Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
clear sky
weather
OMAN
25°C / 25°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Women can be change agents of fisheries sector: FAO

No Image
minus
plus

The global food system faces many complex challenges, including hunger, malnutrition, diet-related diseases, and an ever-growing global population that needs sufficient and healthy food. The depletion of natural resources and the effects of climate change have been the other concerns, not to forget the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.


The year (2022) is also being celebrated as the international year of artisanal fisheries and aquaculture. According to Dr Nora Ourabah Haddad, of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Representative to the Sultanate of Oman, there are many reasons for this focus, and one of them is the importance of small-scale and artisanal fisheries in contributing to food and nutrition security.


"The production in the fisheries sector in the Sultanate of Oman has reached 580,000 tonnes in the year 2020, and the value is also high as it is RO 880 million.


So it's also a sector which is self-sufficient and also has exporting capacity.


This is to say that fishery is important for the country in terms of diversifying its economy. It has been placed by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and Oman Vision 2040 as one of the priority sectors."


She added that Covid-19 also taught a lot about the importance of healthy diets, and the fishery has been featured as one of the contributors to nutrition.


"Fisheries also has resilience," she said and added, "With the development of the e-commerce artisanal fisheries in Oman played an important role. During Covid-19, it facilitated their participation in e-auction."


"This year is an opportunity not only to raise awareness about the importance of fisheries for our consumption and our food security, but also to spearhead action towards the development of this important sector, which is more and more being looked at as a source of protein, a source of energy and very important and healthy food.


Just as small and medium enterprises are being considered today, artisanal fisheries are also being looked upon as a sector that could see development as well as be part of food security.


"When we see that most fisheries operations in the world are artisanal, the same goes for the Sultanate of Oman. And more than 90 per cent of the operations here are of artisanal nature, and knowing that the Sultanate of Oman has three types of fisheries, mainly small-scale artisanal and commercial and also coastal. But the artisanal accounts for more than 99.5 per cent.


So we need to pay attention to those small-scales and artisanal fisheries and fisherfolk. Therefore, it is important to support small and medium enterprises' capacities to create jobs and boost the economy. Because all the studies show that these types of enterprises are actually at the heart of the economy," she explained.



According to her, the whole value chain is important, from production to consumption. Just as in the agricultural sector, the expression from farm to fork is used; the same concept goes for fisheries too. All the steps of the chain are extremely important when it comes to fisheries and in particular, artisanal is about collecting, cleaning, and harvesting marine products.


"Also important is marketing and all the post-harvest activities of which marketing is part. This is where women are very much present. Most of them do not go to sea, even though things are changing now. But most of their participation is found in the pre and post-harvest activities. That is why we presented women and the changing tide by breaking the bias -lessons from Omani small-scale fisheries," she explained.


According to the FAO representative to the Sultanate of Oman, overall, the role of women is very important. This aspect is being looked upon as extremely important because women are the ones who foresee the nutrition of the family, but also their role is very important in pre and post-harvest activities. But this role is undocumented.


"Not enough has been documented, and this is why we do have difficulties coming up with exact and accurate data on the number of women in the fishery sectors.


Of course, it depends on the country. But for the Sultanate of Oman, the study that we are referring to dates back to 2014 that shows that about 400 women are involved in the fisheries sector. But this dates back a little bit, so we are trying to support them. The public needs to know that women are important in fisheries and that they are playing a role," pointed out Dr Haddad.


The event organised by FAO had the participation of the Ministry of Higher Education Research and Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.


"It is important to educate our children about the role of fisheries, women in fisheries, and the importance of eating fish. Including fish in diets will make them more healthy," she noted.


She added, "We are foreseeing a few activities together with some partners here with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources. We are working on a project to build the capacities of fisheries of coastal women, of a group of coastal women in Al Musannah."


The FAO representative said, "Another part of the component of this project is about adding value and supporting women to market the processed fish product. And we would like to showcase it as an example, and why not duplicate it in other areas of the country?


We are working with the government on the policy side and the implementation of the guidelines on small- scale sustainable fisheries. We are developing studies around that to see how the implementation of these guidelines is doing in the Sultanate of Oman to try and bring about the challenges and also the opportunities of the sector. And this is how we have highlighted the importance of small-scale fisheries, not only women but also men."


According to her, mindsets are changing and evolving. "FAO is also working with the academia, from the more conceptual side and also to introduce and highlight the role of fisheries, small-scale fisheries, artisanal fisheries and all types of fisheries in the curricula, developing studies and research around those areas and different kinds of best practices and experiences."


"So through women entrepreneurs, we would like to showcase that they are also at the heart of the economy. They can help reduce dependence on the oil-driven economy," concluded Dr Haddad.


@lakshmioman


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon