Enhancing resilience of Lake Victoria’s fisheries: Strengthening women’s fisheries organizations for sustainable food systems

Abstract

The inland fisheries of Lake Victoria in East Africa are dynamic with multiple interacting forces shaping access to sustainable aquatic foods. Women in the fisheries sector face diverse adaptation challenges; yet, lack of sex-disaggregated research has hindered the development of equitable adaptive strategies. In Lake Victoria, over half a million women rely on fisheries for their livelihoods and play an integral role in the post-harvest handling, processing, and trade of fish and fish products. Women also contribute critically to household- and community-level food and nutrition security through their responsibilities in procuring and preparing household meals. Nevertheless, women are marginalized in decision making processes at community and household levels and lack access to key determinants of adaptive capacity. This talk will explore barriers and solutions to climate change adaptation for women in fisheries in Lake Victoria and explore promising avenues toward full autonomy and agency.