The article highlights the fact that the existing structural drivers of inequality in society are often a tangled web causing non-uniform impacts.
Veena N. in the Yemaya Recommends section, points out that the book, Women and Men in Small-scale Fisheries and Aquaculture in Asia seeks to inquire into the forms and implications of gender -based division of labour, analyse the drivers of these differences, and identify entry points and opportunities for addressing inequalities and discriminatory practices.
The current issue of Yemaya also carries the ever-popular cartoon strip, “Yemaya Mama”(“This type of smoking is safe and profitable!”).
ICSF’s Newsletter on Gender and Fisheries, Yemaya No.68, December 2023, can be accessed at: