A strategy for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in the Volta Basin riparian countries’ post-harvest chains and regional trade
This report (PDF) published by the FAO argues that fisheries and aquaculture are essential for food and nutrition security, employment, income generation and improved livelihoods in the Volta Basin, West Africa. This basin provides a significant number of fisheries and fisheries-related jobs, but operations face significant challenges including multifaceted issues, with inefficiencies at the upstream and downstream levels. In order to understand how to improve this situation sustainably, the NEPAD-FAO Fish Programme conducted pilot studies on post-harvest fisheries losses in the riparian countries of the Volta Basin. The main objective was to gauge the performance of the post-harvest chain by assessing the causes, nature, contextual patterns and extent of these losses within this shared waterbody. The project developed the capacity of fisheries officers and fishers in carrying out loss assessments and in designing sustainable loss-reduction cost-effective interventions. This comprised building a sound understanding of fish losses and their intricate dimensions, including a knowledge-sharing gender analysis process, and generating lessons and elements for an informed strategy for sustainable reduction of post-harvest losses and greater regional trade in fishery products. The report finishes with guidelines for a sub regional program and national action plans to address priority areas of intervention to reduce post-harvest losses.