Solar tent dryers lead to gender equality in the fish value chain

French version available in IDRC Digital LibraryThe use of fish solar tent dryers has enabled more profitable, formal markets where dried fish products are sold at higher prices than at local markets. When compared to traditional sun drying methods, the solar tent technology has reduced the time for women to dry fish by more than 50%. Due to the positive impacts of training sessions which use gender transformative approaches (GTA) trainings, a second session on gender and leadership training saw an increase in male participation (128 men and 97 women). The solar tent dryers have been effective in improving economic and social aspects of fish processors’ work.Cultivate Africa’s Future Fund (CULTIAF

Gender differences in willingness to pay for capital-intensive agricultural technologies : the case of fish solar tent dryers in Malawi

To reduce fish postharvest losses, a fish solar tent dryer (image included) is being promoted along Lake Malawi. This paper analyses gender disparities in fish processors’ conditional willingness to pay (WTP), along with their willingness to pay towards a common or co-owned asset. Women have more endowments associated with a high probability of WTP, such as knowledge of the solar tent dryer, while men have more assets (such as education, selling to distant markets and fishing assets) and are therefore willing and able to pay a higher cost in dollars. Women lack access to income, education, capital, and access to markets

Commons governance in Southern Africa

This policy brief was authored by the CROSCOG (Cross Sectoral Commons Governance in Southern Africa) project teamThis Policy Brief is based on synthetic studies undertaken by participants in the Cross Sectoral Commons Governance in Southern Africa (CROSCOG) project between 2007 and 2009, funded by the European Commission (European Commission: FP6-2002-INCO- DEV/SSA-1, contract no. 043982). The objective of the project was to share existing research and experience in the governance of large-scale natural resource commons across various ecosystem types in southern Africa.Commission of the European Communitie

Inclusive Ecosystems? Women’s Participation in the Aquatic Ecosystem of Lake Malawi

Ecosystem services and their role in alleviating poverty are centered on a set of gendered social relations. The understanding of these relations between men and women in aquatic ecosystems can unveil gender-based opportunities and constraints along the value chains of the ecosystem services. A gender discourse perspective on participation of actors of an ecosystem can further facilitate the understanding of the complex and subtle ways in which gender is represented, constructed, and contested. This paper analyses the barriers to the participation of women in the fishing industry. The analysis is based on a study conducted in five fishing villages of Lake Malawi through a structured questionnaire, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and observations. First, it looks at gender and participation from a theoretical perspective to explain how gender manifests itself in participation and interrogates why women have limited benefits from the fishing industry. Second, it highlights the barriers that seem to preclude women from participating, which include institutional embedded norms, financial, socio-cultural, and reproduction roles. In general, women had little influence on the type of fishing sites, markets, and access to financing of their businesses. A gender transformative agenda is therefore required to proactively facilitate changes of some entrenched institutional norms as well as having greater access to financial services and new technologies in order to enhance women’s full participation and equal benefits from ecosystem services

Changement transformateur des relations entre les sexes dans la chaîne de valeur du secteur des pêches : résultats relatifs au genre

Australian International Food Security Research Centr

Gender inclusive financing for scaling up improved fish processing technologies in Malawi

Evidence from the project has shown that improved fish smoking kilns and solar tent dryers are environmentally friendly, effective and economically viable fish processing technologies. This policy brief outlines an innovative communication system as a vehicle for disseminating information for adoption of the new processing techniques. The strategy will promote scaling up of improved technologies as a package. These packages will include processing, marketing, business approach and financing mechanisms. The communication messages will be created utilizing gender-transformative approaches to transform the underlying power inequalities and social norms, with the aim of ensuring increased participation of women and youth

Les serres de séchage au soleil favorisent l’égalité entre les sexes au sein de la chaîne de valeur du poisson

English version available in IDRC Digital LibraryCultivate Africa’s Future Fund (CULTIAF

Gender transformative change in Malawian and Zambian fishery value chains : gender outcomes

This brief explains the gender transformative approach which was adopted throughout the project to address harmful social and gender norms and power relations that constrain women fishery producers. The project developed and tested postharvest fish processing technologies (solar tent dryers, smoking kilns, salting) to help reduce losses. Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to uncover the complex causes of fish post-harvest loss with a special focus on processing. Women’s Empowerment in Fisheries Index (WEFI) is a valuable instrument for application in small-scale fishery settings to assess gendered dynamics.Australian International Food Security Research Centr

Gender differences in willingness to pay for capital-intensive agricultural technologies: the case of fish solar tent dryers in Malawi

Abstract Gender differences in fish processors’ willingness to pay for a group-owned fish solar tent dryer (FSTD) are being assessed by using the double hurdle model. Willingness to pay (WTP) responses from 382 randomly selected fish processors were elicited through a bidding game in a contingent valuation method. The findings show that the average probability that fish processors will be willing to pay was 74% (76% for females and 72% for males). Furthermore, the average level of WTP was US$29.45 (US$26.46 for females and US$33.51 for males). Females have a lower level of WTP than men because of their low endowment with assets that can assist them such as education, access to markets and productive assets. In view of these findings, the paper concludes that female fish processors have a higher probability of being willing to pay than male fish processors, but the levels of WTP are lower for female processors. The study suggests that when organising the community into cooperatives is possible, WTP for capital-intensive technologies can be assessed as contributions of individuals to the total cost of the technologies although the common property characteristic is suspected to lower the level of willingness to pay