Presentation by panelists Rahma Adam, Peerzadi Rumana Hossain, Anouk Ride and Muhammad Arifur Rahman on 'Gender-inclusive innovations for aquatic food systems transformation' on Tuesday, 8 March 2022.

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Fish4Thought Event
Gender-inclusive
innovations for
aquatic food systems
transformation
#Aquaticfoods
#InternationalWomensDay

2. Gender and social inclusion in aquatic food systems: progress and
insights across the globe
Rahma Adam Ph.D, Social inclusion and market scientist, East and Southern Africa regional focal
point for One CGIAR initiative at WorldFish
March 8th, 2022
Presented at the Fish4Thought Event: Gender-inclusive innovations in aquatic food systems

3. Overview
1. Rationale for gender and social inclusion research in aquatic food systems (AFS)
2. Four pathways to women’s empowerment and gender equality: Lessons learned
from WorldFish and its partners
• P1. Resilience of AFS relies on gender-inclusive and gender-responsive innovations
• P2. Inclusive livelihoods and wealth generation in AFS help ensure women’s economic empowerment
and gender inequalities matters are addressed
• P3. Inclusive governance is the foundation of equitable and resilient AFS
• P4. Gender-transformative approaches are necessary to overcome invisible barriers to gender equality
3. Tools for gender inclusive and gender-responsive research

4. 1. Rationale for gender and social inclusion in AFS

5. 1. Rationale for gender and social inclusion in AFS
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment are globally recognized priorities, as
enshrined in Sustainable Development Goal 5.
• Fish agri-food systems are intersected by macro- and micro-patterns of social and
gender inequalities and inequities (Rajaratnam et al. 2020).
• Poverty disproportionately affects women (McFerson 2010; World Bank 2018).
• The need to understand the preferences, needs and wants in each of the gender
types in AFS.

6. P1. Resilience of AFS relies on gender-inclusive and
gender-responsive innovations

7. Key message to P1: Gender-blind and top-down innovation perpetuates gender gaps and
missed opportunities.
Innovation 1: Using a climate-smart aquaculture approach in Bangladesh, WorldFish engaged women as fish
farmers and co-researchers, rather than as “wives of fish farmers” or “research subjects.”
Findings : It resulted into women having enhanced knowledge, access to inputs, and income, which they brought
into the household, and over 75% of women in the study reported positive changes in their household decision-
making power(Colgan et al., 2019).
Innovation 2 : To identify sex-disaggregated preferences of fish traits. Studies have been done in Bangladesh,
India, Egypt and Zambia.
Findings: In India and Bangladesh, women and men
had a shared interest in fish size, growth, appearance
and taste, but women more often prioritized traits
relating to household food and nutrition security
while men prioritized market-related characteristics like price.

8. P2. Inclusive livelihoods and wealth generation in AFS help ensure
women’s economic empowerment and gender inequalities matters are
addressed

9. Key message to P2: Gender gaps and underlying gender barriers are persistent in and
along fish value chains
• Innovation 1: Gender inclusive financing and post-harvest technology
accessing in Malawi.
• Intervention: In Malawi women and men fish processors were
introduced to solar tent dryers, improved smoking kilns, etc. Connected
with a bank-provided lower interest rates to be paid by women than by
men.
• Innovation 2: Closing the digital divide using information communication
technology (ICT) can synergistically help close the finance divide.
• Outcome: In fishing communities in coastal Bangladesh, action research
found that ICT allows women to work, train and receive payments from
home, providing a “work around” to gendered mobility constraints
(Choudhury and Tanzina 2020).

10. P3. Inclusive governance is the foundation of equitable
and resilient AFS

11. Key message to P3: There are persistent gender and social exclusions in the sector, from
intracommunity to global scales—and these have structural roots in policy and data gaps
• Solution 1: Gender analysis in 17 countries anchored in the Illuminating Hidden Harvests initiative,
uncovered “sexist data structures.”
• Contribution: Aid in addressing the data challenges, which usually perpetuate the “cycle of invisibility” in the
sector and constraining norms that frame fisheries as men’s domain.
• Solution 2: Empowering women as leaders in households, communities and businesses in Cambodia
Intervention: Activities to empower women as
leaders in the community and economically in the household, and
as entrepreneurs.
Outcome: Women increased their economic
and/or leadership activity, and the committees and communities also benefitted from
women's leadership through increased levels of
fundraising and more comprehensive management planning.

12. P4. Gender-transformative approaches are necessary
to overcome invisible barriers to gender equality

13. Key message: Constraining gender norms perpetuate gender
inequalities
• Innovation: Gender Transformative Approaches in
savings groups scaled across 8 countries in Africa
and 1 in Central America.
• Contribution made: Throughout the FISH program,
the Catholic Relief Services development agency
continued to scale the GTA-integrated savings
groups approach that WorldFish piloted in Zambia
in 2015. Since then, CRS has scaled up the
combined approach to 9 countries: Benin, Central
African Republic, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, South
Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and one in Guatemala.

