8 DECEMBER 2016 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG The Women in Aquaculture session at the World Aquaculture Society conference in Adelaide in June 2014 was the catalyst to establish the Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) Women/Gender Network. Like all volunteer groups, the Network ebbs and flows based on the efforts of a small core of people. Anyone can easily join discussions and get information by networking with more than 600 members at www.facebook.com/groups/ awfwomen/. According to the FAO SETFIA Report, women accounted for 19 percent of all people directly engaged in the primary sector (fisheries and aquaculture) in 2014, but when the secondary sector (e.g. processing, trading) is included, women make up about half of the workforce, or about 75 million women. However, it is difficult to obtain an accurate number due to the lack of data. It is likely to be greater because many jobs within the supply chain are simply not well recorded in many countries. The lack of poor data was highlighted in the HLPE7 Report on Food Security and Nutrition, confirming that much of the work conducted by women is not recognized nor recorded, despite its economic and other contributions. Gender disaggregated data are not routinely collected and, partly as a result, little policy attention is given to women and to the gender dimension of the sector. What is clear from the many report recommendations is that there are many things that can be done in the future. The AwF Women’s Network, faced with limited resources, initiated a way of promoting and highlighting the inspirational work being undertaken by women in the aquaculture/seafood arena, namely their contribution to the community, their leadership and the positive role models they provide for other women. With limited resources available, the group decided that the best approach was to promote and recognize individual aquaculture/seafood women for the time and dedication that they have demonstrated to members of the community and the positive role models for women in aquaculture/ seafood they provided. Every month since December 2014 we have promoted an AwF Woman of the Month. Women are nominated (anyone can make a nomination – see svy. mk/2cp9S6D) and the Women’s Network Committee, consisting of a renowned group of women based around the world who are themselves leaders in the gender and aquaculture arena and, through our hard-working secretary Julie Kimber, make a decision on the monthly award. The depth and breadth of the monthly awardees is simply fantastic reading and it highlights the major advantages that aquaculture has in being able to have a greater involvement of women when compared with other industries. AwF Woman of the Month for October and November AwF’s Woman of the Month (WoM) for October 2016 was Dr. Amonrat Sermwatanakul. We delayed this announcement in accordance with protocols associated with the sad passing of the King of Thailand. Amonrat is renowned for her outstanding work empowering women to improve their livelihoods by developing ornamental fish farms. Amonrat is an expert in ornamental fish culture and has transferred her knowledge by initiating training courses on ornamental fish farming and online marketing for small-scale fish farmers. This has had a tremendous impact, allowing women to sell their fish all over the world. Her entrepreneurship in the online world also led to the creation of DrNoi.com, a social networking think-tank and global communication tool for the ornamental fish industry. This site assists fish farmers, retailers and exporters. To date, Amonrat has over 30 years’ experience in aquaculture extension and research. She has been recognized for supporting farmers in Thailand and has supported the Network for Promotion of Gender in Fisheries Management and Development in the Lower Mekong Basin for 10 years. She also received the Department of Fisheries government award for National Outstanding for Gender Ability in 2008. In 2015, Amonrat was recognized for her promotion of women by the Network Women the Key for Aquaculture without Frontiers Amonrat Sermwatanakul Karen Veverica Women account for 19 percent of all people directly engaged in the primary sector (fisheries and aquaculture) in 2014, but when the secondary sector (e.g. processing, trading) is included, women make up about half of the workforce, or about 75 million women. However, it is difficult to obtain an accurate number due to the lack of data. It is likely to be greater because many jobs within the supply chain are simply not well recorded in many countries.
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