WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2024 39 Methodology To synthesize the available data on youths’ and women’s roles and challenges in small-holder aquaculture, we utilized methodological principles of systematic literature review (Haddaway et al. 2015). Data was obtained from peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, technical reports, dissertations, and conference papers by conducting topical online searches in the Web of Science (WoS), Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, AGORA, academic institutional e-repositories, and Scopus databases. See Figure 1 showing the framework of the methodology used to review and analyze data from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia. Ethiopian Aquaculture Value Chains Agriculture is Ethiopia’s principal economic sector, providing over 70% of the country’s industrial raw materials while also accounting for roughly 43% of GDP, 85% of employment, and 90% of all export revenues (Chanyalew et al. 2010). Agriculture is broadly defined to cover crops, livestock, capture fisheries, aquaculture, forestry, and the management of natural resources in this aspect. In 2018, aquaculture contributed just 0.2% of the nation’s total fish production (FAOSTAT 2020). Hence, the existing role of the sector is insignificant in the country’s overall economy because it is far below its potential (Kebede et al 2017) although Ethiopia’s environmental and socio-economic conditions could support the development of aquaculture (FAO 2014). Asmare et al. (2019) deemed aquaculture production negligible as no significant aquaculture development is taking place in Ethiopia. Introduction Equal and equitable participation of women, youths, and other vulnerable groups in aquaculture value chains is necessary for the wise use and conservation of aquatic resources to foster food security and sustainable socio-economic development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Empowering youths and fostering gender equality are core to the attainment of the targeted United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). In emerging SSA economies millions of local communities rely on both wild capture fisheries and fish farming for their livelihoods (World Fish 2014; Musuka and Mainza 2016). Small-scale fish farming is a relatively recent endeavor which still needs further intervention to act as a significant source of empowerment for women and youths (FAO 2022). Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia appear to be desirable subSaharan nations for aquaculture, despite the numerous impediments to the acceptance and dissemination of fishponds (Nkhoswe et al. 2023). Women comprise about 42% of the workforce of commercial aquaculture companies in sub-Saharan Africa, though they typically are not proprietors of the businesses (GIZ 2013; AfDB 2012). Women and youths are traditionally considered to be vulnerable groupings in Africa due to their common lack of properties and fixed assets, lesser income and experience, and the patrilineal family systems common in the SSA. Women and youths participate in all aspects of the fish value chains, but post-harvest roles like processing and trading account for most of their duties according to AUC-NEPAD (2014). Dissecting the statistics, about 96% of women work in post-harvest activities, 3.1% are fishermen, and 0.7% are in the aquaculture sector (AU-IBAR 2021). Sustainability of the Sub-Saharan African Aquaculture Value Chain: A Review Nkhoswe James, Bader Sumeya, Nyauchi Elizabeth, Lemma Yordanos, Ong’ondo Geoffrey and Geremew Akewake (CONTINUED ON PAGE 40) FIGURE 1. Literature review methodology. Equal and equitable participation of women, youths, and other vulnerable groups in aquaculture value chains is necessary for the wise use and conservation of aquatic resources to foster food security and sustainable socioeconomic development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Empowering youths and fostering gender equality are core to the attainment of the targeted United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjExNDY=