“What have you done with these women – they have changed!”

Posted on 10/14/2013 by Stephen Hall

Fish sellers in Ghana. Photo by Curtis Lind.

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Dave Mills, a senior researcher at WorldFish, was describing the outcomes of a project on governance reform with small-scale fishers in Ghana. This project had empowered women in the community by working to build confidence, capacity, and vision among women to engage in decision-making and by helping challenge underlying and oppressive attitudes towards them. Dave recounted how, at a project review meeting, the village chief proudly exclaimed “What have you done with these women – they have changed!” He was delighted they were now active in decision-making and that he now knew what women needed and wanted in his community.

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Africa Rising?

Posted on 10/10/2013 by Stephen Hall

Woman prepares vegetables as part of ensuring a balanced diet for the family. Photo by Felix Clay/Duckrabbit

I was struck this week by an article on Devex highlighting how the popular narrative about Africa’s growth is being challenged. The article points out that, despite national-level economic growth in many African countries, the benefits of that growth are failing to trickle down sufficiently; when two in five Africans surveyed say that they are unable to meet their basic needs and are food insecure, such a conclusion is hard to argue with.
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Risky business and something we can do about it

Posted on 10/02/2013 by Stephen Hall

Venturing into tilapia production in El Minya, Upper Egypt. Photo by Jens Peter Tang Dalsgaard.

If we are to meet the world’s demand and need for fish, aquaculture production must rise. But for this to happen at scale, greater private sector investment will be needed, especially to support the growth of small and medium scale enterprises in developing countries. This will increase fish supply, help stimulate rural development, and increase economic opportunity for the poor.

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“Big Salmon” steps up, but don’t forget the little guys – for their sake and ours

Posted on 08/28/2013 by Stephen Hall

The salmon industry’s decision to collectively pursue Aquaculture Stewardship Council certification is an important step, but it’s upgrading small-scale farming where the big pay-offs lie.

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Fish farmers in rural Bangladesh bring in the harvest. Photo by Felix Clay

Better aquaculture technologies to improve efficiency can greatly increase production. Fish farmers in rural Bangladesh carry home the harvest. Photo by Felix Clay.

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The women of Bangladesh are using their heads

Posted on 06/11/2013 by Stephen Hall

Visiting the field to see the work of WorldFish and its partners is one of the great privileges of my job. The chance to talk with farmers and learn how they are using the training and technologies we and our partners provide never fails to energise me. It invariably also provides a few surprises: on my recent trip to Bangladesh I was amazed to learn how profound a difference incredibly simple changes can make.

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