14. 3.Tools for gender inclusive and gender-responsive
research

15. Tools for gender inclusive and gender-responsive research
1. Gender inclusive and gender-responsive innovations
• Ten strategies for research quality in distance research during COVID-19 and future food system shock (McDougall et al. 2020).
https://digitalarchive.worldfishcenter.org/handle/20.500.12348/4382
• Tool Navigator: Using market-based research methods for user-responsive innovation. https://www.slideshare.net/worldfishcenter/worldfish-tool-navigator-
for-market-based-research-2018
• Gender integration in research: A guide for the CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems (McDougall, et al. 2021).
2. Inclusive livelihoods and wealth generation
• Conceptual framework for gendered aquaculture value chain analysis and development (Danielsen et al. in press).
• Identifying niches for women’s entrepreneurship in aquatic food chains: A methods package (BoP Innovation Center and FISH, 2021).
https://www.slideshare.net/worldfishcenter/identifying-niches-for-womens-entrepreneurship-in-aquatic-food-chains-a-methods-package
• Exploring women’s empowerment in fisheries: A methods pack for a collaborative study on women’s empowerment in small-scale fisheries (Drucza et al. in
press).
3. Inclusive governance
• Gender-inclusive facilitation for community-based marine resource management (Kleiber et al. 2019).
• Rights, equity and justice: A diagnostic for social meta-norm diffusion in environmental governance (Lawless et al. 2020).
4. Gender-transformative approaches to address underlying structural barriers
• The SILC+GTA facilitation manual: The savings and internal leading communities plus gender transformative approach (Promundo-US and WorldFish 2016).
• Promoting gender transformative change with men and boys: A manual to spark critical reflection on harmful gender norms with men and boys in aquatic
agricultural systems (Promundo-US and AAS 2016).
• Women’s Empowerment in Fisheries and Aquaculture Index (WEFI).
• Gender transformative approaches for advancing gender equality in coral reef social-ecological systems (Lau et al. 2021)

16. Thank You

17. Fish4Thought Event
Gender-inclusive innovations for aquatic
food systems transformation
Tuesday, 8 March 2022
15:00-16:20 (UTC+8)
Peerzadi Rumana Hossain PhD
Climate Research Scientist

18. Climate challenges being faced by the fish-farmers in the deltaic regions of Bangladesh
Rainfall
Erratic/Intense
Flood
Monsoon/Tidal
Drought/
Dry Spell
Climate change / variability / Extremes
Temperature variation
Extreme heat/Cold spell
Low dissolved
O2
Low plankton
Imbalanced O2
and CO2
Water
turbidity
Reduced
Photosynthesis
Low ecological
interaction
Reduced water
circulation
Low primary
production
Less nutrient
Water
stratification
Low pH High CO2
Changed
habitat
High NH3 and
H2S
High pH
Changes
in
hydro-climatic
condition
&
impacts
on
bio-physical
condition
of
Fish
Reduced digestion
capacity
Less/No food intake
Low survival rate
High mortality rate
Reduced Growth
Disease outbreak
Less production

19. Climate information Services for aquaculture to manage climate risks
Climate information services with five day lead time
Seasonal climate information services with one month lead time

20. Enhancing climate information services for aquaculture at scale
Bangladesh Odisha, India
Regional
National Global
Zambia
Developing Climate
Information
Services in context
of Zambia

21. Climate Information Services - Gender inclusive innovation in response to climate risks
Women’s engagement in supplementary fish-farming activities resulted
-restricted involvement in regular aquaculture operations
-restricted decision-making roles
Climate information services for aquatic food systems are critical
- To promote women involvement in management decisions
- To strengthen their voice in decision making role
- To enhance their climate resilience capacity

22. P.Hossain@cigar.org
Mohammed EY, Hossain PR, Lau J, Wahab MA, Beveridge MCM and
Marwaha N. 2021. Accelerating climate resilience of aquatic food systems.
Penang, Malaysia: CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems.
Program Brief: FISH-2021-16. Available at
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12348/4921
Hossain PR, Amjath-Babu TS, Krupnik TJ, Braun M, Mohammed EY and
Phillips M, 2021. Developing Climate Information Services for Aquaculture
in Bangladesh: A Decision Framework for Managing Temperature and
Rainfall Variability-Induced Risks. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 5:677069.
Available at https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.677069
WorldFish, 2020. A training dialogue report: Introduction to Climate
Services for Aquaculture. CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change,
Agriculture and Food Security. Capacitating Farmers and Fishers to Manage
Climate Risks in South Asia. Penang, Malaysia: WorldFish. Program Report:
2020-04. Available at https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12348/4062
Enhancing the capacity of fish-farmers and their support agents in
understanding and using climate risk information at scale in Bangladesh –
Available at https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766.1/5d6a3b
A video abstract on building resilience through climate information services
for aquaculture in Bangladesh – Available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifHuG8SEq7M
Thank you

23. PHOTO
Gender Innovations in Pacific coastal
fisheries: Solomon Islands
Anouk Ride, WorldFish, Aurelie Delisle, University of Wollongong, Chelcia Gomese, WorldFish

24. Our Team

25. Our Approach
• Participation Action
Research: participation to
develop action plans at
community level
• Indigenous methods:
• Oral storytelling
• Local ways of discussion
issues
• Consensus-based
decisions

26. Gender Sensitive Facilitation

27. Our method
• Sex and age-based group discussion
(women, men, youth)
• Women/men/youth facilitators
• Fish analogy: break up sessions in
meaningful components
• Mixed groups plenary meetings: report
back + decide final community action
plans
• 20 Communities (11 SI, 3 KI, 6 VAN)
• 77 workshops (57 single-sex/youth & 20
mixed groups)
• 573 participants: 138 women (24 %), 256
men (45%), 179 youth (31%)
Community-based Fisheries Management plan reviews
(facilitation guide) https://purl.org/spc/digilib/doc/v33gz

31. Discussion
• Women, youth and men’s
inputs
• Included in final action plans
• Ability of groups to share, have
ideas valued and discussed and
included in decision-making
• Needs & representation of
people with disabilities = almost
absent
• Transformative impacts:
• Communities and facilitators have
better idea of inclusion in
decision-making, not only
attendance list
• Nomination of women and youth
in committee BUT men still in
majority

32. Links & Contacts
Dr Anouk Ride, WorldFish Solomon Islands
A.Ride@cgiar.org
Chelcia Gomese, WorldFish Solomon Islands
C.Gomese@cigar.org
• Tools:
https://coastfish.spc.int/en/publications/technical-manuals
https://gender.cgiar.org/publications-data/gender-inclusive-
facilitation-community-based-marine-resource-management-
addendum

33. Enhanced Coastal Fisheries in Bangladesh
(ECOFISH II)
Fisher women-led climate resilient technologies for enhancing
aquatic food production, income, nutrition and women-led small
business in Bangladesh
M Arifur Rahman
Research Associate
ECOFISH II
WorldFish Bangladesh

34. ECOFISH II Goals:
A. Seaweed farming
• Easy to culture, requires no inputs, short culture cycle
• Highly nutritious, high demand & diversified utilization
• Support food & shelters to marine fish juveniles
• Alternative income & employment opportunity
• Reduce CO2 & eutrophication
Improved social and ecological resilience of coastal fisheries to secure
equitable food, nutrition and income benefits for fisheries communities
Green
Red

35. Fishers women led seaweed farming
• Trained 400 fishers (50% women) in Cox’s Bazar
• Provided support for seaweed farming
• Off-bottom longline, off-bottom net & floating longline
• Women works in culture system management, processing
& marketing
• Market linkage & entrepreneurship development in progress
• Involved young women researchers from University

36. B. Green mussels farming
• Nature-based culture, no feed inputs, require less labor
• Farming systems supports biodiversity of organisms
• Abundance of green mussels seed (spats) in nature
• Alternative income & employment opportunity
Involved fishers women in green mussel farming
• Trained 200 green mussel farmers (50% women) in CXB
• Supports for green mussel system provided
• Three culture systems: Rope, cage and net culture
• Market linkage and entrepreneurship development
• Involved young women researchers as well
Growth monitoring by researcher

37. C. Marine pelagic small fish drying
• Need small space for drying & less time as well
• Used low priced of raw materials pelagic small fish
• Highly nutritious & provide nutrition to fishers family
• Value added as dried, powder, chutney & pickles
• Alternative income & employment opportunity
2500 HHs received dry fish from pelagic small fish

38. Involved Fishers women
• Trained 1,000 fishers women in CXB
& Bhola
• Provided support for bamboo trellis
preparation
• Distributed mixed marine pelagic
small fishes >40 kg/HHs
• Frequent visit to motivate & change
behavior
• Market linkage & entrepreneurship
development
• Fishers women now make safe dried
fish, fish powder & chutney from
anchovy & sardine

39. Key outcomes of ECOFISH II interventions
Improved economic empowerment
ü Women contribute to family
income thus improved livelihood
ü Increased social networks and
social capital
ü Income of fishing households
increased
ü Women-led business established
ü Women support family during the
ban period and pandemic
Improved skills and knowledge
ü Women culture seaweed,
green mussel and produce
safe dry fish
ü Women do climate resilient
income activities
ü Women have knowledge on
marine resource conservation
ü Trash fish is utilized
ü Women produce diversified
processed food
Improved relationships and norms
ü Livelihood status of the family
improved
ü Increased socio-economic status
of fishers’ women
ü Women get access to market
ü Fishers’ women become role
model to their neighbors
ü Gender-based violence reduced
Red seaweed: Gracilaria sp.

40. “Selling seaweed in the market and earn monthly
average BDT 10,000 were beyond my imagination’’
- Anoara Begum, Nuniarchora Fishing village, CXB
Thank You!

42. Thank You
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Thank You