42 DECEMBER 2015 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG The Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) conducted the project “Thematic Studies on Gender in Aquaculture in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam” from 20142015. This was a component of the USAID-funded MARKET (Maximizing Agricultural Revenue through Knowledge, Enterprise Development and Trade) project that aimed to strengthen the ASEAN institutional platform for improving regional food security, for which aquaculture was considered important. Mainstreaming gender into MARKET’s activities in aquaculture value chains was considered crucial to inform policies and decisions that will be gender sensitive and balanced so vulnerable members of value chains are not marginalized and neglected. The project aimed to raise awareness and increase recognition of gender roles, policies and programs in aquaculture in the ASEAN region to support more sustainable and responsible development. Gender assessments reported on the current status of gender policies and their implementation, women’s participation in aquaculture value chains, constraints to their participation, organizations involved in promoting gender integration and women’s empowerment, and recommendations for various stakeholders to strengthen efforts in these countries. Study Methods Desk study. An initial literature review was conducted to determine the current status of gender in aquaculture initiatives in the selected countries. The desk study team was led by gender and aquaculture expert Dr. Cecile Brugere. The team employed a systematic review approach to identify, assess and synthesize empirical evidence on gender issues and women’s involvement in aquaculture value chains. The findings provided benchmark information on gender roles and issues in country-specific aquaculture value chains and the status of gender mainstreaming in the sector. These were then used as references for the planning of incountry gender assessments. Planning workshop. A planning workshop brought together institutional partners from NACA member countries: the Fisheries Administration (Cambodia), the Department of Fisheries (Thailand), the Institute for Fisheries Economics and Planning (Vietnam) and Cantho University (Vietnam). They eventually conducted in-country gender assessments and developed case studies in selected aquaculture value chains. Dr. Kyoko Kusakabe from the Gender and Development Studies Program of the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, provided a short training on gender research methods that informed participants on how to conduct in-country gender assessments. Other gender experts from the Mekong River Commission’s Network for the Promotion of Gender in Fisheries Development (Dr. Malasri Khumsri) and the Center for Inland Fisheries Technology / India Council of Agricultural Research (Dr. Nikita Gopal) also provided guidance in planning for gender assessments. The planning workshop was conducted to discuss and identify information gaps in Desk Study reports and to finalize the methodology for the conduct of in-country gender assessment reports and case studies. Workshop outputs included a plan and an agreement to conduct the assessments and produce case studies on particular aquaculture value chains. In-country gender assessments. Following the desk study, in-country gender assessments were conducted to review national policies supporting gender equality outside and inside fisheries and aquaculture sectors and obtain information on the status of participation by gender in the aquaculture sector, key issues in women’s empowerment and gender in professional organizations. Recommendations were also developed for various aquaculture stakeholders to increase awareness and A Preliminary Assessment of Gender in Aquaculture in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam Arlene Nietes Satapornvanit, Amonrat Sermwatanakul, Kanit Naksung, Kao Sochivi, Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung, Yuan Derun and Nikita Gopal FIGURE 1. Extension programs should ensure that women farmers are not excluded from their activities. FIGURE 2. Involving student researchers in gender research will increase their awareness and develop their skills. FIGURE 3. Female shrimp farm managers are appreciated for their skills, dedication and work ethic. They are preferred, therefore, but there are only a few available to work on farms.
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