Fisheries food systems provide important ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), as a source of nutritious food to over 200 million people and offer avenues for countries to attain Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2.1. However, there is a dearth of knowledge on pathways of fish to food and nutrition security, especially in the case of inland small-scale fisheries (SSF), which are often underrepresented in research and policy discussions. We adopt a literature review method to assess how fish food systems, specifically those associated with inland SSFs in SSA relate to the four themes of food and nutrition security: availability, access, utilization and stability. The review provides a synthesis of existing knowledge about the role of inland SSF in food and nutrition security, how this role varies across the four pillars, political economic contexts (e.g. development and extent of market integration) and gender dimensions. We offer an assessment of the extent to which each of these pillars of food security have been thoroughly conceptualized and investigated in the literature, identifying important avenues for future research. We then make recommendations on research agendas to enhance sustainable contribution of inland small-scale fisheries to food security.
Keywords: Fish; Inland Fisheries; Small scale fisheries, food, and nutrition security