The Women Shellfishers and Food Security project aims to strengthen the evidence base, increase awareness, and equip stakeholders to adapt and apply successful approaches to rights-based, ecosystem-based, participatory co-management of shellfisheries by women in mangrove ecosystems in West Africa. Over two years (2020-2022) in Phase I, the project:
- Conducted the first-ever participatory regional assessment of women-led shellfisheries in the 11 coastal West African countries from Nigeria to Senegal available at https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00Z67C.pdf.
- Published six technical studies of site-based research in Ghana and The Gambia that tested Theory of Change linkages between women’s shellfish co-management and livelihoods, mangrove conservation, and nutrition.
- Fostered a community of practice around the development and dissemination of a toolkit on women’s shellfisheries co-management in West Africa available at https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00ZHT6.pdf. See Annex J for 11 individual country assessments and the technical studies.
Over a three-year Phase II (2022-2025), the project will build on these results to:
- Demonstrate the biodiversity and socio-economic value of more fully integrated rights-based co-management of linked shellfish - mangrove - proximate landscape food ecosystems in site-based research in Ghana and The Gambia through activities in:
- Women shellfishers empowerment
- Gender-sensitive shellfishery co-management
- Mangrove co-management
- Integration of Adjacent landscape food production systems
- Establish a functional West Africa Shellfish Knowledge and Outreach Hub engaging and serving stakeholders in the sub-region.
