Book Abstract / Gender and Fisheries
Gender, Fisheries and Aquaculture: Social Capital and Knowledge for the Transition towards Sustainable use of Aquatic Ecosystems
By Stella B. Williams, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria; Anne-Marie Hochet-Kibongui, Cultures Croisées, Paris, France; and Cornelia E. Nauen, International S&T Co-operation, EC, Brussels, Belgium. ACPEU Fisheries Research Report Number 16, June 2005
The context of massive aquatic ecosystem degradation, engendered largely by the fisheries sector with associated socioeconomic challenges, and mixed signals from aquaculture, which shows high growth rates, but has some unsustainable segments, raises the question of how women in fisheries and aquaculture can contribute to the transition towards sustainability through restoration of lost productivity. Empirical evidence of women’s roles in all continents shows patterns of unrecognized, unpaid labour that clouds the economic signals of increasing resource rarefaction. Historically, women have been associated with resource conservation embedded in traditional belief systems, which have been progressively eroded. Where social recognition is achieved through, for example, enforcement of modern equal opportunity legislationespecially when combined with access to formal education and trainingwomen regain capabilities for enhanced social organization and leadership. This can lead to significant contributions to restoration of natural resources. A participatory method is proposed to render women’s role visible and enable development of socioeconomic organization supportive of social justice and sustainable resource use. Further reading and selected web resources are intended to further help readers to take practical follow-up action. Copies of the book are available free of charge upon request from the Information Desk of the Directorate General for Research, International Relations, 8 Square de Meeûs, B-1049, Brussels, Belgium; e-mail: inco@cec.eu.int. The report and a selection of longer individual contributions to the workshop can also be downloaded in PDF format from the Cordis website at http://www.cordis.lu/inco2/src/docs_pub.htm.
