The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has declared 2022 the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture.
The aim of the declaration is to increase global understanding and support of millions of small-scale fishers, fish farmers and fish workers who provide healthy and nutritious food to billions of people. They play a crucial role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals such as Goal 2: Zero Hunger, contributing to global food security and nutrition, and poverty eradication. Yet, issues of sustainability, equality, and inclusion remain. Many people looking to enter into the sector, women in particular, face numerous challenges in one of the world’s most vulnerable industries.
Heather Jones, founder of Women in Scottish Aquaculture (WiSA) and CEO of the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), spoke to UNRIC on the challenges and opportunities facing women in Scotland.
“The intention was to build a grassroots network of peer-to-peer support for women, by women, operating in what is still, numerically at least, a male-dominated sector.” – Heather Jones.
Read the full interview