Gilbert Ekugbe
A recent Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) world fish study has revealed that about 80 per cent of the world’s aquaculture production comes from developing countries, noting that the numbers of artisanal farmers are higher than those employed at farm level in medium- and large-scale aquaculture.
The Director-General of the FAO, Mr. Qu Dongyu, said at the launch of the United Nations International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (IYAFA 2022), that this year’s vision is aligned with FAO’s “4 Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all – leaving no one behind.”
He said The YAAFA would also contribute towards reaching several of the objectives under the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Minister of Production, Peru, Jorge Luis Prado, said that he hoped that IYAFA 2022 would strengthen artisanal fishing activity, ensure the sustainability in the use of resources, and accelerate efforts to achieve the elimination of poverty in Peru and worldwide.
The Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Ms. Maria Flachsbarth, sent a video message underlining the importance of the world’s seas and oceans as a source of food and employment.
She explained how the German government has invested 130 million Euro for resource management through initiatives combating illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing, support of various marine management plans and for strengthening local value chains.
During the virtual ceremony, the FAO Director-General presented the Margarita Lizarraga Medal to Ms. Margaret Nakato of the Katosi Women Development Trust in Uganda.
He praised Nakato for her work in organising women in fishing communities to work together, empowering them with knowledge and skills, access to training, technology and markets.
The award is bestowed to a person or organisation that has served with distinction in the application of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
Thanking the Director-General and FAO, Nakato said the award would inspire the women she works with, to continue to support food security and the eradication of poverty.
The ceremony also included testimonies relating to the innovative capacity of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in the context of sustainable development.
Director of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Mr. Manuel Barange, closed proceedings with a call for global action to help make IYAFA a significant year-long undertaking. “The Year provides a unique opportunity to elevate the profile of small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture and to lay the ground for securing a future in which these sectors can realise their full potential in contributing to sustainable development” he said.
