The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) says small-scale fisheries and aquaculture support about 600 million people globally, reaffirming the sector’s potential to create jobs, raise household incomes and strengthen food security.
The organisation said small-scale fisheries and aquaculture account for nearly 40 percent of global capture fisheries production, making them an important source of food and livelihoods for communities around the world.
IFAD said it has invested more than US$2.1 billion (Sh270.9 billion) in fisheries and aquaculture since 2010.
The agency said the funding has been channelled through an integrated approach that links increased production with value-chain development and stronger policy and institutional frameworks.
“Since 2010, IFAD has invested over US$2.1 billion in the sector through an integrated approach that links production, value chain development, and enabling policy and institutional frameworks,” the organisation said.
According to IFAD, the investments have benefited people across different parts of the fisheries economy, including fishers, fish farmers, processors, distributors and retailers.
About 21 million people have participated in IFAD-supported projects, the organisation said, reflecting the wide reach of its interventions across fisheries and aquaculture value chains.
“The result? About 21 million people – primarily small-scale fishers, fish farmers, processors, distributors and retailers – have participated in IFAD-supported projects,” IFAD said.
The organisation explained that its strategy goes beyond increasing fish production, with investments also targeting sustainable management of natural resources, post-harvest infrastructure and stronger connections between producers and markets.
“Across the portfolio, combined investments in sustainable resource management, post-harvest infrastructure and market linkages show how a value chain-oriented approach can deliver results,” it said.
IFAD cited the PRAREV-Pêche project in Djibouti as an example of how targeted investment can improve livelihoods in vulnerable coastal communities.
The project reached nearly 30,000 people living in coastal areas considered vulnerable to climate change. IFAD said participants who had been involved in the programme for more than one year recorded improvements in household incomes, fish-sale revenues and food security.
According to the agency, household incomes among the participants increased by 32 percent, while revenues from fish sales rose by 36 per cent. Food insecurity scores also fell by 35 percent.
The results indicate that investment across the fisheries value chain can deliver benefits beyond increased production, including higher household earnings and improved access to food.
IFAD said the experience also demonstrates the importance of supporting the wider fisheries economy, including processors, distributors and retailers, rather than focusing only on fishers and fish farmers.
With hundreds of millions of people depending on small-scale fisheries and aquaculture, IFAD said coordinated investment in sustainable resource management, infrastructure and markets can help the sector contribute more significantly to employment, incomes and food security.
The agency’s experience in Djibouti provides an example of how investment in vulnerable coastal communities can translate into measurable economic and food-security gains while strengthening the resilience of people whose livelihoods depend on fisheries and aquaculture.