In for the Long Haul

On 21 and 22 June 2012, the world’s longest running gender and fisheries network, the Mekong Network for Gender Promotion in Fisheries Development (NGF) held its 13th annual meeting and field visits to women’s groups for fish processing and aquaculture in the northwest of Thailand . The genesis of the network has been documented in papers by (1) Kathleen Matics in the Asian Women in Fisheries Symposium (1998), (2) M.C. Nandeesha and Elsie Tech at the Global Symposium on Women in Fisheries (2001), (3) Napaporn Sriputinibondh (2004), (4) Hap Navy and Wolf Hartmann (2007), (5) Heng Ponley and Kai ...

Posted in: Aquaculture, Freshwater Fisheries, Gender, Marine Fisheries, Men, Women

Inaugural Officers

From 19 April until 23 September 2017, when the first full Executive Committee was elected by the membership, the following members were the GAFS Inaugural Officers, whose responsibilities were as follows: Determine the process and facilitate the ratification of the GAFS By-laws Organize the election of officers (Executive Committee) of GAFS, induction and turn-over of responsibilities. Coordinate with the Asian Fisheries Society re: implementing the By-Laws of GAF Section within AFS ...

Inclusive management and coastal/ocean sustainability

In my recent article, I used the concept of inclusive management to represent “any management strategy that consciously and explicitly considers gender and the whole diversity of actors” dealing with coastal/ocean issues. It is not enough to have just thoughts and good intentions. Gender value has to be there, written in the plans. The contribution lifts up the idea to make it explicit and to integrate gender analysis in the management process, making it relevant and a strong force to achieve sustainability. ...

Posted in: Country, Fisheries, Marine Fisheries, Tanzania, Women

Increase Funding to Gender Hundredfold

Make greater investment in targeted gender projects, research and educational outreach. The present amount of funding is small and needs a hundredfold increase to achieve impact. Currently, gender work is poorly funded. Much of the current research has small budgets and is funded by piggybacking on aquaculture and fisheries studies where gender is not the primary focus. Development work also requires greater investment and educational outreach to make sure policy goals are put into practice and resources are used wisely. Funders can list gender explicitly in their program priorities and pool t ...

Indian Researchers Help Women Succeed in Sea Bass Culture and Crab Fattening

Dr B Shanthi of the Indian Central Institute for Brackishwater Aquacutlure (CIBA) and other researchers have been working to get technology into the hands of women’s groups in India (see Dr Shanthi’s PPT and paper from GAF3, 2011). Recently, the successes of some of the women entrepreneurs from southern India have been highlighted in the press, with two stories, and a new “how to” poster from Dr Shanthi and her CIBA team. ...

Posted in: India, Women

Influencing change, gender mainstreaming

Part of the CGIAR Particiaptory Research and Gender Analysis Program, the project from which this very useful report came sought to influence the policies of agricultural research and development systems, while improving implementation and delivery of services directly benefitting vulnerable groups, such as poor women, through improved targeting. It wanted to develop mechanisms in national agricultural R&D institutions for making gender an explicit criterion for programming and effectiveness, and to enable the organizations to think more deeply about gender relations, away from the earlier “ad ...

Posted in: Aquaculture, Freshwater Fisheries, Gender, Marine Fisheries, Men, Women

Infographics: Using Pictures to Tell the (Data) Story

The Spain-FAO Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and South East Asia (RFLP) started its work in 2009 by undertaking comprehensive baseline studies in its selected coastal project sites in Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. RFLP published the baseline survey reports in traditional formats. Now, RFLP has turned the detailed reports into a series of infographic reports to give a wider range of readers a faster and more visual way of accessing the wealth of materials they contain. ...

Posted in: Freshwater Fisheries, Gender, Marine Fisheries, Men, Women

Insider’s Rapport? Take a Visit to a Philippine Coastal Community with Dr Nelson Turgo, Social Scientist

This highly readable account of a social scientist’s experience in returning to his own community to conduct research will make field researchers reflect on, how, as Dr Turgo says, “our identities as researchers are made and remade through the research process”. The gender insights are also revealing, such as what women and men do after a fisheries crisis and how men view fish marketing when it had previously been women’s work. ...

Posted in: Women

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2015: Make it Happen!

This International Women’s Day we are pleased to share a heartening and forward looking set of messages from Asian women in the aquaculture sector. The presentation comes courtesy of the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific and Aquaculture without Frontiers. Dr Arlene Nietes Satapornvanit Click on the picture above to launch the slide show, which starts with the challenges and shows the spirit of women succeeding in their lives, businesses and careers in aquaculture. ...

