{"id":99668,"date":"2022-12-22T14:17:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T08:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/?post_type=samudra&p=99668"},"modified":"2022-12-22T14:28:07","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T08:58:07","slug":"a-capital-choice","status":"publish","type":"samudra","link":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/samudra\/a-capital-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"A Capital Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"
A participatory, bottom-up approach will go a long way in ensuring sustainable livelihoods for communities in the small-scale fisheries sector of Nigeria<\/strong><\/p>\n This article is by Ayorinde Kappo<\/strong><\/em> (ayorindekappo1@gmail.com), a PhD student, and Shehu Latunji Akintola<\/strong><\/em> (shehu.akintola2@gmail), professor; and Kafayat Adetoun Fakoya<\/strong><\/em> (kafayat.fakoya@lasu.edu.ng), associate professor at the Department of Fisheries, Lagos State University, Nigeria<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nigeria\u2019s small-scale fisheries are very diverse, providing livelihood and food for millions of people engaged in the fisheries value chain. Fishing activity occurs in the vast network of inland water bodies, such as lakes, wetlands, creeks, estuaries, rivers, streams and lagoons, as well as in the sea. The country\u2019s waters are rich in a wide range of commercially important species, both freshwater and marine, such as catfish, tilapia, prawns, crayfish, croakers, shiny nose, shrimps and many others.<\/p>\n The country\u2019s small-scale fisheries can be described as multi-gear, multi-species, multi-technique enterprises that preserve the culture of the fisherfolk. However, in recent times, the small-scale fishing communities have been confronted with many challenges.<\/p>\n The environmental problems include climate change, aquatic weed infestation, pollution, salinity intrusion, coastal flooding and erosion. The socioeconomic challenges comprise a long list: rapid coastal development, excessive sand mining, rising inflation, inadequate government-subsidised fishing inputs and gears, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices, inadequate fish preservation and processing facilities, pricing monopoly by middlemen, piracy, insecure tenure, and a general lack of governance in the fisheries. All these make it very difficult for fisherfolk to sustain their livelihoods.<\/p>\n Forms of capital<\/strong><\/p>\n Sustainable livelihoods can be described as the capabilities and availability of assets\u2014social and material\u2014as also activities that can absorb and recover from shocks and stress, enhancing resources and capabilities for present and future use without negatively affecting the natural resource base. The sustainable livelihood framework uses the concept of capital as the key feature and considers its interaction with the vulnerability context, transforming structures and processes to create livelihoods strategies that result in different livelihood outcomes. The types of capital that small-scale fisheries in Nigeria can use to build their livelihoods are natural, social, cultural, human, physical, financial and political capital.<\/p>\n The types of capital that small-scale fisheries in Nigeria can use to build their livelihoods are natural, social, cultural, human, physical, financial and political capital<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Natural capital refers to all natural resources utilized for fish production in the aquatic environment\u2014rivers, streams, lakes, creeks, estuaries, wetlands, mangroves, lagoons and the sea. These water bodies are usually open-access but traditional authorities and individuals control fishing rights in most inland water bodies in Nigeria. Diverse fish species inhabit them; their harvest meets the protein and micronutrient requirement of the fishing communities and provide livelihood for the fishers.<\/p>\n Social capital connotes the networks and connectedness of fishing communities; it increases their trust and ability to cooperate, form relationships and access wider social institutions that support their livelihoods. Fishing communities draw on social networks\u2014neighbourhood, nearby relatives, cooperative societies and other associations\u2014for financial aid for fishing activities and livelihood sustenance. Most fishing communities lack health institutions, and the few available usually lack basic drugs and qualified heath personnel; thus, fishing communities resort to treatment from traditional medicine or spiritual practitioners.<\/p>\n … most fishing communities are isolated and inaccessible, with no direct contact with their elected representatives…<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Human capital refers to the skills, knowledge, leadership, capacity to work and good health of fishworkers; these can be utilized to develop and multiply the benefits derivable from other resources. This capital is exhibited by artisanal fishers in various forms, including in the use of local materials such as branches of trees, worn-out tires and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes to make fish aggregating devices and fish fences. However, their adoption of modern techniques of fishing is limited by the low levels of educational among fishing communities. Fishers are known to draw on their fishing experience to anticipate the weather conditions and tidal currents; they collectivize resources to decide the time and location for fishing, multiplying their catches, also forecasting demand to obtain higher prices for their harvests.<\/p>\n Physical capital consists of material infrastructure and private assets: fishing craft, gear and engines, landing centres, jetties, roads, storage facilities, potable water, shelter, energy, transport, and communication; it includes equipment for production and processing. Most fishing communities in Nigeria\u2019s coastal and inland areas are not accessible by road. Hence, the waterways navigable by boats, canoes and ferries remain the only viable means of transportation to areas such as creeks and estuaries that are very difficult to access for researchers, fisheries officers and fish dealers, thus denying the fishing communities opportunity, in terms of fisheries assessment, extension services and better pricing from urban markets. Most fishing communities lack storage and processing facilities due to the lack of electricity, resulting in significant post-harvest losses. It is very evident that the essential physical capital is mostly unavailable to fisherfolk.<\/p>\n Financial capital refers to the economic or monetary resources. They can take the form of savings, credit, regular remittances or pensions. Most fishers have no access to formal sources of credit; they rely on personal savings and loans from family, friends, cooperatives and moneylenders. These sources of capital are usually limited, they hardly meet the fishers\u2019 financial requirement.<\/p>\n Cultural capital refers to how people perceive their world, how they operate in it, including through their traditions and language. It determines whose views are respected and who holds influence in a community. It expresses in the novel ways they think, strategize, create and innovate to adapt to emerging challenges. Cultural capital can be seen in the adoption of beel fishing and brush park fishing by artisanal fishers operating in inland areas, examples of aquaculture-based fisheries enhancement to bolster productivity.<\/p>\n
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