Following the fish inland: understanding fish distribution networks for rural development and nutrition security

Abstract

© 2019, International Society for Plant Pathology and Springer Nature B.V. In developing countries, smallscale fisheries are both a pivotal source of livelihood and essential for the nutritional intake of larger food insecure populations. Distribution networks that move fish from landing sites to coastal and inland consumers offer entry points to address livelihood enhancement and food security objectives of rural development initiatives. To be able to utilize fish distribution networks to address national development targets, a sound understanding of how local systems function and are organized is imperative. Here we present an in-depth examination of a domestic market chain in Timor-Leste that supplies small-pelagic fish to coastal and inland communities. We present the market chain's different commodity flows and its distributive reach, and show how social organization strongly influences people's access to fish, by determining availability and affordability. We suggest there is potential to advance Timor-Leste's food and nutrition security targets by engaging with local influential actors and existing social relations across fish distribution networks. We argue that in addition to developing improvements to fish distribution infrastructure, utilizing existing or locally familiar practices, organization and social capital offers opportunity for long term self-sufficiency. Livelihood and food security improvement initiatives involving natural resource-dependent communities are more likely to succeed if they incorporate rural development perspectives, which frame directly targeted interventions ('intentional' development) within broader structural contexts ('immanent' development).

Consumer choices and demand for Tilapia in urban Malawi: What are the complementarities and trade-offs?

“…First, the sector contributes about 1.25 percent to global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth (AUC-NEPAD 2014). Second, it supports rural livelihoods through employment in fish farming, catch fisheries and other value chain activities (Funge-Smith and Bennett 2019; Rashid and Zang 2019;Steenbergen et al 2019). Third, fish products contribute about 16 percent of global consumption of low cholesterol animal products, from which high-quality fatty acids, proteins, calcium, iron, iodine and potassium vital for human body development are sourced (Tacon and Metian 2013;Kobayashi et al 2015;Cai and Leung 2017).…”

Systemic Design for Food Self-Sufficiency in Urban Areas

“…According to the literature review, the contributions by Steenbergen et al [58], Viira and Roots [64], Agarwal [91], Lin [85], Zhan [94], Neilson [56], and Petry [100] made important efforts to characterize, from different perspectives, the components related to the problem of urban agriculture and how this type of agriculture can be established as an alternative for reducing the potential threats that the current provision of food generates in urban areas. Another aspect in which these authors agree (although it is an aspect that they leave unanswered) is the need to establish partnerships under a sufficiently robust organizational framework that does not depend on the kindness and goodwill of the actors but instead on systemic principles that promote autonomy and self-organization.…”

“…This set of KWs connects works that identifies a strong dependence on imported food in areas with a high population concentration; despite the infrastructure, it is difficult to ensure the supply, consumption, and nutrients of such food [58,59]. On the other hand, the limited design of cultivation and food production in different areas of a country generates structural tensions for efficient agricultural production, increasing the scarcity and environmental impact of resources [60].…”

“…In contrast, other studies indicate that these transformations have fostered an exploration of the region's potential within communities, mainly among those that live in urban areas, thereby improving technical knowledge, gender inclusion, and income generation [26,68,69]. Additionally, Steenbergen et al [58] established that the interactions between local actors influence their relationships, resulting in improvements in the use of existing practices and generating long-term self-sufficiency.…”

Untangling Tales of Tropical Sardines: Local Knowledge From Fisheries in Timor-Leste

“…In contrast, Tetun Terik generally shows greater Indonesian/Malay influence (Williams-van Klinken et al, 2002). Limited fish trade between coasts (Steenbergen et al, 2019) may have reinforced this difference in naming. We also found that some fish traders use 'sardiña' or 'sardine' for small mackerel (Rastrelliger spp.…”