Fisherwomen’s struggle for their Right to Food and Nutrition Challenges and coping strategies of fisher women in Uganda and Malawi
In Africa, 10 to 19 million people rely directly on fisheries for their livelihood and another 90 million benefit from fisheries more broadly. Although hardly recognized, across the continent, women play a critical role in the fisheries value chain. While a few women now own fishing boats and are directly involved in direct fishing, 96% of women’s work in small scale fisheries still takes place in post-harvest activities, e.g. the processing, sun drying, smoking, and trading of fish. In addition to their role in small-scale fisheries, women are culturally still expected to be responsible for a broad range of roles and duties that fulfill social and economic obligations within the household, as well as in their respective communities. A few examples of these expectations include, but are not limited to, care and reproductive work, such as the care of children, the elderly and the sick, household chores, and procuring food to cook for their households…
