Report of the Expert Consultation on the Role of Small-scale Fisheries in Poverty Alleviation and Food Security. Rome, 5–8 July 2004.

The Expert Consultation was convened by FAO in order to elaborate guidelines on the policies and actions needed to increase the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security. The twenty-fifth session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, held in Rome from 24 to 28 February 2003, requested FAO to develop such guidelines as part of its series of technical guidelines on the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. The Expert Consultation had before it a comprehensive background document on the subject matter and recommended that two products be published by FAO: (i) a FAO Fisheries Technical Paper on small-scale fisheries in poverty alleviation and food security that would include a full review of relevant background information; and (ii) FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries on enhancing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviation and food security that would be a much more concise document highlighting the actions needed to increase the contribution of small-scale fisheries. The Expert Consultation provided specific guidance for the finalization of the technical paper based on a revision and elaboration of the background document and produced a detailed outline for the preparation of the technical guidelines. It also provided recommendations on the dissemination of both documents and on methods to assess the use and evaluate the impacts of the technical guidelines. The Expert Consultation noted that there is little reference to poverty alleviation and insufficient coverage of small-scale fisheries in the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. It therefore recommended the development of a new Article on “Small-scale Fisheries and Poverty Alleviation”.