FAO-Thiaroye processing technique : towards adopting improved fish smoking systems in the context of benefits, trade-offs and policy implications from selected developing countries

More than 60 percent of global production of smoked fishery products occurs in Africa and Asia, highlighting their tremendous significance in food and nutrition security and as a vehicle for livelihood support in these regions. However, prevailing processing technologies entail significant deleterious health implications for both processors and consumers. The main hazard relates to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known to have carcinogenic potential. In response to the PAH challenge and leveraging on the Codex Alimentarius Code of Practice guidelines for preventing their occurrence in smoked and dried products, the FAO-Thiaroye fish processing technique (FTT) was developed under a collaborative research approach between FAO and a fisheries institution in Senegal. To date, the FTT has been introduced in 16 countries. The technique addresses the PAH problem, and yields products that comply with international limits on the hazard, while fostering many social, economic and environmental benefits. However, experience from some African and Asian countries points to the need for a context-driven balance that ensures that the gains associated with its use can be realized without making expensive compromises, especially in terms of fisheries resources status and trade dynamics. Policy and regulatory frameworks need to be informed by a risk-based approach and supportive of consistent benchmarking and differentiation of FTT products. This document reviews the lessons from those countries, and makes the case for a hard, evidence-based, policy backbone to safeguard the sustainable, eco-friendly supply of safe smoked (and dried) fishery products to support food security, particularly in the developing world

Evaluating Livelihood Strategies and the Role of Inland Fisheries in Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation: The Case of the Yaéré Floodplain in North Cameroon

It is usually assumed that most, if not all, small scale fishing communities, particularly in tropical countries, represents the poorest and most disadvantaged part of rural societies. As a result, these populations have been targeted for poverty alleviation by fisheries development programmes since the early 60's. Unfortunately many of these programmes have failed in achieving their objectives due to a lack of understanding for the complex livelihood strategies and networks of socio-economic and institutional relationships which characterise the different strata of these societies. In the present paper, we attempt to address the issue of poverty and rural livelihood strategies for the fishing communities of the Yaéré floodplains of the Lake Chad Basin (Cameroon, Africa). For this, we carried out an socio-economic assessment of the Yaéré floodplain population through a wealth / activity ranking exercise combined to an analysis of the land / water tenure systems. The result shows that the floodplain population is made up of different wealth groups characterised by distinct livelihood strategies. In particular it is shown that the poorest rely in a larger proportion on fishing activities while the better off mainly rely on farming. The analysis emphasises the key-role of the local water tenure system in this livelihood strategy distinction. The relation between wealth and food insecurity as well as the different factors governing the wealth differentiation process are analysed. The implications for poverty alleviation and rural development programmes at the micro-level are briefly discussed

Evaluating livelihood strategies and the role of inland fisheries in rural development and poverty alleviation The case of the Yaere floodplains in North Cameroon

Earlier version of a paper presented at the 10th Conference of the Intl. Inst. Fisheries Economics and Trade 10-14 July 2000, Corvalis, USAAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:7755.0105(153) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo