Small-Scale Fisheries make an important contribution to food security and nutrition, employment and income generation in local and national economies. Despite this importance, the sector is often politically, socially and economically marginalized, impeding full enjoyment of human rights including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, with detriment to sustainable resource utilization and equitable development. 

In response to this the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI31) endorsed the "Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty eradication" (SSF Guidelines) in 2014, after a participatory development process that involved over 4,000 stakeholders from more than 120 countries. Based on a human rights-based approach, the SSF Guidelines aim at empowering small-scale fishing communities to become responsible resource stewards and active drivers of development. 

The role of fisher folk organizations and supporting civil society organizations was crucial in the development of the SSF Guidelines, which represent a global consensus on small-scale fisheries governance and development. They organized the bulk of the country level consultations demonstrating how organization enables small-scale producers to have a voice even at the highest policy level. 

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This news item is part of a Partner Spotlight on World Farmers' Organization (19-23 September) and is adapted from an article featured in the September 2016 issue of WFO's F@rmletter, entitled "From Small to Large: Fisheries Always Need Cooperation" authored by Luca Garibaldi and Nicole Franz. 

Each week, the GFAR Secretariat is turning the spotlight on the work and collective actions of Partners in GFAR who share in our mission to strengthen and transform agri-food research and innovation systems globally. For more information on the Partners in GFAR, and to become a Partner, click here!