This report looks at small-scale aquaculture from the viewpoint of poverty reduction. What are the main factors that enable fish farming to generate livelihoods and reduce poverty? Based on case studies, the first part of the report highlights the importance of access to capital assets--human, social, natural, physical, and financial--and to a range of transforming processes, such as markets, institutions, facilities, infrastructure, and services.

Throughout the South Pacific, notions of ‘culture’ and ‘development’ are very much alive—in political debate, the media, sermons, and endless discussions amongst villagers and the urban élites, even in policy reports. Often the terms are counterposed, and development along with ‘economic rationality’, ‘good governance’ and ‘progress’ is set against culture or ‘custom’, ‘tradition’ and ‘identity’. The decay of custom and impoverishment of culture are often seen as wrought by development, while failures of development are haunted by the notion that they are due, somehow, to the darker, irrational influences of culture. The problem is to resolve the contradictions between them so as to achieve the greater good—access to material goods, welfare and amenities, ‘modern life’—without the sacrifice of the ‘traditional’ values and institutions that provide material security and sustain diverse social identities. Resolution is sought in this book by a number of leading writers from the South Pacific including Langi Kavaliku, Epeli Hau’ofa, Marshall Sahlins, Malama Meleisea, Joeli Veitayaki, and Tarcisius Tara Kabutaulaka. The volume is brought together for UNESCO by Antony Hooper, Professor Emeritus at the University of Auckland. UNESCO experts include Richard Engelhardt, Langi Kavaliku, Russell Marshall, Malama Meleisea, Edna Tait and Mali Voi.

FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circulars While many countries in the Asia-Pacific region have made commendable efforts to set up policies, as well as administrative, legal and regulatory frameworks to properly develop and manage aquaculture, some countries are still lagging behind. And in some of the countries that have made conducive policies, implementation is delayed by a lack of financial and skilled human resources. This issue must be addressed as a priority if the Asia-Pacific aquaculture sector is to continue to develop sustainably.

Aiming to build regional capacity in aquaculture governance in Asia-Pacific, FAO and NACA jointly implemented a regional consultation in collaboration with NACA member governments to assess the status of aquaculture governance in Asia, share experiences and lessons learned in aquaculture governance among countries, and recommend strategies and actions for further improvement. The consultation consisted of two major activities: country assessment studies and a regional consultative workshop. The country assessment studies were carried out by seven national experts in seven selected countries including Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The consultative workshop was conducted in 5-6 November 2019 in Bangkok, attended by 33 participants including experts and government officers from 15 Asian countries and representatives from FAO, NACA and the Asian Institute of Technology. The findings of the assessment studies were presented to the workshop, and participants then worked on identifying gaps, constraints, and challenges in aquaculture governance in the region and put forward recommendations for further improvement. This publication presents the seven country assessment studies and the outputs of the workshop, including the summary of the status of aquaculture governance in the region, challenges and issues in governing process, and recommendations for further strengthening aquaculture governance in the region.