Gilbert Ekugbe

A recent Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Global Fish Study found that about 80 percent of global aquaculture production comes from developing countries, noting that the number of artisanal farmers is higher than that employed at farm level in medium and large farms. large-scale aquaculture.

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said at the launch of the United Nations International Year of Small-Scale Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 (IYAFA 2022) that this year’s vision is aligned with the “4 Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all, leaving no one behind.

He said the YAAFA would also help achieve several of the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Peruvian Production Minister Jorge Luis Prado said he hopes IYAFA 2022 will strengthen artisanal fishing activity, ensure the sustainability of resource use and accelerate efforts to eradicate poverty in Peru. And in the world.

The Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Ms Maria Flachsbarth, sent a video message highlighting the importance of the world’s seas and oceans as a source of food and employment.

She explained how the German government has invested 130 million euros for resource management through initiatives to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, support for various marine management plans and strengthening of fishing chains. local value.

During the virtual ceremony, the Director-General of FAO presented the Margarita Lizarraga Medal to Ms. Margaret Nakato of the Katosi Women Development Trust in Uganda.

He commended Nakato for her work in organizing women in fishing communities to work together, giving them knowledge and skills, access to training, technology and markets.

The award is presented to an individual or organization that has distinguished itself in applying the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
Thanking the Director-General and FAO, Nakato said the award would inspire the women she works with to continue supporting food security and poverty eradication.

The ceremony also included testimonies relating to the innovative capacity of artisanal fisheries and aquaculture in the context of sustainable development.

The Director of FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Mr. Manuel Barange, closed the discussions with a call for global action to help make IYAFA a significant one-year endeavor. “The Year offers a unique opportunity to raise the profile of small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture and to lay the foundations for a future in which these sectors can realize their full potential by contributing to sustainable development,” said he declared.