Improving Governance Of Tenure In Fisheries Sector In Ghana Using The Voluntary Guidelines On The Responsible Governance Of Tenure Of Land Fisheries And Forests And Small Scale Fisheries Guidelines

Small-scale fishers and their communities highly depend on secure access to fisheries resources and to the beaches that allow fishers to access the fishing grounds, to land their catches, and store and maintain their boats, gear and equipment. Landing sites are also often a place that women use for fish processing and marketing activities. These tenure rights for fishing grounds and landing sites are of crucial importance for the livelihoods of small-scale fishers and for food and nutrition security for fishing communities, and for the coastal population in most countries. Most of the landing sites for small-scale fisheries in Ghana are under increasing demand to use the beaches for other purposes, such as tourism, urban and commercial activities. Small-scale fishers also have major challenges pertaining to their exclusive use of the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ), reserved for the small-scale fishing for small pelagic fish. In recent years there are major conflicts with industrial fleet that are trans-shipping (by)-catches of small pelagic fish to canoes at sea, which are subsequently landed unrecorded in Ghana. In addition, the industrial trawlers are regularly fishing illegally within the IEZ for small pelagic fish. Through the European Union Land Governance Programme support has been provided to develop the capacities of small-scale coastal fishing communities to secure their tenure rights, secure the fish landing and processing sites and reduce the incidence of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Capacities of clam fishery producers was also developed. The aim was to secure and sustain the livelihoods of the small-scale fishers.

The small-scale fisheries subsector is a crucial provider of livelihoods, nutrition, and food security to millions of people all over the world. However, small-scale fishers, fishworkers and their communities face many challenges, including lack of recognition, limited participation in decision-making, unsustainable use of aquatic resources, climate change impacts and conflicting interests with other sectors. The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) are the first international instrument entirely dedicated to small-scale fisheries and provide guidance on how to address existing challenges in the subsector. One of the key areas discussed in the SSF Guidelines is the need for an enabling environment that promotes good governance. This publication, Small-scale fisheries governance – A handbook in support of the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication, was based on a number of training courses on governance in small-scale fisheries. It offers an overview of the SSF Guidelines and guidance on their implementation in particular with regard to good governance and the enabling environment needed.

Land, fisheries, forests and other natural resources provide a basis for livelihoods and social, cultural and religious practices. However, most people in rural areas in developing countries do not have any form of documentation to protect their land and natural resources rights, which puts their livelihoods and consequently their food and nutrition security are at risk. Secure tenure rights promote responsible investment in agriculture that could increase productivity and enhance food security and nutrition. Secure access to land, fisheries and forest resources, including water, is associated with increased social well-being and economic growth. This guidance note provides background information on tenure, food security and nutrition linkages and addresses the overarching question of what changes are needed to existing tenure-related policies and laws to raise the profile of tenure issues in the food security and nutrition agenda.

In March 2020, a regional inception workshop was held in Ghana a project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) entitled Enhancing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and sustainable livelihoods through better policies, strategies and initiatives. This is the report from the workshop. The project promotes the application of the principles of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (the SSF Guidelines) in FAO member countries and regions. The project end date was originally in December 2019 but was extended for another year into 2020 to focus on the issue of empowering women in fisheries for sustainable food systems. Accordingly, the project will support women in small-scale fisheries, particularly in the postharvest sector, with a view to improving food security and nutrition and promoting gender equality. In 2020, related activities will begin in Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. The project will also support sharing lessons learned and good practices, and it will help to strengthen institutional structures at the regional and global levels.

For small-scale fisheries around the world, the Blue Growth and Blue Economy initiatives may provide sustainable development, but only insofar as they align with the global consensus enshrined in the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. If states do nothing to fulfill the promises they made when they endorsed these guidelines in 2014, the Blue Economy will come at a loss for small-scale fisheries and further their marginalization in the ocean economy. Under the umbrella of Blue Justice, this book demonstrates that these risks are real and must be considered as states implement their sustainable ocean development plans. These are human rights issues, which are embedded into governance principles and institutions and which make a difference for small-scale fisheries people in their daily lives. In stressing the importance of policies and institutions that build on the experiences of small-scale fisheries people in the contexts in which they operate, this book draws on case studies of small-scale fisheries from countries on all continents to clarify what Blue Justice entails for small-scale fisheries and make suggestions for real change. “Through the Blue Justice paradigm, this book flags the relevance of recognizing the potential impact that different factors, including the Blue Economy approach, could bring to fishing communities, their livelihoods, cultural traditions, and other potential multidimensional conflicts. Vulnerability in fishing communities can increase and inequalities can be reinforced at different levels if individuals and community capabilities are not strengthened... A first of its kind, not to be missed, this book is informative, purposeful, and pertinent in an era of change”. Silvia Salas, CINVESTAV, Marine Resources Department, Mérida, Mexico "The studies reveal that Blue Justice is a ‘governability’ issue, which requires establishing ‘right’ institutions, that are transdisciplinary (integrated), participatory, and holistic. It is implicit from these writings that the SSF Guidelines and Blue Growth initiatives do not form two different discourses, and that the implementation of the former would resolve many of the justice issues caused by the latter, in favor of small-scale fisheries and their communities". Oscar Amarasinghe, Professor & Chancellor, Ocean University of Sri Lanka and President, Sri Lanka Forum for Small Scale Fisheries (SLFSSF)

The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) represent the first ever international instrument dedicated to small-scale fisheries. They represent a global consensus on principles and guidance for small-scale fisheries governance and development. They were developed for small-scale fisheries in close collaboration with representatives of small-scale fisheries organizations in a participatory process between 2011-13, involving over 4000 stakeholders; facilitated by FAO, based on a mandate by COFI. They are directed at all those involved in the sector and intend to guide and encourage governments, fishing communities and other stakeholders to work together and ensure secure and sustainable small-scale fisheries for the benefit of small-scale fishers, fish workers and their communities as well as for society at large.

The guidelines are the first comprehensive, global instrument on tenure and its administration to be prepared through intergovernmental negotiations.The guidelines set out principles and internationally accepted standards of responsible practices for the use and control of land, fisheries and forests. They provide guidance for improving the policy, legal and organizational frameworks that regulate tenure rights; for enhancing the transparency and administration of tenure systems; and for strengthening the capacities and operations of public bodies, private sector enterprises, civil society organizations and people concerned with tenure and its governance.The guidelines place the governance of tenure within the context of national food security, and are intended to contribute to the progressive realization of the right to adequate food, poverty eradication, environmental protection and sustainable social and economic development.

Marine and inland fisheries provide millions of people around the globe with food security and livelihood opportunities. Advancing knowledge on how the world’s marine and inland capture fisheries are accessed, used, and managed using various types of rights-based approaches (RBAs) is a crucial step towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and attaining food and nutrition security and livelihood benefits. The Global Conference on Tenure and User Rights in Fisheries 2018 created a neutral platform for a wide variety of participants, including government officials; fishers from industrial, small-scale and indigenous/traditional communities; fisheries-related stakeholders; nongovernment organizations (NGOs); civil society organizations (CSOs); intergovernmental organizations (IGOs); and academics from around the world. Sharing perceptions and experiences, participants exchanged information and concrete examples through case studies on how tenure and RBAs can harmonize the concepts of responsible fisheries, social and economic development as well as ideas and concerns about the fair and equitable application of user rights in capture fisheries. UserRights 2018 was a unique event that brought together both technical expertise and practical case studies, with the objective of using this diverse knowledge to advance the SDGs.