Mainstreaming gender in the BOBLME Project

The paper presented a gender audit of international and regional instruments in the eight BOBLME countries. Uneven progress in tackling gender inequalities was found. Entry points to mainstream gender in the Strategic Action Plan(SAP) were identified and key recommendations to BOBLME partner countries were made

Vulnerability assessments in fisheries social-ecological systems: some experiences in their development and implementation for adaptation planning

Vulnerability assessments play an important role in the climate change adaptation process in that they link physical changes (either current or projected) with the ability of aquatic and human systems to cope or benefit from such change. In general, a vulnerability assessment helps to target adaptation actions by better understanding who are the vulnerable people\species and how their vulnerability can be reduced, where the vulnerable ecosystems are and whether resource management can improve their capacity to adapt, where the economic consequences of vulnerability of fishery systems will be felt most and how we can plan to minimize those consequences and where climate change will create new opportunities and bring benefits and, importantly, for whom. This talk will provide a brief introduction to vulnerability schools of thought and some examples of how vulnerability assessments have been applied within fisheries and aquaculture systems.Keywords: Fisheries Economics, Climate: Vulnerability, Modeling and Economic Theor

What influences the intention to adopt aquaculture innovations? Concepts and empirical assessment of fish farmers' perceptions and beliefs about aquafeed containing non-conventional ingredients

The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) has so far found few applications in aquaculture research. Using Rogers’ innovation adoption characteristics as a complementary framework, we explore its relevance in describing Indian carp farmers’ perceptions of the attributes of fish feed containing non-conventional ingredients (seaweeds, freshwater macrophytes, microalgae and microbes), and in understanding the factors influencing their intention to use these feeds. We find that fish farmers familiar with manufactured feed tend to have more positive attitudes to the inclusion of non-conventional ingredients in fish feed than those who are not. Perceived peer pressure, importance and benefits from the novel aquafeed, perceived comparative advantage and uncertainty regarding outcomes from its use are the main determinants of intention to adopt the proposed feed innovation. The combined application of the TPB and Rogers’ innovation framework provides valuable insights into fish farmers’ attitudes and behavioural intention towards innovation adoption, and we recommend its wider use for designing interventions that promote technological innovations and improved farm management. By exploring the underpinnings of intention to adopt an innovation, our study contributes to the literature on fish farmers’ behaviour and attitudes to innovations in aquaculture

Defining and averting syndemic pathways in aquaculture: a major global food sector

Aquaculture now provides half of all aquatic protein consumed globally—with most current and future production occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Concerns over the availability and application of effective policies to deliver safe and sustainable future supply have the potential to hamper further development of the sector. Creating healthy systems must extend beyond the simple exclusion of disease agents to tackle the host, environmental, and human drivers of poor outcomes and build new policies that incorporate these broader drivers. Syndemic theory provides a potential framework for operationalizing this One Health approach.</jats:p

Harnessing the diversity of small-scale actors is key to the future of aquatic food systems

Small-scale fisheries and aquaculture (SSFA) provide livelihoods for over 100 million people and sustenance for ~1 billion people, particularly in the Global South. Aquatic foods are distributed through diverse supply chains, with the potential to be highly adaptable to stresses and shocks, but face a growing range of threats and adaptive challenges. Contemporary governance assumes homogeneity in SSFA despite the diverse nature of this sector. Here we use SSFA actor profiles to capture the key dimensions and dynamism of SSFA diversity, reviewing contemporary threats and exploring opportunities for the SSFA sector. The heuristic framework can inform adaptive governance actions supporting the diversity and vital roles of SSFA in food systems, and in the health and livelihoods of nutritionally vulnerable people—supporting their viability through appropriate policies whilst fostering equitable and sustainable food systems.Additional co-authors: Caroline E Ferguson, Nicole Franz, Christopher D. Golden, Benjamin S. Halpern, Lucie Hazen, Christina Hicks, Derek Johnson, Sangeeta Mangubhai, Rosamond L. Naylor, Melba Reantaso, U. Rashid Sumaila, Shakuntala H. Thilsted, Michelle Tigchelaar, Colette C. C. Wabnitz & Wenbo Zhan

Defining and averting syndemic pathways in aquaculture: a major global food sector

Aquaculture now provides half of all aquatic protein consumed globally—with most current and future production occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Concerns over the availability and application of effective policies to deliver safe and sustainable future supply have the potential to hamper further development of the sector. Creating healthy systems must extend beyond the simple exclusion of disease agents to tackle the host, environmental, and human drivers of poor outcomes and build new policies that incorporate these broader drivers. Syndemic theory provides a potential framework for operationalizing this One Health approach

Capturing Ecosystem Services, Stakeholders' Preferences and Trade-Offs in Coastal Aquaculture Decisions : A Bayesian Belief Network Application

Aquaculture activities are embedded in complex social-ecological systems. However, aquaculture development decisions have tended to be driven by revenue generation, failing to account for interactions with the environment and the full value of the benefits derived from services provided by local ecosystems. Trade-offs resulting from changes in ecosystem services provision and associated impacts on livelihoods are also often overlooked. This paper proposes an innovative application of Bayesian belief networks - influence diagrams - as a decision support system for mediating trade-offs arising from the development of shrimp aquaculture in Thailand. Senior experts were consulted (n = 12) and primary farm data on the economics of shrimp farming (n = 20) were collected alongside secondary information on ecosystem services, in order to construct and populate the network. Trade-offs were quantitatively assessed through the generation of a probabilistic impact matrix. This matrix captures nonlinearity and uncertainty and describes the relative performance and impacts of shrimp farming management scenarios on local livelihoods. It also incorporates export revenues and provision and value of ecosystem services such as coastal protection and biodiversity. This research shows that Bayesian belief modeling can support complex decision-making on pathways for sustainable coastal aquaculture development and thus contributes to the debate on the role of aquaculture in social-ecological resilience and economic development

The integration of poverty-focused aquaculture in large-scale irrigation systems in South Asia Livelihoods and economic perspectives

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