When the United Nations agreed, in 2015, on the Sustainable Development Goals, they called, through SDG 14b, for market access to be provided to artisanal fisheries.
In Africa, improving market access for artisanal fisheries products is key to maximise the contribution of fisheries to food security. Women in African artisanal fisheries, whether they prepare, process, or market the fish caught by artisanal fishers, play an essential role to bring this fish to the millions of African consumers. Artisanal fisheries products are not only a source of proteins, they also provide essential nutrients and they can play an important role in addressing known nutrition deficiencies:
“The total nutrient yield from small-scale fisheries landings could provide 20% of the calcium, selenium, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids, to 137 million women in Africa.”
African women operating in artisanal fisheries also bring an important share of the household revenue. Antonia Adama Djalo, President of the National network of women in artisanal fisheries in Guinea Bissau (RENAMUP-GB) and also of the Federation of women associations in the economic sector (AMAE), emphasizes the central role of women in coastal fishing communities: “It is the women who, through processing, make sure that the fish caught by artisanal fishers is worth its weight in gold, and that this benefits their families and communities.”
So, to provide market access for artisanal fisheries products, as per SDG 14.b, in a way that improves food security and alleviates poverty in coastal communities, it is essential to tackle the difficulties encountered by the women working in the sector.