Posted in: Aquaculture, Men, Women

International Women’s Day 2022 - GAF

The Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section of the Asian Fisheries Society (GAFS), celebrates International Women’s Day 2022 by releasing its Core Principles statement. The GAFS Core Principles are based on the formal Objectives in our By Laws, and our own and others’ experiences working in gender equality. The Principles have been drafted, discussed and put through open consultation among GAFS members and other interested experts. ...

Posted in: Aquaculture, Fisheries, GAF8, Global, Men, Others, Transgender, Women

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: 8 March, 2013

Ending violence against women is the important theme of this 2013 International Women’s Day and many websites and media have excellent messages on the theme. Therefore, I will take the opportunity of International Women’s Day to highlight instead the global estimates of the “gender gap” – differences in attainments against several indices between women and men. ...

Posted in: Gender, Men, Women

Irular women in Tamil Nadu succeed in raising fish and their incomes

A report and news story have come out on “Capacity building of tribal women self help groups on brackishwater aquaculture integrated with agro – based technologies” by Dr B. Shanthi, and her colleagues M. Kailasam, K. Ambasankar, P. Mahalakshimi, V.S. Chandrasekaran, S.M. Pillai and A.G.Ponniah, all of the the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA, Indian Council of Agricultural Research), Chennai, Tamil Nadu (South India). ...

Posted in: Aquaculture, India, Women

Is Climate Change Debate Re-cycling Past Women-Environment Narratives?

Bernadette Resurreccion of the Asian institute of Technology recently examined whether we are experiencing a return to the old narratives regarding women and the environment. In her paper, “Persistent women and environment linkages in climate changeand sustainable development agendas“, she found evidence that advocates, researchers and development practitioners are resorting to simplistic and potentially distorting narratives that women are more in tune with the natural world and are greater victims than men of environmental damage. ...

Posted in: Women

Issue #1 of the Gender Section e-Newsletter launched!

We are delighted to introduce the first annual e-Newsletter of the Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section of the Asian Fisheries Society. Officially launched during the Opening Session of the 12 Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum of the Asian Fisheries Society in Iloilo, Philippines, the Newsletter introduces the Section, its membership and Executive Committee, news of our recent Conference, “Expanding the Horizons” Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries 2018″ (GAF7), plus news of other gender research in fisheries. ...

Posted in: Aquaculture, Fisheries, Gender, Women

Issue #2 of the Gender Section e-Newsletter released

We are pleased to release the latest annual E-Newsletter of the Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section (GAFS) of the Asian Fisheries Society. The E-Newsletter Editor, Surendran Rajaratnam pointed out that as he wrote his introduction, “people around the world have already endured weeks of social and economic restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of new infections and deaths is going down in many countries, and the restriction orders are being lifted in phases. ...

Posted in: Aquaculture, Fisheries, Gender, Women

Issue #3 of the Gender Section e-Newsletter released

Read the latest E-Newsletter of the Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section (GAFS) of the Asian Fisheries Society, our second COVID-19 era edition. The E-Newsletter Editor, Surendran Rajaratnam pointed out, “COVID-19 continues to disrupt our lives and livelihoods, we have learned to endure and continue to live with the disease and the uncertainties it brings. ...

Posted in: Bangladesh, Conferences, GAF8, GAFS, Gender, Global, India, Men, Nepal, Seaweed, Women

Lake Victoria Fishermen’s Spouses Who Travel More at Risk of HIV/AIDS

The new study by Zachary A. Kwena, Carol S. Camlin, Chris A. Shisanya, Isaac Mwanzo, Elizabeth A. Bukusi, carried out in Kisimu County, near Lake Victoria, Kenya, delves into social patterns of mobility and the risks it brings for contracting HIV/AIDS. Short-Term Mobility and the Risk of HIV Infection among Married Couples in the Fishing Communities along Lake Victoria, Kenya ...

Posted in: Gender, Men, Women

Latest ICSF Yemaya Newsletter Now Out

The latest issue of Yemaya, the newsletter on gender and fisheries put out three times a year by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers, is full of interesting and thought-provoking articles, several centered around International Women’s Day and continuing struggles for decent lives and rights around the world. The whole issue or individual articles may be downloaded. ...

Posted in: India,, Men, Women