Livelihood and Micro-Enterprise Development Opportunities for Women in Coastal Fishing Communities in India: Case studies of Orissa and Maharashtra
U. Tietze; S. Siar; Suchitra M. Upare; M.A. Upare (2008)
What are the opportunities for women to develop micro-enterprise in the fishing industry? What can be done to make these enterprises more viable for poverty alleviation?
This FAO Fisheries Circular is based on the reports of studies carried out by partner institutions in Orissa and Maharashtra, India. It also draws on the recommendations of two state-level workshops which followed the studies. The studies found that poverty has remained a serious problem in fishing communities, made even more severe by the absence of rural infrastructure and services such as safe drinking water, electricity, waste and sewage disposal facilities, health care and educational services, all-weather link roads as well as a lack of adequate housing facilities.
The studies also found that:
Despite important differences between the two states, the situation of women in fishing communities shows many similarities. Customarily, women have been involved in many aspects of fish processing and marketing.
The costs of fishing have risen recently, prompting a diversification of livelihoods into part-time agricultural labour and construction work, especially for women.
Motorization and mechanization of fishing vessels has led to a concentration of fish landings at fewer landing sites and, in some cases, resulted in the takeover of fish trade by male fish merchants, displacing women from this role.
The report concludes that:
The recently formed women’s Self-Help-Groups and co-operatives have potential to improve the livelihoods of women in fishing communities, but they need vocational and enterprise development training, and assistance to establish links to new market outlets.
They also need linking to financial institutions for credit provision and microfinance services to meet their working capital needs.
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