Small-scale fisheries, food security and wholesome nutrition: Understanding, appreciating and interrogating the linkages

Small-scale fisheries are the backbone of the marine and inland fisheries sector in Asia. However, the many millions of men and women involved in these small-scale activities of harvesting, processing and marketing continue to be faced with numerous challenges and fewer meaningful opportunities.

An important reason for this situation is because the development and policy discourse about them is excessively focussed on the relative poverty of these communities. By doing so, there is an inadequate appreciation of the important, vital contributions they make to national and local economies.

The MuSIC workshop, led by WorldFish Honorary Fellow Dr John Kurien, will provide new perspectives on small-scale fisheries in relation to food security and wholesome nutrition, positioned within the overall context of the FAO/UN Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines).

The workshop's main aims are to create a multi-stakeholder information and communication alliance in support of small-scale fisheries in Asia.

The workshop is jointly sponsored and organised by the WorldFish and the Food and Agriculture of the United Nations.