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1.3 H εn Mpoano’s Contribution to Feed the Future
The Importance of Fisheries in Ghana’s Food Security
Fish protein is an important constituent 60 of animal protein in the diet of Ghanaians and more importantly the fisheries sector contributes about 4.5 to agricultural GDP. The marine
resources which include many pelagic and demersal fishes of which sardinellas sustained by the rich upwelling ocean system of the Gulf of Guinea are the mainstay of the fisheries of the coastal
people, providing more than 2.5 million Ghanaians 10 of population with livelihoods. Equally important is the fact that much of the fish caught in Ghana’s marine waters is smoked,
dried and transported long distances to the Northern areas of the country as well as to other sub- Saharan countries in the region where it provides an essential high quality food protein to these
inland populations. A Fisheries Sector Review of Ghana carried out as part of the Year I activities suggests a
fisheries in crises. Figures 3 and 4 below show a general decline in landings over the past decade, particularly in many of the lower value small pelagic species that are a main food protein source
for coastal communities, northern regions of Ghana and other Sahel countries as well. The main cause of this situation is poor governance of the fishery that has resulted in a dramatic increase in
fishing effort over the last decade of the small-scale canoe and commercial fishing fleets. Government fuel subsidies to the canoe sector have exacerbated this situation.
Figure 3: Fish landings by species group, 1950-2008
5 Figure 4: Landings of Sardines small pelagic 1968-2010
Most of Ghana’s marine fisheries are now considered overexploited, more simply put – too many fishermen chasing too few fish. Without improved governance of the fishery, this situation is
likely to get worse with lower levels of cheap fish protein supplied domestically to some of those most in need – poor rural fishing and farming households in Ghana. Further exacerbating these
problems will be the impacts of climate change on the coastal zone – where sea level rise is threatening to inundate much of the land-based fisheries infrastructure that supports harvesting,
processing and settlement areas for the tens of thousands of fishing households dependent on this resource.
Project Activities in Relation to the Ghana FtF Results Framework
Figure 5 shows the USAID mission results framework for the Feed the Future initiative and how key project activity components contribute to intermediate result areas of the USAID FtF
initiative.
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Improved governance of the landscape: coastal climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning coastal
land use planning, human capacity dev.
Improved governance of the seascape: improved fisheries enforcement, information management,
human capacity development Improved governance of the landscape:
fishery value chain assessments and improvements
Improved governance of the landscape: coastal climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning coastal
land use planning, human capacity dev.
Improved governance of the seascape: improved fisheries enforcement, information management,
human capacity development Improved governance of the landscape:
fishery value chain assessments and improvements
Improved governance of the landscape: coastal climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning coastal
land use planning, human capacity dev.
Improved governance of the seascape: improved fisheries enforcement, information management,
human capacity development Improved governance of the landscape:
fishery value chain assessments and improvements
Figure 5: USAID FtF Results Framework in Relation to H İn Mpoano Program Elements
1.4 H εn Mpoano’s Contribution to Biodiversity Conservation in Ghana
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