Inclusive development including gender equality of small scale fisheries: a feminist perspective by Achini De Silva Presented during the Regional Workshop on Underutilized Fish and Marine Genetic Resources and their Amelioration, 10-12 July 2019, Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka

1. Inclusive development including gender
equality of small scale fisheries: a feminist
perspective
Achini De Silva

2. The term “small-scale fishery” (SSF) evokes a mental image of small, traditional
fishing craft equipped with low-tech gear requiring labor-intensive fishing methods.
The small-scale fisheries sector tends to be firmly rooted in local communities,
traditions and values. Many small-scale fishers are self-employed and usually
provide fish for direct consumption within their households or communities. ... Small-
scale fisheries contribute about half of global fish catches.

3. SSF, what it implies to Sri Lanka?
Active fishermen: Marine - 200,870 & Inland - 60,595
Fishing fleets: Marine - 41882 (868 1DAY; 22394 OFRP; 2185
MRTB; 16035 NTRB) and Inland – 9745
Fish catch: 68% from Total & etc…..

4. Objective
• Explore the present status of
gender in SSF value chains;
• Formulated SWOT matrix to
analyze the strategic capacities
• Creating gender inclusive value
chains.
• Rapid market chain analysis
employed to investigate the
gendered SSF value chains

5. SSF value chain: multiple faces of women

6. House wife
(Fish handling,
grading and
processing at
home)
Crew
member or
Core member
Fish
collecting,
retailing and
member of fisheries
cooperative
Commercial
processing:
factory worker; quality
control
Resource
conservation
and community work
Fishery
related
activities
(Tourism, sport
fishing)
Figure: Time line of women’s engagement in fisheries

7. SSF value chain: multiple faces of men

8. Safety and quality??

9. Safety & Quality?????

11. Analysis of factors and
trends
What is the
socioeconomic
context?
Activity Profile
Who does what?
Access and control
profile
Who has what?
Figure :Gender analysis framework
Fishing
Handling, Grading & postharvest
mgt.,
Auctioning, Trading,
Wholesaling, Retailing
Export processing : PAID JOBS
Child bearing, Caring, Food
preparation, handling, grading,
factory labor, retailing, whaling,
processing & value addition,
UN PAID JOBS

12. Good practices to eliminate gender inequality
• Promote actions to improve lost potential in capture fishery
• Recognize & promote the interrelationships among effective gender equity
and women’s empowerment
• Improve safety, hygiene and health
• Strengthen collective fisher organization & women’s leadership

14. Hybrid Value chain

15. Figure : Market system approach with a gender inclusive lens

16. Road map: applying a gender lens to business challenge
Idea creation (market
research)
Design & develop products
and value proposition
Marketing
Common business challenge Poor market information,
unrecognized consumer needs
and wants, market segments and
competition
Understand how to meet and
unmet
Products may note essential
Create marketing messages
Determine the marketing methods
Gender lens Lack of gender desegregated
information on customer
segments, product demand, etc.
Products may not be addressing
gender specific challenges: safety,
quality, nutritional status, etc
Due to gender blindness, market
segments are missing, and
opportunities to develop
successful value proposition
Using deep knowledge about
women’s needs & realities to
develop communication
Communicating messages through
channels that reach omen
Gender inclusive solutions Market research for entering a
new region, market segmentation
mapping, market research for new
prodcuts
Sex-disaggregated feed back
collection to incorporate into
product design,
Gendered market need survey
Sex-disaggregated customer
feedback
Gender targeted marketing
strategy
Advertising & impact tests using
gender desegregated data
Marketing channels based on
different preferences of

17. Thank you very much !