Green Economy in a Blue World-Full Report

2011d; FAO, 2011e) as well as the agreement by COFI to develop a dedicated international instrument in support of small-scale fisheries within the framework of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (FAO, 2011). The development of this instrument is underway and will further support the recognition of the sector. Still, improved information on and better integration of small-scale fisheries in economies is required. Policy coherence and enhanced linkages between small-scale fisheries, sectoral policies and strategies as well as national planning and development processes need to be promoted (FAO, 2011b). In aquaculture, many challenges remain insufficiently assessed or inadequately addressed by current policy frameworks (OECD, 2010). An improved understanding of poverty and effective resource management are at the centre of the future challenges for sector (FAO, 2010c). Aquaculture has increasingly become “a means to increase domestic fish supply to low-income consumers, develop opportunities for employment, support local economic multipliers, and to generate revenue from trade” (Allison, 2011). The emphasis of pro-poor aquaculture development hence appears to be shifting away from directly securing food security for the poorest small-holder farmers. It may be that a wider support to the sector, i.e. to both small-scale and large-scale aquaculture, is the best strategy for realising its potential as a contributor to poverty alleviation and food and nutrition security (Allison, 2011). Policy and decision makers need to understand the rapid technological development of the sector and ensure that regulations and governance discourage environmentally, economic and socially unsustainable practices at the same time as green growth is promoted (Asche, 2011). The challenges of transition in the small-scale fisheries and aquaculture sectors are likely to be considerable as it requires political will and commitment, organizational development and capacity building – in communities and at national and regional levels. In aquaculture, the possibilities that the development prospects of the sector offer in the context of poverty alleviation need to be better understood and explored. For this reason, enabling institutional conditions and safeguards must be put into place to protect poor and vulnerable people and enable them to safely and sustainably access and exploit the resources to which they are entitled thus lowering the short-term impact of a transition to a green economy development pathway.

rights based approach to economic, political and social development. There are a number of policy directions and actions that are needed to achieve this transition and to address the sustainability- efficiency-equity dimensions of the green economy pathway. Building on the challenges and opportunities discussed above, this section presents key areas to be addressed: the enabling conditions and investments required in the areas of technology, and policy and governance. This includes • securing political commitment for support through increased understanding and recognition of the role and contribution of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture to poverty alleviation and food and nutrition security; • governance reform including the building effective institutions that lead to the adoption of integrated and ecosystem approaches to fisheries and aquaculture with fair and responsible tenure systems to help turn resource users into resource stewards; • support to the development of green technology and production systems; and • promotion of market-based incentives and industry and consumer awareness- building to give preference to products from sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. The first and most important step for the sustainable transition of small-scale fisheries is to recognize their current and potential contribution to poverty alleviation and food and nutrition security at all levels of management and government. For small-scale fisheries to realize this potential they need to be incorporated into national development policy with a special emphasis on the structural and institutional causes of poverty in addition to being managed for ecological sustainability and economic productivity. In recent decades, the profile of small-scale fisheries as well as the awareness of their social and economic role has begun to increase, as demonstrated by the widespread participation in events such as the Global Conference on Small Scale Fisheries: Securing Sustainable Small- Scale Fisheries: Bringing Together Responsible Fisheries and Social Development, headed by FAO in October 2008 (FAO, 2009b), subsequent regional consultations (FAO, 2010d; FAO, 4.1 Increased recognition of small- scale fisheries and aquaculture

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