Blue Food Sovereignty Benefits Social-Ecological Resilience: A Case Study of Small-Scale Fisheries Co-Management and Mariculture in Samoa

Abstract

Abstract“Blue” (aquatic) food systems have a vital role in providing nutrition, livelihoods, and food security for coastal communities, but addressing and evaluating issues of equity and social resilience continue to challenge small-scale fisheries management. We examine how marine aquaculture and co-management approaches that integrate traditional institutions can support food sovereignty for more equitable blue food systems. Interviews with stakeholders in 11 fishing communities in Samoa indicate that several benefits associated with food sovereignty are derived from co-managed village fish reserves. Reserves support biodiversity health and are a source of culturally valued seafoods that build food security, social capital, and sustainable livelihood opportunities for women. Local values, food systems, providers, and consumers are centered, though traditional hierarchies present challenges for equitable decision-making. Our findings demonstrate how incorporating food sovereignty into the operation and evaluation of fisheries co-management can aid in addressing equity and resilience.

Charting the systemic and cascading impacts of climate change on marine food systems and human health

“…Bearing in mind the role and importance of blue food systems within complex social-ecological networks, policy-makers should prioritise the needs, cultural values and health of local and Indigenous fishing communities 3. In the event that traditional diets become unsustainable, the nutrition transition to mixed diets (of traditional and market-based foods) may become pronounced 6.…”

“…Bearing in mind the role and importance of blue food systems within complex social-ecological networks, policy-makers should prioritise the needs, cultural values and health of local and Indigenous fishing communities. 3 In the event that traditional diets become unsustainable, the nutrition transition to mixed diets (of traditional and market-based foods) may become pronounced. 6 Disruptions in coastal food systems, particularly in places with higher market integration and prohibitively priced import substitutes could prompt a transition to farm-based fish products or other animal-source proteins, which may cause nutritional challenges due to the low diversity of fish, worsening existing micronutrient deficiencies.…”

“…This paradigm is all important as severe climate change impacts and biodiversity loss reveal the unintended power redistributions to the disbenefit of indigenous and local fisher communities. Socioeconomic disparities within global food systems thus reinforce the case for food sovereignty, social-ecological resilience, and the importance of harnessing indigenous knowledge to reframe the rights of local resource users 3…”

“…Socioeconomic disparities within global food systems thus reinforce the case for food sovereignty, social-ecological resilience, and the importance of harnessing indigenous knowledge to reframe the rights of local resource users. 3 …”

“…Expected declines in global marine species and fish catch could increase climate change-related income, livelihood and food security risks, with consequences for seafood-dependent communities 1. As one of the most biologically diverse and productive natural resources in the world, the ocean provides ecosystem services such as biomedical compounds derived from marine species; supports food provisioning, cultural practices and identity; and performs critical ecosystem functions such as protecting coastal zones, regulating the global climate system and facilitating carbon sequestration 2–4. Globally, an estimated 3.3 billion people rely on ‘blue’ (aquatic) foods for nutrition, which accounts for almost 20% of the average per capita consumption of animal protein 5.…”