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n 2014, the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) endorsed the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines). They are a set of recommendations to states and other actors on how to make small-scale fisheries more sustainable. Key issues in the SSF Guidelines include allocating tenure rights equitably; managing resources responsibly; supporting social development and decent work; empowering fish workers along the entire value chain; promoting gender equality; and addressing climate change and disaster risks. The SSF Guidelines are the result of a participatory development process that brought together small-scale fisheries actors, governments, academia, NGOs, regional organizations and many other stakeholders. Their content reflects what these actors have identified as key issues for securing sustainable small-scale fisheries, as well as related guidance on how to address those issues.
The implementation of the SSF Guidelines will require engagement with and partnerships across different institutions, organizations and actors, which will have different roles to play to address issues in relation to fisheries governance, gender, post-harvest, food security and nutrition and other wider societal interests.
But, how can we know that the SSF Guidelines have an effect?
In chapter 13, the SSF Guidelines explicitly refer to the need for monitoring of their implementation. FAO is working towards developing guidance for measuring progress at the national level of the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. This e-consultation aims to solicit views, recommendations, suggestions, and good practices for monitoring the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. Your knowledge about and experience with small-scale fisheries is valuable as we work to develop a relevant, realistic and useful tool for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the SSF Guidelines.
Please share your opinions on what parts of the SSF Guidelines should be monitored and how. What defines progress towards securing sustainable small-scale fisheries? How can we measure progress? What would be meaningful and feasible indicators in your opinion? And, who would you suggest is suited to do the measuring? What could participatory monitoring look like?
We look forward to your insights and contributions. Thank you in advance for your time!
Nicole Franz, Amber Himes-Cornell and Katy Dalton
for the FAO SSF Guidelines Secretariat
